The more he gains, the more he has to lose...

William Shakespeare is now both a man at court and a man of the theatre. Accepted into Elizabeth I's world, he is trusted to write plays for her. But his position is insecure, based entirely on the queen's whims.

When one of the her ladies-in-waiting is found dead, almost everyone suspects it was murder. But who stood to gain by her death? Were the rumours that she was with child when she died true, or was she merely a pawn in a greater game?

Sir Robert Cecil senses an opportunity to finally rid himself of his bitter rival, the Earl of Essex, who was seen with the girl before she died, and enlists Will to discover the truth.

But Will knows that the Earl of Southampton, his patron, already allies himself to the Earl of Essex. Once again he is caught between two powerful foes. But this time, he must choose a side if he is to survive.

Rooted in detailed research, each novel revolves around the creation of one of Shakespeare's plays and paints a rich portrait of the life of one of the greatest of writers.