The devil's slave /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

At the end of The King's Witch , the first book in Tracy Borman's Stuart-era trilogy, Frances Gorges was pregnant with the child of her dead lover, Thomas Wintour, executed for his role as a conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Now, in The Devil's Slave , Frances is compelled to return to the dissolute and dangerous court where she has been suspected of witchcraft.

Catholics have gone underground in the new Puritan regime of King James I, and yet whispers of conspiracies continue to echo behind closed doors and down the halls of the royal palaces. Against this perilous backdrop, accompanied by her son George and her husband Sir Thomas Tyringham--whom she married conveniently to mask the true identity of her son's father--Frances reunites with her former mistress, the Princess Elizabeth, now of marriageable age, as well as other less friendly members of the court: Prince Henry, heir to the crown who emulates his father's brutality without scruple; Lord Cecil, eager to persecute Frances as a witch even as his own health rapidly declines; and King James himself, ever more paranoid and cruel towards alleged heretics and traitors. Yet a surprising ally emerges in the person of Sir Walter Raleigh, himself a prisoner in the Tower of London. With more lives than merely her own on the line, Frances soon finds herself caught in a spider's web of secrets, promises, and plots.

Tracy Borman brings to life vivid characters from history, recreating the ever-treacherous court of the first Stuart king, and a historical period that has fascinated readers for centuries.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Historian Borman picks up the loose threads she deliberately left dangling at the conclusion of The King's Witch (2018), the first installment of a Stuart-era trilogy featuring fictional character Frances Gorges playing a major role in the intrigues and machinations of a cast of real-life historical figures. With both her new husband and the child of her deceased lover in tow, Lady-in Waiting to young Princess Elizabeth and skilled herbalist and healer Frances returns to the perilous court of King James, where she must navigate the twisted corridors of court intrigue and contend with a slew of possible enemies including the King's treacherous son, Prince Henry, and her old nemesis, Lord Cecil, who is determined to expose her as a witch. In an era of political and religious upheaval, there is sure to be a conspiracy lurking around every corner, and when Frances makes an unexpected ally of Sir Walter Raleigh, a prisoner in the Tower of London, she finds herself the unwitting pawn in a treasonous plot to destroy the House of Stuart.--Margaret Flanagan Copyright 2010 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

Continuing saga of a lady-in-waiting under constant suspicion in the witch-baiting court of James I.The inaugural volume of Borman's trilogy (The King's Witch, 2018) ended as Lady Frances, who was involved in the failed Powder Treason plot against King James, fled back to her family estate, Longford, after Tom Wintour, a co-conspirator, was executed along with Guy Fawkes and others. Volume 2 finds Frances, pregnant by and in mourning for Wintour, accepting, under pressure from her scheming brother, Edward, the marriage proposal of Sir Thomas Tyringham, King James' master of hounds. The two agree that the marriage will remain platonic, and when her son, George, is born, Sir Thomas assumes paternity. The remnants of the papist conspiracy still hoping to dethrone rabid Protestant James once again tap Frances for help. She is urged to return to the service of Princess Elizabeth and encourage a match with a Catholic prince. She also becomes reluctantly embroiled in a plot launched by Sir Walter Raleigh, from his luxurious Tower cell, to advance competing claims to the throne. As Wintour's memory fades, Frances is increasingly attracted to her husband. Initially, Frances is again the passive observer, always in jeopardy from those longing to see her ensnared anew by James' anti-witch frenzyincluding Elizabeth's beloved brother Henry, Prince of Wales, and Frances' own brother. When her chief persecutor, Lord Cecil, requires her services as a healer and surgeon, dtente but no true security results. Witchcraft prosecutions mostly benefit the male medical profession, with its dubious treatments, by targeting female wise-women, healers, and herbalists like Frances, whose M.O. is truly "First do no harm." This message is powerfully brought home when Frances, risking arrest, helps Thomas recover from severe injuriesthe ministrations of the king's physicians would have killed him. After a slow start, the pages turn briskly, apace with Frances' increasing bravery. Surprising revelations and a cliffhanger prepare us for Volume 3.As Borman's protagonist grows a spine, she's starting to grow on us. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Tracy Borman is a British writer and historian. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a Ph. D in 1997. Tracy is now Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust, a charity that encourages children to visit and learn from historic properties. She has recently been appointed Interim Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that manages Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House, Whitehall. Her works include: Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen, Henrietta Howard: King's Mistress, Queen's Servant, and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction.

(Bowker Author Biography)