Scorned Lady Joan of Weston, daughter of the harlot Alys
and the old king, has traveled to Windsor Castle, England.
Alys, the king's mistress of 13 years, was turned out with
her two daughters following the death of the king in 1386.
Lord Justin Lamont, a member of the Council, finds Lady
Joan, known as Solay, very elegant and beautiful. He
suspects ulterior motives for her appearance before
the "foolish" young King Richard, who now occupies the
throne. Because of the king's outrageous spending, Justin,
along with the Council, controls all treasury matters
petitioned by the king.
Solay is willing to compromise herself to acquire funds for
her mother and sister to live on, even if it means offering
herself to Justin, the one man who can thwart her plans.
Unexpectedly, the king decides Solay should marry to obtain
support and protection -- and to less than Justin! Justin
wants no part of this. He barters with the king that he not
be required to fulfill this obligation unless Solay can
convince him that she loves him by the end of Lent. Because
of the discord between King Richard and the Council over
the royal finances, Solay is ordered by the king to spy on
Justin.
There are so many plots to this story, it was impossible to
include all of them. I loved Solay's character and thought
the novel was well-written and easy to follow. Some good
historical data is portrayed, which helps tremendously.
Lady Solay's eyes met those of a hard-edged man. His
implacable gaze sliced through her and, for an instant, she
forgot everything else. A mistake. She had no time for
emotion when so much depended on her finding favor at court.
Lord Justin Lamont couldn't look away from the late king's
scandalous--illegitimate--daughter. Head held high, she
walked as if the court adored her. No matter the pain in
her eyes, Justin resolutely snuffed out a spark of
sympathy. He must guard against her bewitching charms...
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