SummaryBrimming with the intrigue and sensuality of one of
history's most decadent courts, Duchess brings to
vivid life the story of an unforgettable woman who
determines her own destiny—outspoken, outrageous, but
most of all true to herself.
London:1673. With her family ruined by war, penniless
thirteen-year-old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen
as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles
II. She soon wins the trust of Lady Anne of York, a lonely
princess who becomes one of her staunchest allies. And
though Sarah's beauty stirs the desires of jaded
aristocrats, she wants a grander future for herself than
that of a pampered mistress. Only one man possesses ambition
and passions that match her own: John Churchill, a dashing
young military hero. He would ask for her hand—and win
her heart for a lifetime....
But Whitehall Palace is ripe with ever-shifting alliances
and sexual scandal, and Sarah will need all her cleverness
to succeed. Titles, power, and wealth are the prizes, while
an idle whisper in the wrong ear can bring a cry of treason,
and the executioner's ax. Will Sarah's loyalties—and
her dreams—falter when a king is toppled from his
throne and a new queen crowned? And will she dare risk
everything when her one true love is tested by a passionate,
dangerous obsession?
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