Margaret Irwin Libros

'I doubt if anyone could create more perfectly than Miss Irwin, the illusion of a vanished age.' - Observer

In July, 1553, sibling rivalry has never been more tumultuous than between the daughters of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary Tudor has just won possession of the throne, but her half-sister - the Princess Elizabeth - holds the hearts of the people. Knowing this, Mary banishes her to a country retreat, determined to keep her as far away from court life.

Philip of Spain, unwilling bridegroom of Queen Mary, has been warned about the Queen's half-sister, the young Elizabeth. According to reports, she is a heretic, a rebel and a potential enemy with 'a spirit full of enchantment'. An alluring description and one that immediately intrigues, rather than deters, the foreign prince.

A brother dead; a cousin executed; imprisonment in the Tower--in the aftermath of Edward VI's demise England is in turmoil and young Elizabeth's position is precarious. But while she is prey to the Queen's jealous suspicions, Queen Mary is fading; while Elizabeth is twenty and healthy. The country looks to the young princess for its future. Imperious, high spirited, fighting for her life, Elizabeth already shows the diplomacy, the baffling changes of mood, and the power to win men's devotion for which she would be famous as Queen. This is the second book in the series started in Queen Bess.

Young Elizabeth, half-sister of Queen Mary has a hazardous path ahead of her. Reports of her as a heretic, a rebel and a potential enemy with 'a spirit full of enchantment' have reached the queen's reluctant bridegroom, Prince of Spain. Elizabeth must advance warily towards her destiny, amid courtly machinations, running the gauntlet between Bloody Mary's jealousy and Philip's uneasy ardor... This is the final volume installment of the evocative trilogy charting young Elizabeth's precarious path to the throne.