Elda’s story isn’t only Elda’s story, it’s a saga of many women living secret lives in the interstices of the medieval values which imprison them.  Jazara’s fate is in some ways even more pitiful than Elda’s – yet no-one could pity a woman as strong as Jazara…  Lily has suffered at Edward’s hands for twice as long as Elda and Jazara put together, yet still she smiles serenely, still she knows just how to exert her mite of influence at the perfect moment to tip the scale… What of the Spy Master? What of the Unknown Groom?  Enter a deceptive court of devastating intrigue