Watch the Lady

Penelope Devereux (1563–1607) is related to Queen Elizabeth I, albeit in a way that the monarch would rather punish than exalt. After Elizabeth thwarts Penelope's dreams of a loving marriage to Philip Sydney and attaches her to cruel, dissolute Lord Rich, Penelope strikes a bargain with her husband that allows her to live as she wishes. Soon, she is more than willing to engage in political intrigue to further her family's interests. Over two decades she banks her family's fortune on the advantages to be gained from finding favor with the Queen's inevitable successor: King James of Scotland. Fremantle's (Sisters of Treason; Queen's Gambit) third novel has great promise, featuring a wonderful heroine with intense and complicated ties to Queen Elizabeth and some of the most powerful players in the Queen's court. The problem is that it covers too many characters, events, and years, giving readers only a glimpse of the things that they love the best about this period and confusing them about what, exactly, to concentrate on: Is Penelope really the focus? Should readers pay attention to William Cecil's insecurity? What about the Earl of Essex's rise and fall?