Book Description

In 1521, England is at peace under the magnificent Cardinal Wolsey, who rules the country while Henry VIII indulges himself in masques, banquets, and hunting, whether the quarry be fleet-footed deer or, even more deliciously, the silken-garbed ladies of the court. Suddenly, Richard Falconer, chief secretary of the English embassy in Paris, is found viciously murdered. Wolsey believes Falconer's death is connected to the unsettling rumor that a spy either in the English court or its embassy in Paris has been passing information to King Francis I of France. Wolsey quickly summons his nephew, Benjamin Daunbey, along with his young steward Roger Shallot, to investigate. Their only clue is the spy's code name: "Raphael." However, the king has secret instructions of his own to entrust to the pair before they journey to Paris. To satisfy the monarch they must retrieve a precious ring, the subject of a wager, and protect a mysterious book from falling into enemy hands. Their choices are simple: Success . . . or exile. Naturally, Shallot objects to such an assignment. Valuing his own life quite highly, he knows the games of princes almost certainly include violent death, treachery, and little thanks. A connoisseur of intrigue, the wily Roger Shallot recounts this thrilling adventure with appreciation of the corruption, deceit, and scandal of Tudor England. Born a commoner, he uses his quick wits - and nimble legs - to serve him well in a colorful, decidedly dangerous age.