A Court of Betrayal

The Welsh Marches, 1301. Fifteen-year-old heiress Joan de Geneville marries Roger Mortimer, heir to one of the region’s most powerful lordships. Their partnership brings children, estates and political influence, but Roger’s resistance to Edward II and the Despensers eventually leads to defeat. Roger escapes imprisonment and flees abroad; Joan is detained for years and separated from much of her family as the Crown punishes the Mortimer household.

Roger’s return with Queen Isabella overturns Edward II’s government and places him at the centre of the new regime. His authority, ambition and relationship with the queen expose Joan to another form of danger, for she must protect her children while her husband accumulates enemies. When Roger is arrested for treason, Joan faces the destruction of the power they built together and the possibility that his actions will determine her fate as well as his own.