Queen's Ransom
by FIONA BUCKLEY
It's 1562 and Catholic Spain threatens the stability of Protestant England, whilst in France, the Protestants also face threats from the powerful Catholics. Fearing trouble might spread to England; Elizabeth seeks to mediate peace between the two French factions. The queen wants Ursula Blanchard, a young Lady of the Presence Chamber to go to France on a secret mission, to deliver a letter to France's queen mother Catherine de Médicis. So, she is forced to accompany her former father-in-law, the Luke Blanchard, whom she despises. Though she has protection, she knows that her life is endangered by an enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy her.