henry ii, 1547-1559

A novel set in the French royal court of Catherine de' Medici during the Renaissance follows Pedro Gonzales, an unusual man who, delivered by a slave broker into France's royal court, becomes the favorite of the queen who is determined to find him a bride.

Mary, the young Scottish queen, writes in her diary about her experiences living at the court of France's King Henry II as she awaits her marriage to Henry's son, Francis.

Francis Crawford of Lymond, once an accused traitor, now a valued agent of Scottish diplomacy, is sent to France to protect young Queen Mary Stuart from assassinators that extend from her native country to the court of France.