title: The Fugitive Queen (Ursula Blanchard Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court)
author:  Fiona Buckley 
description: Smooth modern prose with only an occasional "strewth" for period flavor and an ingenious but easy-to-follow plot lift British author Buckley's seventh historical (after 2002's A Pawn for a Queen) to feature Ursula Blanchard, half-sister, confidant and agent of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1568, the queen summons Ursula to court ostensibly because Ursula's ward, Penelope Mason, has been paying too much attention to a married music master. Ursula travels with Penelope to the north of England to find a husband for her ward, but her real mission is to convey a very private verbal message directly to Mary Tudor, formerly Queen of Scots, who's held captive in isolated Bolton Castle. Ursula also seeks to learn what role Mary may have had in the recent mysterious death of her husband, Lord Darnley. Ursula suffers considerable pain, anxiety and concern for her own daughter in the process. Readers familiar with the mineral deposits in Yorkshire will have an advantage in solving one of her problems. Fans will be pleased to know that the author plans to write another seven books in this series notable for its thorough research and faithfulness to period. FYI: Buckley is the pseudonym of Valerie Anand.<br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: “Buckley writes a learned historical mystery. Ursula, too, is a smart lass,
  one whose degrees must include a B.A. (for bedchamber assignations) and an
  M.S.W. (for mighty spirited wench).”
  
  
  —USA Today
  
  
  “Buckley describes vividly the difficulties of people living and competing
  with each other in Elizabethan England.”
  
  
  —Kirkus Reviews
  
  
  High Praise for Fiona Buckley’s Ursula Blanchard Mysteries
  
  
  THE FUGITIVE QUEEN
  
  
  “This is top-notch romantic suspense with a twist: a historical setting. The
  Fugitive Queen is thoroughly engrossing from the first page to the last.”
  
  
  —Karen Robards, New York Times bestselling author of Beachcomber “An artfully
  executed period piece . . . . Ursula must summon all her considerable wit and
  courage in order to foil an intricately plotted act of high treason.”
  
  
  —Booklist
  
  
  “Through the eyes of Ursula, a woman both compassionate and ruthless, Buckley
  effectively dramatizes the tangled personal and political obligations of the
  Elizabethan court. A welcome se