Ursula Blanchard

Rumor has linked Queen Elizabeth I to her master of horse, Robin Dudley. As gossip would have it, only his ailing wife, Amy, prevents marriage between Dudley and the queen. To quell the idle tongues at court, the queen dispatches Ursula Blanchard to tend to the sick woman's needs. But not even Ursula can prevent the "accident" that takes Amy's life. Did she fall or was she pushed? Was Ursula a pawn of Dudley and the queen? Suddenly Ursula finds herself at the center of the scandal, trying to protect Elizabeth while not losing her heart to a Frenchman who may be flirting with sedition against her queen. As she sets out to find the truth, she can trust neither her lover nor her monarch, alone in a glittering court that conceals a wellspring of blood and lies. In the debut novel of her historical mystery series, Buckley presents the young lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, whose intelligence and sharp eyes might allow her to shield the queen.

In To Shield the Queen, we were introduced to Ursula Blanchard, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I and one of the most entrancing mystery heroines to come along in many a season. Having once saved the Virgin Queen from political disaster, now young Ursula faces an even greater challenge. Some of her old acquaintances may be plotting to overthrow Elizabeth in favor of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the reestablishment of the Catholic faith. Secretary of State Sir William Cecil needs a spy in the Mason home, and Ursula is the obvious choice. Torn between her devotion to Elizabeth and her longing to be reunited with her exiled Catholic husband in France, Ursula makes a difficult bargain that balances personal happiness against duty to her queen and country. Her journey takes her into dangerous territory, and whatever happens, she will never again be quite as trusting or secure.

Lady-in-waiting Ursula Blanchard has a mandate from the secretary of state to spy on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I. Although she has already proven herself worthy of the Queen's gratitude, Ursula now must travel to France, where civil war may break out at any moment, to hand carry a letter from Elizabeth to the Queen Mother and Regent, Catherine. The mission to mediate peace between warring Protestant and Catholic French factions seems clear, but there are hidden forces at work. Whom can Ursula trust? What will happen to her daughter if she fails? And what are the chances-and consequences-of a reunion with her second husband, a Frenchman and an enemy of Elizabeth's? This tale of murder, treasure, and passion effortlessly and accurately conveys the high treason in the court of young Queen Elizabeth I.

As the thrilling adventures continue for Ursula Blanchard, secret agent for Queen Elizabeth I, she finds herself in France, reunited with her husband, Matthew de la Roche, in a passionate but flawed relationship. But when Ursula learns that her daughter, Meg, has mysteriously disappeared, she immediately sets out on a frantic and dangerous search. The trail leads back to England, to Vetch Castle, a grim, haunted keep owned by the enigmatic Philip Mortimer. Soon Ursula forms an alliance with Mortimer's aging but beautiful mother and finds herself investigating a murder and an elaborate plot that could overthrow the queen's throne. With surprises on every page and a high-suspense setting, To Ruin a Queen is the best yet from an author whose series continues to gain momentum-and whose heroine becomes more beguiling with each new tale.

February, 1571. Ursula is once more plunged into affairs of the state when she escorts her foster daughter Margaret to the Netherlands to meet her suitor. The queen's spymaster, Sir William Cecil, learns that the wealthy Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi will be hosting their forthcoming wedding - a man who he fears may once again be plotting to put Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. But Ursula is also about to come face-to-face with her greatest enemy - and the exiled Countess of Northumberland is not the only figure from Ursula's past to put in a surprising appearance.

Ursula's visit to her Devon relatives leads to murder, mayhem, and a possible plot to free Mary, Queen of Scots, in the latest Ursula Blanchard Tudor mystery. February, 1586. When the queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, learns that Ursula is to visit her relatives in Devon, he asks her to find out what has happened to two of his local agents, who have been strangely silent recently. On arrival in the small Devon village of Zeal Aquatio, Ursula discovers that both spies in question have met with mysterious-and fatal-accidents. Or is there more to it than that? What did the two spies find out that got them killed? Is there any truth to the rumors that King Philip of Spain, in league with the queen's cousin, Mary Stuart, intends to launch an invasion from the south coast? As Ursula pursues her investigations, it becomes clear that someone in Zeal Aquatio is determined to stop her finding out the truth ... whatever it takes.