Cromwell has become the most significant politician in the whole of England, his place as Henry's principal adviser secure. The duke of Norfolk, England's most senior nobleman by rank, is in disgrace, tainted by the treasonous behaviour of his niece, Anne Boleyn. So when Cromwell uncovers a clandestine affair between Norfolk's brother and the King's niece, an opportunity opens up to destroy his foremost enemy for good. Yet Cromwell stays his hand.

The court of King Henry is on the brink of a new era. Henry and Jane are expecting a child, and for the third time in his life, the king allows himself to imagine a legitimate heir. The war in the north is over, the rebels are stilled, and the Lady Mary is back at court and out of reach of Henry's enemies. England is cautiously hopeful. But joy at the birth of the young prince in the autumn of 1538 is short-lived, for Edward is only 12 days old when his mother Jane dies in the complications of childbirth, and Henry's court is plunged into mourning.