The Lady of Misrule

Elizabeth Tilney surprised even herself by volunteering for the job of companion to Lady Jane Grey, who has been imprisoned in the Tower of London after only nine days as queen. All Elizabeth knows is she's keen to be away from home, she could do with some breathing space. And anyway, it won't be for long: everyone knows Jane Grey will go free as soon as the victorious new queen is crowned. The two sixteen-year-old, however, couldn't be less compatible. Protestant Jane is an icily self-composed idealist, and catholic Elizabeth is . . . well, anything but. They are only united by their disdain for Jane's seventeen-year-old husband, Guildford Dudley, kept prisoner in a neighbouring tower. As Jane's captivity extends into the increasingly turbulent last months of 1553, the two girls learn to live with each other with mutual respect and liking. But Elizabeth finds herself drawn into the difficult relationship between the newlyweds, and when events take an unexpected and dangerous direction, her newfound loyalties are tested to breaking point.