Susanna Horenbout has learned this lesson from the cradle. But when she receives a letter from her father telling her to do just that, she faces a dilemma. Betray Henry VIII, or carry out the request of her father's employer, Margaret of Austria, and pass secret information to Henry's queen, Katherine of Aragon. Caught between the machinations of her husband, Henry VIII, and her nephew, the Emperor Charles, Queen Katherine needs all the allies she can get. But what can Susanna really do to help her, and even if she does, will it be enough? Susanna and her betrothed, Parker-one of Henry's most trusted courtiers-balance on the knife's edge of treason as they try to make sense of both international and domestic conspiracies.