SHADOW OF SPAIN

The reported approach of the Spanish Armada throws England into panic.

As the attack looms, Ursula Stannard—Queen Elizabeth’s illegitimate half sister, sometime companion, and reluctant spy—returns home to her son and friends only to find more trouble waiting. A queen’s messenger has been killed on the road near one of her estates, and the question is whether it was personal or part of a treasonous plot. Ursula's ward, Mildred Atbrigges, has fallen in love yet again, this time with a highly unsuitable double agent. Berend Gomez, who travels back and forth to the Low Countries on the queen’s business, has been invited by Ursula's neighbor Christopher, another messenger and spy, for a short visit, and the lovestruck Mildred runs off with him to deliver information to the Duke of Palma, a man the English desperately want to keep on their side. Furious, Ursula and Christopher follow in hot pursuit, but they can’t catch the couple before they reach the duke’s palace. In the meantime, Mildred and Gomez have married, and, much to her dismay, she’s forced to play an active role in his spying activities, which puts her in grave danger when they cross paths with an old enemy. Gomez sends Mildred back to England with vital information in the company of Ursula and Christopher, who have arrived at the palace and met with the duke, and once home, Ursula finally uncovers the messenger's killer as the English party await news of the Armada.

Plenty of exciting adventure spiked with a healthy dose of history.