When John Russell is called to be whipping boy to the Dauphin of France, he doesn't realise that he and his little sister Lark, will turn the fortunes of three kingdoms.

Leezie Sinclair is a wild Borders lass, who carries a knife to protect herself and her mother, once the queen's nurse, from her violent step-father. So how can she cope with 'civilised Edinburgh', where religious fanaticism, murder and treason lurk in the narrow, twisted lanes and minds of Scotland's capital city? How can she come to be the friend of black Kate Lenton, the gorgeous courtesan, John Knox's worst enemy? How can she fulfil her dream of working with the Queen's hawks? And most challenging of all, how can she save Mary, Queen of Scots, from the nobles and preachers plotting her ruin? The historical background is fact; Leezie and her family are inserted, to help tell the story of Mary's life.

Book by Hendry, Frances Mary