Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, one of the favorite knights of Queen Elizabeth I, meets the lovely Dona Dominica de Rada y Sylva when he raids the ship carrying her and her father back from the New World to Spain.
On a whim, he brings the two back to Spain, and vows that he will be back in Spain within a year to win the lady’s hand in marriage. Never minding the fact that England and Spain are at war, and that there’s the small matter of the Inquisition going on.
Now, I fully understand that I should not be reading historical fiction (especially one veering off into the category of romance) looking for complete historical accuracy. And, I read Heyer because her stories are delightful, and just plain fun. But this one pretty much strained credulity. I don’t know – I just found the whole thing over the top ridiculous.
Mind you, I did finish it.