Based on historical fact, this is the dramatic story of Charlotte Walpole, who left her comfortable Norfolk home to act at Drury Lane, married Sir Edward Atkyns, and attempted to rescue Marie Antoinette from the guillotine.

It is also the story of Homer, the passionate, impulsive girl from the Cornish parsonage who, unwanted in her own home, joins her distant relation, Charlotte, in London.

Involved with them are: Richard Danver, in the service of the British government; Jean Pierre de la Vaugon, serving the French government, the aristocrat who cannot hope to escape the attentions of the mob; the lecherous Sir Edward; and Sophie, the young girl for whom the guillotine is waiting.

The story, moving swiftly from the Cornish parsonage to London, Norfolk, Lille and Paris, tells of the loves and adventures in the lives of two very brave women. It will delight all readers of Jean Plaidy's memorable novels.

NOTE: This book was originally issued under the pseudonym Kathleen Kellow.

About the Author

Jean Plaidy was a British writer who wrote under various pen names. Her real name is Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. She was born in London on September 1, 1906. Most of the books written as Jean Plaidy are historical romances based on English history featuring historical figures. The first, Beyond the Blue Mountains, was published in 1947. Hibbert also wrote five nonfiction histories and two children's books. Besides Jean Plaidy, Hibbert wrote under Victoria Holt, Phillipa Carr, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Ellalice Tate, and her maiden name, Eleanor Burford. Hibbert died on January 18, 1993.