The inimitable Plaidy continues her Novels of the Tudors by taking readers into the life of Sir Thomas More, a man torn between devotion to religion and duty to state.

"In the eyes of the world, Katharine of Aragon was a precious object to be disposed of for the glory of Spain. Her parents, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, send her to England to become the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales. But soon her frail husband was dead, and a fateful question loomed: Was the marriage consummated, as Katharine's priest avowed, or was the young widow still a virgin? On that delicate point hinged Katharine's-and England's-future....

The young Princess Victoria is never allowed to be alone, kept from Court for fear she might be contaminated by contact with the King's illegitimate sons and daughter, grew up to regard herself a prisoner. An account of the years of conflict when the character of a young Princess was being molded into that of a great Queen.