Elizabeth has an ulterior motive in calling Ursula to court. Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, has been exiled to Bolton Castle in the Yorkshires of northern England, under suspicion of arranging for her husband’s murder. Elizabeth proposes Ursula takes Penelope north where she will be gifted with a small estate to use as a dowry and where Ursula can look for a suitable husband. While there, Ursula can pay her respects to Queen Mary and deliver a personal message from the Queen.

A reluctant Ursula assembles an entourage that includes her young daughter Meg and heads north. Along the way, Meg is kidnapped and one of the escorts, Harry, is murdered, then his body disappears. Once in the Yorkshires, Ursula must keep her wits about her as she tries to keep her daughter safe, find a suitable groom for Pen and try and learn whether Mary had a hand in her husband’s murder.

The Fugitive Queen is a well-researched, historically accurate mystery written in a way that is easily accessible to the modern reader without compromising the period’s authenticity. Ursula is a very human character who willingly acknowledges her past mistakes. She realizes that these events led her to where she is today - self-confident, in a loving marriage with a charming daughter, and a valued member of Queen Elizabeth’s extended Court.

The intrigue that Ursula is drawn into involves religion and country. The split loyalties reach so far as to affect Pen’s chances for a husband.

With grace and determination, Ursula takes the same care selecting a husband for Pen that she does attempting to ferret out the secrets Mary Queen of Scots holds. The mystery carefully winds around, involving all Ursula encounters and it takes some astute reasoning to figure out where all the leads will end up and of whom she should be wary and avoid. Fugitive Queen is a well detailed historical mystery full of romance and political intrigue and another fine edition to this well-established reliable series.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry