Book excerpt: Fiction based on the life and times of Lady Arbella Stuart. In the year 1623, an inquiry is conducted into the death of Arbella's maid, said to have witnessed the birth of Arbella's love-child. A manuscript is found and deciphered, giving an account of Arbella's last, desperate love affair. Meanwhile, the disgraced former Lord Chancellor sees a chance to reinstate himself, and his efforts to regain power change the course of the inquiry. Author is an Australian historian.