Queens’ Play

by Dorothy Dunnett Book 2 in the The Lymond Chronicles series.

First published 1964

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In 1548, Lymond enters the French court under disguise after Mary of Guise asks him to protect the young Mary, Queen of Scots. A succession of apparent accidents suggests that someone close to Henry II’s household intends to kill the Scottish queen before her marriage to the dauphin. Lymond’s investigation moves through court entertainments, rival factions and dangerous performances in which revealing his identity could ruin the mission.

The French court is ideal territory for Lymond because ceremony, disguise and performance are already part of political life. Protecting Mary requires him to identify which apparent accidents are deliberate without revealing enough of himself to alert the conspirators.

The stakes extend beyond one child. Mary’s planned marriage to the dauphin is central to the Franco-Scottish alliance during the Rough Wooing, so her death would alter the balance of power between Scotland, France and England. Court entertainment becomes a field of espionage with dynastic consequences.

Historical Periods

Rough Wooing1543–1551 CE Early Modern France1498–1789 CE

Historical people

Mary, Queen of Scots1542–1587 Mary of Guise1515–1560 Henry II of France1519–1559 Catherine de’ Medici1519–1589 Francis II of France1544–1560 Diane de Poitiers1499–1566