From one of our most accomplished Tudor historians comes the first enthralling novel in a trilogy set at the opening of the 17th century. In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents' country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. When King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne, Frances is only too happy to stay at home, far from the decadence and debauchery of his court. Yet when her ambitious uncle forces Frances to return to the royal palace as a lady in the bedchamber of the young Princess Elizbeth, she becomes a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King's precocious young daughter and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But Wintour has a secret that, when revealed, places Frances in conflict with her royal charge and in fear for her own family.