Rating: 
Summary: a journey into Elizabethan times
Review: Ursula Blanchard, now Ursula Stannard is back for another adventure of political intrigue. It's not an adventure that she particularly wants. She had given up spying for her half-sister Queen Elizabeth or so she thought. She is sucked back into the antics of court when there is some trouble with Ursula's ward, Penelope Mason. Pen, one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting has fallen in love with a married man. Elizabeth is not amused. Elizabeth uses this to have Ursula to go visit Mary Queen of Scots at the northern castle where she is held captive. Ursula does not want to accept her assignment, but much to her surprise her husband Hugh urges her too. She, her daughter Meg, and her ward set out on their journey north. Things do not turn out well when Meg is kidnapped and one of her men is killed. This is the first of mishaps and misadventures that the group faces.Fiona Buckley skillfully interweaves historical fact and fiction. Ursula Stannard is portrayed as a strong independent woman who can hold her own with any man. Most of the characters are richly drawn and the setting gives you a real sense of time and place. The story line was interesting and kept you reading. Overall, this entry is an entertaining addition to a well-received series.
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