nation. The opening of the novel introduces Whitehall’s glitter and gossip before King Charles privately tasks Roxhythe with secretly approaching his nephew William to secure England’s advantage despite the recent alliance with Holland. Briefed—uneasily—by Buckingham and Ashley-Cooper, Roxhythe recruits Christopher Dart, stages a public royal rebuff as cover, and sets out for the Low Countries. In Flushing and along the Dutch road, he deftly plays off suspected spies (including the amenable Mr. Milward and a man linked to Hyde), feigns illness at Rotterdam with the help of the loyal apothecary de Staal, and slips away by night. Reaching The Hague, he enlists Christopher’s brother Roderick—now devoted to William despite De Witt’s oversight—and quietly secures a clandestine evening audience with the Prince. (This is an automatically generated summary.)