Mary Queen of Scots may reign, but villainous plotters have designs on her throne... Held captive during her teens by an evil lord, beautiful heiress Margaret Carwood uses her wits and ingenuity to escape his clutches, becoming Mary Queen of Scots' favoured lady-in-waiting in the process. With her future secure, she's fiercely determined never to be dominated by a man again, and convinced that she doesn't need to marry to be happy. Descended from Robert the Bruce, Highland laird John Stewart is just as tenacious—and stubborn—as his illustrious ancestor. When tragedy hits his ancestral home, he comes south to seek his fortune at the royal court in Edinburgh. The queen's household is a place of drama and intrigue, where people wear masks for entertainment—and to cover their real motivations. Thrown together by a matchmaking queen, John discovers that Margaret is one of the few ladies he can trust to speak her...

Mary Queen of Scots may reign, but villainous plotters have designs on her throne… As handmaid to Mary Queen of Scots, heiress Libby Preston is in the perfect place to meet an eligible Lord and make an advantageous marriage. But Libby is from the Borders of Scotland, where life is hard and lawless men run rampant. And this Borders lass has a terrible secret—a secret that would ruin her reputation and her chances of a suitable match, should it ever come to light... When the Queen falls mortally ill, French physician Claude Nau is sucked into the dramas and dangers of her Scottish entourage. Surrounded by ambitious men who seek their own advancement no matter the cost—even if that cost is regicide—he fights to heal the queen of her mystery ailment and battle his way through the intrigues and machinations of court. Helping him navigate the complexities of the royal household is Libby Preston, a rich gentlewoman who is out of reach for a man from his lowly background. But his heart yearns for her, even if their love is fated never to be. Just when Claude thinks that his life has taken a turn for the better, the villainous plotters carry out their most audacious atrocity yet, and Claude finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time… A mistake that could cost him his livelihood—or his life.