Set in a period of great social unrest, this novel explores the various
rivalries acted out between Royalist and Parliamentarian factions in
17th Century Britain.
The real-life historical figure of Elizabeth Murray serves as the novels
central protagonist; Countess Dysart and Duchess of Lauderdale, she
inhabited Ham House, a Jacobean mansion built on the River Thames at
Petersham. Throughout the reigns of Charles I, Charles II, James II,
William and Mary, she became deeply embroiled in the politics of the
Civil War. Wielding a great deal of influence due to her elevated
position, and partaking in her fair share of adventure, she found
herself right at the heart of the action. It is into this, which we are
thrust, as Anita Seymour takes us on a breathtaking ride through the
landscape of a divided England.