
London 1583. When young aspiring playwright William Shakespeare encounters Lucy Morgan one of Queen Elizabeth I's ladies-in-waiting the two fall passionately in love. He declares Lucy the inspiration for his work but what secret is Will hiding from his muse? Meanwhile Lucy has her own secret
- & one that could destroy her world if exposed. No longer the chaste maid so valued by the Virgin Queen she also bore witness to the clandestine wedding of Lettice Knollys & Robert Dudley a match forbidden by the monarch. England is in peril. Queen Elizabeth's health is deteriorating her throne under siege from Catholic plotters & threats of war with Spain. Faced with deciding the fate of her long-term prisoner Mary Queen of Scots she needs a trusted circle of advisors around her now more than ever. But who can she turn to when those closest to her have proved disloyal? & how secure is Lucy's position at court now that she has learned the dangerous art of keeping secrets?