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The eleventh enthralling adventure to feature Ursula Blanchard,
reluctant spy in the service of Queen Elizabeth I February, 1571.
Ursula is once more plunged into affairs of the state when she
escorts her foster daughter Margaret to the Netherlands to meet her
suitor. The queen's spymaster, Sir William Cecil, learns that the
wealthy Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi will be hosting their
forthcoming wedding - a man who he fears may once again be plotting
to put Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. But Ursula is
also about to come face-to-face with her greatest enemy - and the
exiled Countess of Northumberland is not the only figure from
Ursula's past to put in a surprising appearance.
Ursula travels deep into the New Forest to investigate rumours of a
plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in this gripping Tudor mystery.
May, 1586. Ursula and her retinue return home from a lengthy trip
to discover she has an unexpected visitor. Etheldreda Hope is a
simple countrywoman who has come to Ursula with disturbing tales of
strange goings-on in her rural village. Fearing that Etheldreda's
reports of mysterious forest rites indicate a possible conspiracy
to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in favour of her cousin, Mary Stuart,
the queen's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, orders Ursula to
travel to Etheldreda's home to find out what's really going on. On
reaching Chenston village, deep in the New Forest, Ursula discovers
an isolated, suspicious community; the locals deeply in thrall to
the old pagan traditions and beliefs. But are these ancient customs
harmless - or are they part of a genuine conspiracy against the
queen? And, if so, who is behind it? It's not until the night of
Halloween that Ursula will discover the shocking truth.
This passionate West Country smuggling saga set in the early
19th-century is an intriguing departure for Tudor mystery writer
Fiona Buckley. Exmoor, 1800. When farmer's daughter Peggy Shawe
meets the charismatic Ralph Duggan, son of a so-called 'free
trader', it's love at first sight. Determined to prevent the match,
Peggy's widowed mother sends her daughter to live with the Duggans
for six weeks, believing she will be put off marriage to Ralph when
she discovers what life is like among a smuggling family. Matters
take a dramatic turn however when Ralph's brother Philip is
suspected of murder, and Ralph and Philip are despatched to distant
relatives across the Atlantic. Heartbroken, Peggy vows to be
reunited with her lover one day. But it will be several years
before she and Ralph are destined to meet again - and in very
different circumstances . . .
When Ursula's young son is kidnapped, she is lured into an
impossible dilemma. March, 1581. Queen Elizabeth is once again
being urged to consider marriage to the Duke of Alencon, a French
Catholic twenty years her junior. The prospect of the match is
causing unrest throughout the kingdom. Ursula Blanchard however has
more immediate matters to worry about when her 9-year-old son is
snatched away while out riding. If she is ever to see him again,
Ursula must undertake an impossibly difficult and dangerous mission
- and commit an act of high treason. Can she rely on her
half-sister, Queen Elizabeth, for help?
"When Ursula Blanchard's neighbour is murdered, she is once again
involved with matters of espionage and affairs of state"
July, 1573. Recently widowed, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet
life on her Surrey estate, caring for her infant son. But her
peaceful existence is shattered when Ursula's neighbour Jane
Cobbold is found dead in her own flowerbed, stabbed through the
heart with a silver dagger - and Ursula's manservant Brockley is
arrested for the crime. Determined to prove Brockley's innocence,
Ursula seeks help from her old mentor Lord Burghley. But when a
second death occurs and the queen's new spymaster, Francis
Walsingham, gets involved, once again Ursula is reluctantly drawn
into matters of espionage and affairs of state.
Happily married to her third husband, Ursula Blanchard is rudely
shaken on receipt of a threatening letter from the exiled Anne
Percy, Countess of Northumberland, whose treasonous plot against
Elizabeth I, Ursula helped foil a few months previously. Ursula
dismisses the Countess's letter as idle threats, but then a series
of strange events rocks Ursula's household - and Ursula herself is
accused of witchcraft. Could Anne Percy really be orchestrating a
plot against Ursula from her exile in the Netherlands? And, if so,
how can Ursula prove it before she is hanged as a witch?
"Buckley draws even the most minor characters with subtlety and
skill, making the dramatic conclusion that much more satisfying."
Publishers Weekly Starred Review February, 1577. Sir William Cecil
has a dangerous new mission for Ursula Blanchard. He has asked her
to visit Stonemoor House on the bleak Yorkshire moors, the home of
a group of recusant women led by Abbess Philippa Gould. In their
possession is an ancient book, and the Queen's advisor, Dr John
Dee, is eager to get hold of it. However, while the Abbess is
anxious to sell the book, others such as her half-sister Bella
believe it to be heretical and demand that it be burned. It is not
Sir William's first attempt to secure the book. His two previous
emissaries vanished without trace. What happened to them - and will
Ursula suffer the same fate?
Over the last three decades, electoral reform has moved centre
stage in both new and established democracies. In Europe, the post
1989 democratisation wave brought important debates about electoral
system choice and free and fair elections. But electoral reform
also emerged on the agenda in a number of established democracies.
Declining political participation, corruption scandals and party
finance irregularities put the management of the democratic process
on the political agenda. Election administration problems such as
those in the Gore Bush election of 2000 thrust electoral integrity
into the global political spotlight. In this edited collection, we
are primarily concerned with the mechanics of how elections are
run. Elections are complex administrative tasks and as
International IDEA points out, they are also usually administered
against a politically charged backdrop. This book brings together
specialists to consider the election management process using
diverse theoretical approaches and, addressing both emerging and
perennial election debates such as the role of voter advice
applications, election management bodies, districting, ballot
design and media practices in the coverage of elections. The volume
includes a number of comparative chapters which utilise data from
large international datasets (VDem and CSES), several Irish case
studies and an important Dutch study of voter advice applications
with pioneering data. Collectively, the chapters provide insights
into election administration in Ireland and many other established
democracies. This book was previously published as a special issue
of Irish Political Studies.
As King Philip of Spain prepares to invade England, Ursula heads to
Brussels on a desperate mission in this compelling Tudor mystery.
March, 1588. With England in a state of high alert as King Philip
of Spain amasses a vast fleet of warships ready to invade, Queen
Elizabeth and her advisors seek a possible alliance with the Duke
of Parma, Governor of the Netherlands. But their plans suffer a
major setback when one of their most reliable spies is found
murdered in the Hertfordshire countryside, shot dead by a crossbow
bolt as he was transporting secret correspondence between the queen
and the duke. The queen's half-sister and occasional secret agent,
Ursula Stannard, is happy not to be involved for once. But when
Ursula's ward Mildred elopes with the handsome yet mysterious
Berend Gomez, Ursula is forced to follow the pair to Brussels,
where she finds herself plunged into a hotbed of intrigue and
rumour at the Duke of Parma's court, a place where no one is to be
trusted. Can Ursula rescue Mildred, effect an alliance with the
duke, and stay alive in the process? The future of England depends
on it.
The queen's half-sister, Ursula Stannard, returns to solve another
Tudor mystery in this page-turning tale of suspicious riches,
murder and hidden treasures - can she find the golden cargoes? May
1589. Being the queen's half-sister and occasional secret agent,
can take its toll, which is why Ursula Stannard is looking forward
to the simple pleasure of attending the wedding of her tenant's
daughter. But on arrival, Arabella the bride-to-be is refusing to
marry her intended. Ursula tries to reason with Arabella on behalf
of her mother, Joan Mercer, but she senses all is not well with her
betrothed, or within the Mercer household. The family have gold and
jewels beyond their means, and Ursula suspects they may not have
gained such riches legally. When the strangled corpse of local
herbalist and suspected witch is found, and Ursula learns through
her connections at Court that English vessels are being plundered
by a trio of mysterious ships - she once again takes on the mantle
of secret agent. With someone willing to kill to protect their
secrets and a bounty of golden cargo at stake, Ursula is in danger!
Can she uncover the culprits, save the reluctant bride, and remain
unscathed herself? Golden Cargoes is the twenty-first book in the
popular Ursula Blanchard series which follows Ursula, a most
unconventional Tudor spy as she solves unpredictable, compelling
mysteries.
Widow Ursula Blanchard is urged to remarry for the sake of Queen
and Country in this latest enthralling historical adventure
January, 1576. After three husbands, widow Ursula Blanchard has no
desire to marry again. However, she is not in a position to refuse
when Sir Francis Walsingham decides she must wed Count Gilbert
Renard, the illegitimate son of King Henri II, in order to build a
strategic alliance with the French. When the Count arrives at her
country home to pay court, Ursula's misgivings grow stronger. Then
one of her household staff is found dead at the bottom of the
stairs. An accident - or something more sinister? The disturbing
chain of events that follows sees Ursula heading on a perilous
journey in a race against time to prevent a national catastrophe.
En route she will encounter danger, hardship, conspiracy - and
murder.
This book explores the relationship between women, the state and
democratic politics in Ireland today. It highlights the
conservatism of the political culture shared by all traditions on
the island, and how this culture circumscribes women's political
agency in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The book explores the
opportunities and obstacles to women's participation and
representation on each side of the border. The chapters take the
view that public decision-making institutions and processes are
subject to rules and practices that reinforce the gendered
foundations of democratic politics. They document women's
continuing quest for full participation and equal representation in
these male-gendered arenas. The contributors focus on the
marginalised experiences of women in modern politics in Ireland and
detail their efforts to challenge the masculinized status quo. The
book addresses the classical issues of citizenship, participation,
representation and equal rights in a sustained analysis of the
political systems on the island. It also deals with modern issues -
multiculturalism, peace-building, the male-gendered legislature and
the unequal nature of women's citizenship in constitutional,
institutional and policy contexts. The book is completed by a
comprehensive appendix of all women elected to political office on
the island from 1918-2013. This book was published as a special
issue of Irish Political Studies.
Ursula's visit to her Devon relatives leads to murder, mayhem and a
possible plot to free Mary, Queen of Scots in the latest Ursula
Blanchard Tudor mystery. February, 1586. When the queen's
spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, learns that Ursula is to visit
her relatives in Devon, he asks her to find out what has happened
to two of his local agents, who have been strangely silent
recently. On arrival in the small Devon village of Zeal Aquatico,
Ursula discovers that both spies in question have met with
mysterious - and fatal - accidents. Or is there more to it than
that? What did the two spies find out that got them killed? Is
there any truth to the rumours that King Philip of Spain, in league
with the queen's cousin, Mary Stuart, intends to launch an invasion
from the south coast? As Ursula pursues her investigations, it
becomes clear that someone in Zeal Aquatico is determined to stop
her finding out the truth ... whatever it takes.
1579. Ursula is summoned to court to assist in negotiations for
Queen Elizabeth's engagement to the Duke of Alencon. The proposed
marriage causes unrest throughout the kingdom - but would someone
kill to prevent it? Tensions increase when a prominent nobleman is
accused of murder. Ursula is convinced the man is innocent - but
can she prove it?
Over the last three decades, electoral reform has moved centre
stage in both new and established democracies. In Europe, the post
1989 democratisation wave brought important debates about electoral
system choice and free and fair elections. But electoral reform
also emerged on the agenda in a number of established democracies.
Declining political participation, corruption scandals and party
finance irregularities put the management of the democratic process
on the political agenda. Election administration problems such as
those in the Gore Bush election of 2000 thrust electoral integrity
into the global political spotlight. In this edited collection, we
are primarily concerned with the mechanics of how elections are
run. Elections are complex administrative tasks and as
International IDEA points out, they are also usually administered
against a politically charged backdrop. This book brings together
specialists to consider the election management process using
diverse theoretical approaches and, addressing both emerging and
perennial election debates such as the role of voter advice
applications, election management bodies, districting, ballot
design and media practices in the coverage of elections. The volume
includes a number of comparative chapters which utilise data from
large international datasets (VDem and CSES), several Irish case
studies and an important Dutch study of voter advice applications
with pioneering data. Collectively, the chapters provide insights
into election administration in Ireland and many other established
democracies. This book was previously published as a special issue
of Irish Political Studies.
Ursula Blanchard must acquire a mysterious medieval manuscript in
the latest enthralling historical adventure. "Buckley draws even
the most minor characters with subtlety and skill, making the
dramatic conclusion that much more satisfying." Publishers Weekly
Starred Review February, 1577. Sir William Cecil has a dangerous
new mission for Ursula Blanchard. He has asked her to visit
Stonemoor House on the bleak Yorkshire moors, the home of a group
of recusant women led by Abbess Philippa Gould. In their possession
is an ancient book, and the Queen's advisor, Dr John Dee, is eager
to get hold of it. However, while the Abbess is anxious to sell the
book, others such as her half-sister Bella believe it to be
heretical and demand that it be burned. It is not Sir William's
first attempt to secure the book. His two previous emissaries
vanished without trace. What happened to them - and will Ursula
suffer the same fate?
The eleventh enthralling adventure to feature Ursula Blanchard,
reluctant spy in the service of Queen Elizabeth I February, 1571.
Ursula is once more plunged into affairs of the state when she
escorts her foster daughter Margaret to the Netherlands to meet her
suitor. The queen's spymaster, Sir William Cecil, learns that the
wealthy Italian banker Roberto Ridolfi will be hosting their
forthcoming wedding - a man who he fears may once again be plotting
to put Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. But Ursula is
also about to come face-to-face with her greatest enemy - and the
exiled Countess of Northumberland is not the only figure from
Ursula's past to put in a surprising appearance.
Queen Elizabeth's proposed engagement to a Catholic Duke is causing
turmoil throughout the kingdom in the gripping new Ursula Blanchard
mystery. July, 1579. Called upon to help a family friend who is
horrified at the return of her errant husband after an absence of
thirty years, little does Ursula realize that her involvement in
the Harrison family's domestic dramas will lead to a case of
cold-blooded murder. Matters become even more complicated when
Ursula is summoned to court to assist in negotiations for Queen
Elizabeth's possible engagement to the Duke of Alencon. The
proposed marriage between the queen and a French Catholic twenty
years her junior is causing unrest throughout the kingdom. There
are many who oppose the match - but would someone kill in order to
prevent it? Tensions increase when a prominent nobleman is accused
of murder. Ursula is convinced the man is innocent - but can she
prove it?
This passionate West Country smuggling saga set in the early
19th-century is an intriguing departure for Tudor mystery writer
Fiona Buckley. Exmoor, 1800. When farmer's daughter Peggy Shawe
meets the charismatic Ralph Duggan, son of a so-called 'free
trader', it's love at first sight. Determined to prevent the match,
Peggy's widowed mother sends her daughter to live with the Duggans
for six weeks, believing she will be put off marriage to Ralph when
she discovers what life is like among a smuggling family. Matters
take a dramatic turn however when Ralph's brother Philip is
suspected of murder, and Ralph and Philip are despatched to distant
relatives across the Atlantic. Heartbroken, Peggy vows to be
reunited with her lover one day. But it will be several years
before she and Ralph are destined to meet again - and in very
different circumstances . . .
"Buckley draws even the most minor characters with subtlety and
skill, making the dramatic conclusion that much more satisfying."
Publishers Weekly Starred Review February, 1577. Sir William Cecil
has a dangerous new mission for Ursula Blanchard. He has asked her
to visit Stonemoor House on the bleak Yorkshire moors, the home of
a group of recusant women led by Abbess Philippa Gould. In their
possession is an ancient book, and the Queen's advisor, Dr John
Dee, is eager to get hold of it. However, while the Abbess is
anxious to sell the book, others such as her half-sister Bella
believe it to be heretical and demand that it be burned. It is not
Sir William's first attempt to secure the book. His two previous
emissaries vanished without trace. What happened to them - and will
Ursula suffer the same fate?
Widow Ursula Blanchard is urged to remarry for the sake of Queen
and Country in this latest enthralling historical adventure
January, 1576. After three husbands, widow Ursula Blanchard has no
desire to marry again. However, she is not in a position to refuse
when Sir Francis Walsingham decides she must wed Count Gilbert
Renard, the illegitimate son of King Henri II, in order to build a
strategic alliance with the French. When the Count arrives at her
country home to pay court, Ursula's misgivings grow stronger. Then
one of her household staff is found dead at the bottom of the
stairs. An accident - or something more sinister? The disturbing
chain of events that follows sees Ursula heading on a perilous
journey in a race against time to prevent a national catastrophe.
En route she will encounter danger, hardship, conspiracy - and
murder.
"When Ursula Blanchard's neighbour is murdered, she is once again
involved with matters of espionage and affairs of state"
July, 1573. Recently widowed, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet
life on her Surrey estate, caring for her infant son. But her
peaceful existence is shattered when Ursula's neighbour Jane
Cobbold is found dead in her own flowerbed, stabbed through the
heart with a silver dagger - and Ursula's manservant Brockley is
arrested for the crime. Determined to prove Brockley's innocence,
Ursula seeks help from her old mentor Lord Burghley. But when a
second death occurs and the queen's new spymaster, Francis
Walsingham, gets involved, once again Ursula is reluctantly drawn
into matters of espionage and affairs of state.
Ursula Stannard faces the ultimate test in this gripping Tudor
mystery. How far is she prepared to go to protect those dearest to
her and save her own life? April, 1590. Ursula Stannard, the
queen's half-sister and occasional secret agent, has just left Sir
Francis Walsingham's funeral when she is summoned back to her
childhood home, Faldene House, by her aunt. Uncle Herbert has died
suddenly from natural causes, but Ursula's arrival in the Sussex
Downs triggers a shocking sequence of death and devastation.
Through her service to the queen, Ursula has made dangerous
enemies. The formidable Mercer brothers are set on revenge, and
their cruelty knows no limits. As a deadly net closes around Ursula
and her loved ones, can she keep those closest to her safe and stop
the Mercers before they strike again?
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