It is 1540. Queen Jane is dead, and Henry VIII is about to embark on a fourth marriage. New to court is Agnes Leigh, a young woman with connections to the powerful Howard family. When Henry discards his queen to marry Katherine Howard, Agnes sees an opportunity for advancement and a chance to find a husband.

Henry is besotted with his young wife and showers her with gifts, but beneath the glittering surface, life at court is not as rosy as it appears. When Katherine's sexual indiscretions are uncovered, the young women in her household immediately come under suspicion – Were they complicit? What did they know? Who did they see? With the king swearing vengeance, Agnes and her friends are in real anger. With her reputation tarnished by association with a promiscuous queen, only one man is prepared to rescue Agnes - but he is the last person she wants to marry.

From the excitements of life in the royal palaces to Norwich and the scene of an armed rebellion, Maids of Dishonour navigates Agnes through fourteen years of turbulent Tudor rule until an unexpected late-night visitor forces her to face her fears and choose a side.

 Caroline Newark was born in Northern Ireland and now lives in Somerset. She qualified as a teacher and later completed a Law degree at Southampton University. She is a keen amateur historian and writes and gives talks about the women in her family tree.