Checkmating the Duke

In a game of high stakes, who will hold the winning hand?

After years of joyless Puritan rule, the Merry Monarch has reclaimed his throne, and London is ready to party. Extravagant exuberance being the order of the day, Lady Emma, sets out for the capital to join the fun but with an ulterior motive in mind.

Widowed six months previously, she seeks to gain the attention of the king and enlist his help to prevent her uncle, the Duke of Portchester, from snatching her young son’s inheritance. To catch the king's eye she must stand out from the crowd and to do so adopts the current risqué trend of donning male attire in order to join the Gentlemen of the Court in places where a 'Lady' would not normally be found.

And so, the game begins…

Aided by her godmother’s son, Lord Francombe, the opening moves are made. Success seems assured. But the Duke has also been busy, moving his own pieces into play on the board until Emma realizes she’s no longer merely a player, but a very unwilling part of the prize. Danger looms. Threatening and real. Emma must risk everything or lose her child, her home and the chance of happiness with the man she loves.