A King's passion, a young man's love - and a girl's tragic choice
The young Roger Bigod, heir to the powerful earldom of Norfolk, arrives at Henry II's court to prove his worth and wrestle his inheritance from the arms of his half-brothers. While there, he encounters the pretty and gentle Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the King. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida knows the fickle sparkle of her current life is beginning to fade, and sees in Roger a chance to escape her life of manipulation for security and affection.
They begin a careful courtship, but the King's anger soon catches them up. Forced into a corner, Ida's decision will carry an agonising price.
Based on a never-before-told true story, critically acclaimed author Elizabeth Chadwick brings the twelfth-century world blazing to life.