Royal Bondage — Anne Powers

Lady Katherine Perrott, Maid of Honor to the Queen... The illegitimate granddaughter of Henry VIII, Katherine was a beautiful woman, with a lovely, piquant face, and dark eyes and hair. But such loveliness was dangerous in Queen Elizabeth's court.... Love had not treated her kindly in the past, yet Katherine fell in love with Maurice Quain, the handsome but disillusioned merchant prince. Drawn to one another by an uncontrollable passion, they were kept apart by a strange antagonism, for there were other men in Katherine's life, and Maurice was a proud man. Thus begins Anne Powers' novel, which skillfully blends fact and fiction. With dynamic Queen Bess as the motivating force, Royal Bondage tells the story of three men who loved Katherine, and the one man she loved. Ranging from the bloody political Court maneuverings, to the evil, exotic atmosphere of a Turkish harem, to the incredible defeat of the Spanish Armada, all human emotions are laid bare, as Katherine fights the betrayal that almost costs her her life, that sends her young daughter off to slavery in the East, and that ultimately destroys the man she loves.