The only loves Mary had known were the affection she bore her father and the passion she felt for the lovely Isle of Wight. But young Mary's quiet, protected life soon changed as she was thrust into the raging core of civil war. When Cavalier King Charles fled to her remote isle from Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans, expecting to find Carisbrooke Castle a refuge from the Roundheads, he ran straight into the arms of betrayal ... and into the depths of Mary's unawakened young heart. Almost overnight, this charming servant girl becomes a woman, more beautiful than ever, made confident, seductive, and wise by love. Almost overnight, she stood at the center of the intrigues, dangers, and high passions surrounding this controversial Stuart and his dynasty ...

The moving, tragic story of Charles I, the last absolute monarch of England, during his imprisonment in Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight. Richly drawn and inspired by the New York Times bestselling author's own experience living on the Isle of Wight, this dramatic retelling brings to life the cavalier king whom Cromwell deposed. But even more fascinating than the account of royal hopes and misfortunes is the tale of a charming servant girl who is as romantic and tender in love as she is bold and resourceful in plotting the king's escape.