Born in 1623, Margaret Lucas went into Court service, accompanying the Queen during the Civil War and sharing her hair-raising escape to France in 1644. She married William Cavendish, Marquis of Newcastle and together they became part of the -migr- royalist circle that included aristocrats and the intellectual giants of the day, such as Descartes and Hobbes. She made her mark as one of the most determined and prolific of female writers of the age. Against the background of the fate of those loyal to the Royalist cause, and their eventual restoration, Whitaker captures all the energy, eccentricity and courage of her central character, who combined the intellect and audacity of George Sand with the myth-making life-style of Princess Diana.