Virgin

A stunning portrayal of the young Elizabeth I and an infatuation which almost changed the course of history . . .

Sexual obsession. Greed. Lechery. Bitter sibling rivalry. Political ambition unto death. These constitute Henry VIII's foul legacy, his wives and children its victims. But none more able than the young Elizabeth, future Queen of England . . .

Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, banished from the court at the age of two, finds an unlikely ally in her father's sixth wife, Katherine Parr. A kindly woman with no children of her own, Katherine offers motherly love and protection to the young princess and her brother Edward, and works to soften her father's heart and gain her readmittance to the Tudor fold.

But when Henry dies and nine-year-old Edward is crowned King of England, a new era of instability begins for the young and suggestable monarch and the sister he has left behind in Chelsea House. It is becoming increasingly clear that Katherine's new husband, the charismatic Sir Thomas Seymour, has dangerous designs on the vulnerable teenage princess in his charge, and on the power to which she is the key . . .

In this rich tapestry of love, betrayal and the quest for power, acclaimed author Robin Maxwell reveals the "Virgin Queen" as a innocent girl awakening to sexuality with a man bent on her destruction.