This is the second book in Ford's Fifth Queen trilogy, a series of historical novels presenting a fictionalized version of the life of Katharine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. In this installment, the king is becoming increasingly drawn to Katharine. He is married to Anne of Cleves, however, and Katharine's unwillingness to be the cause of a divorce stands in the way of her accepting queenship. Meanwhile, Lord Privy Seal Thomas Cromwell and his men conspire to use Katharine as a pawn for their own political ends. (Summary by Scarbo) The Fifth Queen Privy Seal