Queen Elizabeth I acceded to the throne in 1558; for more than 40 years her bedchamber was the heart of her court, and her ladies-in-waiting were charged with safeguarding both the queen and her propriety. These bedfellows bore witness to the figure beneath the makeup and the raiment, as well as to the queen's rumored dalliances, yet history has almost entirely overlooked them. In her follow-up to Mary Tudor, Anna Whitelock explores the Elizabethan court and the politics of intimacy through the Queen's quarters and the women who patrolled them, weaving a fascinating tale of sex, gossip, conspiracy, and intrigue. "Anna Whitelock's skillful and detailed history will bring you closer than seems possible to this glittering, infuriating, fascinating woman."—Hilary Mantel