This is a historical biography by Scottish author Jennifer Morag Henderson. Set in the 16th century it focuses on the lives of both Mary Queen of Scots and her one time lady in waiting Jean Gordon.

Jean was the daughter of the powerful northern lord, George Gordon, Earl of Huntly, known as the Cock of the North. Jean married the rather brutal James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who later went on to form a disastrous marriage with Mary Queen of Scots. Jean then became the Countess of Sutherland through her marriage to Alexander Gordon. Finally she married her childhood sweetheart and thwarted romance, Alexander Ogilvie.

Aside from her marriages, Jean was a strong, intelligent and powerful woman in her own right who fought the political tides to maintain the stability and fortunes of her family.

This is a meticulously researched book and a fascinating look into what were turbulent and dangerous times, particularly for anyone close to the throne and its intrigues. Like many things focussed on the north of Scotland there are clan battles and feuds and some pretty wild yarns. Henderson manages the dichotomy between factual information and storytelling seamlessly, in a way that made this much more interesting, palatable reading than many biographies. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this era and place. ( )

Jean was rather a unique figure - by the later 16th century, women had begun to have agency within the local economy and were able to wield some influence in their own circles. For Jean - the circle was always the family, and those linked by blood or marriage, were drawn and held tightly within. Even in her 70s, Jean was still seen as a person who had the potential to be influential, someone powerful who needed to be controlled, as she had a strong belief in what was due to her family and actively and steadfastly promoted her family interests.

Aged in her 80s when she died, Jean had outlived all her brothers and sisters, all three of her husbands, four of her children, two queens, and one king. As matriarch of the Gordon family, she was the glue that held it all together, and on her passing, it collapsed in a heap around the remaining family members.

Henderson brings her extensive research to the fore in crafting a highly readable narrative around a woman who lived during a tumultuous time in Scottish history. The reader will be amazed and in awe of this incredible woman, who story was deserving of being told in its own right. ( )