Louise de Keroualle leaves her father's home in Brittany to serve at court in Paris at 18. She has a place as a maid of honor to the Duchesse d'Orleans, sister to King Charles II of England and married to the Duc d'Orleans, brother to King Louis XIV of France. Raised in the country, it takes her some time to accustom herself to the continuous plots and intrigues of court life, but she soon gains both the favor and trust of her mistress, whom she calls Madame. Madame finds herself walking quite a tight rope as she tries to orchestrate a secret alliance between England and France, between her brother and the man she loves. Jealous of the attention from Louis, her husband flaunts his love affair with his male favorite in addition to bedding some of her ladies-in-waiting and maids of honor.

Louise vows to stay virtuous, find a husband and make her family proud, but other than gaining posts for her brother and her sponsor, she hasn't succeeded. She has a childish crush on Charles II from Madame's descriptions and the English King's letters, but loses her heart to him once and for all when she meets him on a visit to England with her mistress.

Susan Holloway Scott writes a riveting tale of a time period in history where subterfuge reigned in the high courts. The English might be more boisterous, but no less conniving, and the French likely the more dangerous for their subtlety. The story gets off to a bit of a slow start, but picks up speed once Louise and Charles meet and the sense of suspense and potential disaster loom large. Given the nature of courts and political intrigue, there are many names to learn, which can be a little confusing at first. Scott does a wonderful job at portraying Louise: her upbringing, loyalty, careful behavior and inner conflicts and Madame: her strength of purpose, faith and love of brother and king. Scott does an excellent job at giving her readers a firsthand look at life at court, and the precarious positions of courtiers and maids of honor like Louise, who truly can trust no one. Scott has clearly done her research well and her dialogue in particular stands out with its guardedness and word play to try to determine how an individual really feels. Fans of historical suspense and court intrigue, such as that written by Jean Plaidy, will find THE FRENCH MISTRESS delectable. I look forward to reading more of Scott's novels.