A lively, captivating novel, set in the medieval Holy Roman Empire, that combines the historical detail of Dorothy Dunnett's the "Lymond Chronicles" with the spellbinding narrative of "The Other Boleyn Girl". In the summer of 1199, Willem, a naive, poor young nobleman, is summoned to the magnificent court of Konrad, the Holy Roman Emperor, whose realm spans much of Europe. Willem's champion and waggish guide to courtly life is the irrepressible but mysterious minstrel Jouglet, a longtime admirer of Willem's sister Lienor. The model of chivalry, Willem wins great honors for his knightly prowess, but soon learns that gossip, secrets, and lies are what really fuel courtly life and that he himself is the unwitting pawn in an elaborate scheme.