His loyalties are split between the boundless opportunities the queen can bestow and the pull of his own heart. Meanwhile, between journeys, his passion is stirred, not by the queen but by her lady in waiting Lisbeth. The queen will not allow her young knight to be taken from her side, repeatedly refusing his requests for expeditions, until she at last reluctantly grants him permission to conquer in her name. Raleigh’s wit, ambition, and adventurous spirit endear him to all, including the queen herself, but Elizabeth’s favor proves as much hindrance as help, as Raleigh still has but one goal in mind to take to the seas and secure his place as one of the great explorers of the age. He dreams of someday exploring the New World he’s heard about in snippets of sailors’ stories on the docks of the fishing villages where he was raised and his good fortune leads him to rise in the court of Elizabeth I, becoming a most trusted friend and advisor to the power players of the day. Raleigh knew from the time he was a boy that his life would be exceptional.

In one of her earliest works, beloved author Norah Lofts brings us her riveting and romantic account of Sir Walter Raleigh and the court of Elizabeth I.

The Fall of Midas (As:Juliet Astley) (1975).

Rupert Hatton’s Story / Rupert Hatton’s Tales (1972).

The Maude Reed Tale / Story of Maude Reed (1971).

Her Own Special Island / Uneasy Paradise (1971).

The Witches / The Little Wax Doll / The Devil’s Own (As:Peter Curtis) (1960).

Afternoon ofan Autocrat / The Devil in Clevely / The Deadly Gift (1956).

Eleanor the Queen / Queen in Waiting (1955).

Lady Living Alone (As:Peter Curtis) (1945).

Michael and All Angels / The Golden Fleece (1943).

The Road to Revelation / Winter Harvest (1941).Bride of Moat House / Dead March in Three Keys / No Question of Murder (As:Peter Curtis) (1940).

Checkmate by Norah Lofts