The legendary Elizabeth Tudor is the queen of enigma—the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England’s greatest monarch has baffled and intrigued the world for centuries. But what was she really like?  Set in the later years of the Queen’s reign, this novel explores what happens when an aging ruler fights to retain power in a changing world.  It also showcases some of the most iconic figures in her world:  Raleigh, Drake, Essex, Shakespeare, and Bacon, key players in the closing years of the Tudor era