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A magnificent new novel from one of England’s finest historical writers, this is a story of rival sisters at the heart of the Tudor court, and their double seduction of the king himself. Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen. Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary revels in her role as unofficial queen of the sumptuous court, but soon discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king’s interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister, Anne. With Mary’s training and her own brittle charm Anne becomes irresistible to Henry. Mary can do nothing but watch her sister’s rise. Anne stops at nothing: corruption, adultery and murder. The court, church and country are divided between the neglected queen and the brilliant new Boleyn girl. Above all, Henry must have an heir, and when Anne becomes pregnant, he marries her. From now on Mary will forever be nothing more than the other Boleyn girl. But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family and the envy of the new queen to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion, if only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls . . . Based on three years of research into the true but almost unknown story of Anne Boleyn’s younger sister, this is a novel which redefines England’s most famous king and the women who loved and feared him.