Crown of Aloes — Norah Lofts

A novel about Isabella of Spain -- the Queen and the woman

AS A QUEEN, ISABELLA RULED WITH AN IRON HAND. AS A WOMAN, SHE WAS RULED BY HER CROWN.

On the throne she seemed a proud queen. In her private life she suffered tragically. She could not deny Spain. Not for her husband or her children. Not even for the man she secretly desired.

So she lived with a king who envied her power. She silently mourned the loss of the one man she worshipped. And held fast to her vision of a united Spain.