u003cpu003eA sumptuous historical novel set in the court of Elizabeth I, from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eNow I can be the queen that my mother intended me to be . . . the queen I was born to be.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003e1558. After years of waiting, Princess Elizabeth accedes to the throne of England.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eBut the country is divided, the restoration of the Protestant faith ignites opposition from the church and beyond, and court remains a treacherous place.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eMany believe that Elizabeth must marry if she is to survive. For Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's ascension is a glorious new dawn, and he quickly positions himself as the young queen's favourite. Dudley is a man of powerful lineage; his father had been a kingmaker at the court of Henry VIII. But Dudley has many enemies, amongst them William Cecil, the queen's most trusted advisor.u003c/pu003e u003cpu003eAs powerful families vie for stakes in the emerging kingdom, Elizabeth must secure her own future.u003c/pu003e