LUDO DA PORTOVENERE, ONE TIME CORSAIR, SOMETIME MERCHANT, SECRET AGENTS OF MONARCHS, SERVANT OF NONE. From the trading colony of Goa to the royal courts of England and Spain, Ludo da Portovenere completes difficult and dangerous secret commissions on his own terms and for his own reasons. But, as these tasks bring him closer to success, Ludo is forced to confront dangerous secrets of his own. While Ludo pursues a delicate mission for the English queen in the Spanish royal court, Alina, Baroness Metherall, faces new challenges and dangers while trying to come to terms with what it means to be married to one person and love another. Ultimately, Ludo and Alina must decide who they really are, and to what extent their shared past should influence their future. Harlond’s brilliantly realized portrait of the sea-trade in 17th century is a gem…Ludo is a great character with wit, intelligence and daring. Exploiting his position as an envoy between Charles I and the Spanish court results in a seafaring novel of danger and double-dealing. Highly recommended. Deborah Swift, author of Pleasing Mr Pepys Ms. Harlond details a credible, intricate world of deals and alliances, threats and opportunities, uncertainty and trust, in which her hero, the wily Genoese merchant Ludo da Portovenere, must tread with extreme caution. Let’s hear yet more of him! –Antoine Vanner, author of the Dawlish Chronicles series.