"Ariadne Daunt has vowed to be with the man she loves, Gabriel Fawcett. Then, on his deathbed, Ari's grandfather decrees that she marry her childhood friend Ivor Chalfont, thus forging a powerful alliance between two warring families. Giving Ari no time to protest, the elders plan her wedding the next day. She is fond of Ivor, but Ari has no intention of consummating their marriage--until he kindles an intoxicating desire that she can't ignore....

Rosamund has two loves--sketching and the theater--and is happy to have a brother who indulges her in both. Her idyllic days draw to a close, however, when her cousin, Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth, deems it time to prepare herself for marriage, and suspects that her eye for art could make her a uniquely valuable spy. Once in the queen's court in the role of a lifetime, Rosamund finds herself not truly prepared for the politics and deceit,...