The Queen's Game: Lady Mary Grey goes head to head with Queen Elizabeth I...

Summary

A game of succession has begun . . .

England, 1565

Queen Elizabeth Tudor is wary of the cousins. Ever since the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey nearly wrested the throne from her family, Elizabeth has been keen to ensure the fate of England doesn't land in Grey hands.

She has banished Catherine Grey from court, along with her two children, but her unwed sister Mary remains at Whitehall Palace as one of Elizabeth's courtiers.

Mary has ambitions for her family and she realizes she may be the only one who can continue the bloodline, seeing as Catherine's marriage has been deemed illegitimate. She does not want to waste any time in bearing children, as she is worried her scoliosis may make pregnancy difficult, so she begins to search for a suitable husband at court.

But while she does so, she finds out that her cousin, Lord Darnley is scheming to marry the widowed Queen Mary Stuart. If that marriage goes ahead, Darnley's child may have a strong claim to the throne, which increases Mary Grey's ambition to have an heir of her own.

As the game of succession intensifies, will Mary Grey see her family name rise to victory, or tumble into obscurity . . . ?