September, 1840. Novelist and patron of the arts Lady Blessington has hired Liberty Lane to escort a French gentleman to The Hague. For he has in his possession important papers that will assist in the forthcoming trial of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, the late emperor's nephew who has failed in an attempt to seize power in France.

Plans for the undercover expedition are disrupted however when a body is found hanging in the attic at Gore House, Lady Blessington's Kensington mansion.
Uncovering evidence that the murder was meticulously prepared for and planned well in advance, Liberty determines to track down the killer. But she is about to find herself plunged into a highly dangerous game involving blackmail, treachery, espionage - and cold-blooded murder.