Price of a Princess

Mary Stewart, eldest sister of the young James III, becomes a political asset when the Boyd family seizes control of the Scottish government. Required to marry Thomas Boyd, the future Earl of Arran, she initially resents a union designed to secure his family’s power, but affection gradually grows between them.

Mary’s importance increases when Thomas is sent to the court of Christian I of Denmark to negotiate a royal marriage for James. She discovers an unexpected gift for diplomacy and helps arrange the match with Princess Margaret of Denmark. The settlement brings Orkney and Shetland into Scottish possession, giving Mary a lasting place in the history of the kingdom. Success abroad cannot protect her at home, however. When the Boyd ascendancy collapses, her marriage, royal blood and previous loyalty leave her dangerously exposed. The first Mary Stewart novel combines romance and diplomatic achievement with the precarious life of a princess caught between dynasty and husband.