Set in the court of Louis XIV, at the glittering pinnacle of France's ultimately doomed monarchy. Louis' Court at Versailles in the late 17th and early 18th centuries was home to several thousand courtiers, a hot-house community frequently vicious and virtually a law to itself. For the novelist, a mine of intimate information is provided by such as Mme de Sevigne, the Duc de Saint Simon, and the graphically outspoken letters of the second wife of Louis XIV's younger brother Phillippe, Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatine, known as 'Madame'.

"A witty, finely researched feat of imagination. Compulsive reading; enchanting and original"
Colin Thubron

"Set in the 17th century French court of Louis XIV, this story of malevolence, with its vivid characters and authentic detail, had me racing through the pages. It reminded me a bit of Memoirs of a Geisha. I liked the way the simple and direct style of writing exposed the trickery. Intense and compelling."
Jenny Wiggins.