Bogdan, D. L

Married by proxy to James IV, Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII, becomes the Queen of Scotland and, after a tragic loss, falls victim to the attentions of the Earl of Angus--a move that brings Scotland to the brink of anarchy.

When young Mary Howard receives the news that she will be leaving her home for the grand court of King Henry VIII, to attend his mistress, Anne Boleyn, she is ecstatic. Mary is certain Anne will one day become Queen. Then she discovers that she is a pawn in a carefully orchestrated plot devised by her father, the Duke of Norfolk, and Mary dare not disobey him. When she becomes betrothed to Harry Fitzroy, the Duke of Richmond and son to King Henry VIII, Mary finally finds the love and approval she's been seeking but just when she thinks she is finally free of her father, the tides turn. Now Mary must learn to play her part well in a dangerous chess game that could change her life - and the course of history.

As maid to the Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon, and daughter of the Duke of Buckingham, the future seems bright for Elizabeth Stafford. But when her father gives her hand to Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk, the spirited young woman must sacrifice all for duty. For years, Elizabeth and Bess Holland, Norfolk's mistress, compete for his affections. But they are mere spectators to an obsession neither can rival: Norfolk's quest to weave the Howard name into the royal bloodline. The women's loyalties are tested as his schemes unfold--among them the litigious marriage of his niece, Anne Boleyn, to King Henry the VIII. But in an age of ruthless beheadings, both women discover there are other things to fight besides each other.