When Ursula Blanchard's neighbour is murdered, she is once again
involved with matters of espionage and affairs of state
July, 1573. Recently widowed, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet life on
her Surrey estate, caring for her infant son. But her peaceful existence
is shattered when Ursula's neighbour Jane Cobbold is found dead in her
own flowerbed, stabbed through the heart with a silver dagger - and
Ursula's manservant Brockley is arrested for the crime. Determined to
prove Brockley's innocence, Ursula seeks help from her old mentor Lord
Burghley. But when a second death occurs and the queen's new spymaster,
Francis Walsingham, gets involved, once again Ursula is reluctantly
drawn into matters of espionage and affairs of state.