March, 1581. Queen Elizabeth is once again being urged to consider marriage to the Duke of Alencon, a French Catholic twenty years her junior. The prospect of the match is causing unrest throughout the kingdom. Ursula Blanchard, however, has more immediate matters to worry about when her nine-year-old son is snatched away while out riding. If she is ever to see him again, Ursula must undertake an impossibly difficult and dangerous mission - and commit an act of high treason. Can she rely on her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth, for help?