Defending her mistress, Queen Elizabeth I, is more than a full-time occupation for steely-nerved handmaiden Ursula Blanchard. Now, a crisis in Ursula's marriage demands that for once her personal life must come before her courtly duties. The Queen will grant Ursula a leave of absence on one condition: first she must assist Sir William Cecil in his investigation of a troubling scheme to place Elizabeth's cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne of England. Ursula knows the risks as she embarks on her treacherous mission: already, one of Cecil's most trusted spies is dead. As Ursula follows directions and joins the household of her old friends Ann and Leonard Mason—now under suspicion of involvement in this Catholic plot—her masquerade soon leads her to dangerous new territory, including the underground cells of the Tower of London itself. With time fleeting, Ursula discovers the deadliest enemies may be those she thought she knew the best—and trusted most of all.