Young Frances gains entrance by that willful act of protection to the Lady and then begins a journey full of favour and elegance that she never dreamed was possible to attain from her life as the daughter of a family of very limited elevation, during the time of King Henry VIII. She lives through Ms. Gardner and becomes a person who gains trust and reward from Lady Anne for her many acts of consideration and loyalty.

She grows and matures in the lavish court setting and takes a trip to France, although only she sees the English quadrant of the country, as the group isn't allowed passage elsewhere because of the disfavour of the King of France at the time. This trip was to display Anne's elevated importance and gain acceptance toward her becoming Queen; however, it was thwarted by events and problems of the time concerning King Henry's handling of Catherine of Aragon, whom he was desirous of divorcing, but couldn't get the proper approval from the Church to do. She falls in love (an infatuation love) with George Boleyn, Anne's brother, and eventually becomes a Lady in her own right through her marriage to the Earl of Pennington, Sir John Carlisle, who also serves the needs of King Henry, both in the field and in the Court. Frances has a tumultuous life as a Lady in the court and her life closely follows her mistress's life's ups and downs and the favour that is placed and retracted at will by those in higher positions. It is an engrossing book that will leave the reader wanting more.

Ms. Gardner writes very well and is in full command of all things to do with the English Court -the nuances, mannerisms, speech, intimacy, and the history of the period. Like I stated above, I am going to get the other two books, with full knowledge that I will be reading something that is just as well thought out and written and will be just as interesting as this one was. The subject is one that has found a place in my heart because of the closeness of my own personal history with the Royals of that time.