The third novel in Ford's trilogy about Katharine Howard, the young fifth wife of Henry VIII. It is set at the Tudor court, where religious factions, personal ambition and political intrigue surround the queen. Katharine, devout and idealistic, tries to use her position to influence the king and protect the old faith, while enemies work against her. Ford writes with a vivid, painterly sense of the period and a close interest in character. The book completes a bold work of historical fiction.