Synopses & Reviews
By the Queen's command, she carried a letter that could alter the course of history -- or eclipse her own future....
Eager for a respite from her role as handmaiden to Queen Elizabeth I, Ursula Blanchard agrees to travel to France to help her first husband's father bring his young ward home to England. But duty soon calls. Fearing that the pro-Catholic forces threatening to tear France asunder will spread to Protestant England, the Queen instructs Ursula to deliver a secret letter personally to Catherine de Médicis, offering to mediate the crisis.
Not only will the perilous journey separate Ursula from her young daughter, it will bring her closer to a man she can neither trust nor forget -- her estranged second husband, Matthew de la Roche, avowed Catholic and enemy of Elizabeth. As it becomes clear that someone seeks to thwart her mission, she realizes she can trust no one but herself, and that only she can uncover the truth hidden in the shadows of treason, greed, and desire that darken her way.
Review
Kirkus ReviewsUrsula is the essence of iron cloaked in velvet -- a heroine to reckon with.
Review
"Now is a nice time for Tudor fans to light a flambeau, reach for some sweetmeats, and curl up with Queen's Ransom." -- USA Today
Review
"[A] sixteenth-century mystery series as complicated and charming as an Elizabethan knot garden." -- The Tampa Tribune
Review
"Fantastic historical fiction filled with royal intrigue.... Buckley makes the Elizabethan era fun." -- The Midwest Book Review
Synopsis
In her latest adventure, the sharp-witted Ursula Blanchard is called upon by Queen Elizabeth I to personally deliver a secret letter to Catherine de Medicis, offering the Queen's mediation to a crisis between France and England. But as it becomes clear that someone seeks to thwart her mission, Ursula realizes she can trust no one but herself to uncover the truth in the shadows of treason, greed, and desire.
About the Author
Fiona Buckley is the author of eight historical mystery novels featuring Ursula Blanchard: To Shield the Queen, The Doublet Affair, Queen's Ransom, To Ruin a Queen, Queen of Ambition, A Pawn for a Queen, The Fugitive Queen, and The Siren Queen. She lives in North Surrey, England.