Book excerpt: Set in the tumultuous late 17th Century, His Last Mistress tells the true story of the final years in the life of James Scott, the dashing but doomed Duke of Monmouth, and Lady Henrietta Wentworth. As the popular but illegitimate eldest son of King Charles II, the Duke is a spoiled, lecherous man. With both a wife and a mistress, this rakish libertine is nevertheless captivated by the innocence of young Lady Henrietta Wentworth, who has been raised to covet her virtue. Will she succumb? At the same time, the Duke begins to harbour risky political ambitions which may threaten not only his life but also that of those around him. Will the path he chooses lead him to bloody rebellion, or peace and happiness? His Last Mistress is a passionate, sometimes explicit, carefully researched and ultimately moving story of love and loss, set against a backdrop of dangerous political unrest, brutal religious tensions, and the looming question of who will be the next King.