Marlborough Hall, 1154. According to British lore, this ancient palace once hosted a torrid love affair between young King Henry II and a teenaged Rosamund, right under the patrician nose of his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. To keep his mistress safe from his scorned wife, Henry built Rosamund a house once could only reach by labyrinth—and only then with a spool of thread. But his titanic efforts proved futile when he found the girl poisoned to death—and along with his only love died the secret of the killer's identity... The Site of Marlborough Hall, 1903. The current Duke and Duchess of Marlborough have invited husband-and-wife sleuths Charles and Kate Sheridan to what is now Blenheim Palace, for Kate is working on a book about the age-old scandal that became known as the Marlborough Folly. But as she tries to pull together pieces of the mystery, Kate must set aside her research and lend a hand when a household maid is kidnapped—and, not long afterward, the duke and his mistress disappear. However, Kate my have set aside her work too soon. For as the intrigue unfolds, it holds and uncanny resemblance to a certain Marlborough Folly...