WILLOW MARY SMALL born April 5th, 1560

ROBERT SOUTHWOOD born September 18th, 1563

JOHN SOUTHWOOD born December 15th, 1564, died April 15, 1566

DELRDRE BURKE born December 12th, 1567

PADRAIC BURKE born January 30th, 1569

THE STEPCHILDREN OF SKYE O'MALLEY

SUSANNE SOUTHWOOD betrothed to Lord Trevenyan

GWYNETH AND JOAN SOUTHWOOD twin sisters, betrothed to Skye's sons, Ewan and Murrough O'Flaherty

SKYE'S FRIENDS

SIR ROBERT SMALL Skye's business partner

DAME CECILY SMALL his elder sister, a widow

ADAM DE MARISCO the Lord of Lundy Island

DAISY Skye's tiring woman and faithful confidante

SIR RICHARD DE GRENVILLE Skye's old friend, a sea captain

THE IRISH

THE MACWILILAM Niall Burke's father

CAPTAIN SEAN MACGULRE the senior captain of the O'Malley fleet

CAPTAIN BRAN KELLY an O'Malley captain

CLAIRE O'FLAHERTY Dom O'Flaherty's sister

SISTER MARY PENITENT the former Darragh O'NeiL Niall's first wife, marriage annulled

THE ENGLISH

ELIZABETH TUDOR the Queen of England, 1558 to 1603

WILLIAM CECIL, LORD BURGHLEY the English Secretary of State, and the Queen's greatest confidant

ROBERT DUDLEY, THE EARL OF LEICESTER the Queen's oldest friend, and favorite

SIR CHRISTOPHER HATTON another of the Queen's favorites, and Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners

LETTICE KNOLLYS, COUNTESS OF ESSEX the Queen's cousin

THE ALGERIANS

OSMAN a famous astrologer and Skye's old friend

ALLMA his French wife

PROLOGUE

“This is all your fault, you meddling old man!" Skye O'Malley Burke shouted at her father-in-law, the MacWilliam of Mid-Connaught. Her blue-green eyes flashed fire, and her marvelous long, black hair, unbound and unruly, swirled about her shoulders as she paced furiously about the room. "You've gone and widowed me! Wasn't it enough that your wicked machinations kept Niall and mc separated all those years? Now you've widowed me! God curse you for it, old man! I’ll never forgive you!