Written back in 1954, this historical novel is a gem. It goes to show that with a bit of digging into the past you can unearth some real treasures in more ways than one.This book tells the story of a woman who was born the daughter of a French herald, with no noticable prospects before her. Katherine de Roet is a little known (today) figure of English history, but she is still important. For without her long term liaison with John, Duke of Lancaster, much of English history (and it's royal family) as we know it today, would never have happened.The author has done a pile of original research for this novel (some of it is detailed at the beginning), and it pays off with a rich portrait of Katherine, her times and the people she lived with, through the ups and downs of her life.All said, this is a superior historical novel, that makes you wish you could find out *more* about the real (not just the novel version) Katherine Swynford.