In the year 1147, Queen Eleanor and King Louis traverse to Jerusalem for the Second Crusade. Along with her fancy bedding and wine, the wily young queen brings five lovely and talented women: her spies. Among them is the beautiful widow Isabella de Lacey, whose duty is to infiltrate Emperor Manuel’s inner circle and skillfully extract information. Will he aid the queen’s cousin or betray the alliance for one with the Turks? To find out, Isabella must woo the emperor’s man, Raoul, whose soul is as black as his eyes and whose passion both terrifies and captivates her.