Checkmate

Crawford is in France, and unemployed. He is determined not to return to Scotland, England is dangerous and in Russia he could become the de facto ruler of a great nation. However, in Russia his mistress has deserted him and the Tsar becomes ever more dangerous. There is also the little matter of the marriage of convenience to Philippa, meant to lend her respectability on her return to Scotland from Istanbul, and which has not yet been anulled. France is under attack by Spain and Crawford reluctantly agrees to serve the French for one year, at the end of which the young Mary Stuart will be married to the Dauphin and his marriage will be dissolved. As one of the French army's leaders, he is involved in the re-capture of Calais, but his health is becoming increasingly unstable. Believing that doubts about his parentage are at the root of Crawford's problems, Philippa pursues her investigations in Lyons, whilst waiting for her annulment and the opportunity to marry Austin Grey. The risks she takes put her into extreme danger, physical and mental. Marthe, Crawford's bastard sister, wants revenge on his family.

This is an historical romance and the sixth of 6 books set in the mid 1500s and focused around a flawed hero, Francis Crawford of Lymond. The series starts and ends in Crawford's (and the author's) homeland of Scotland. The books follow Dunnett's hero through a series of adventures at the centres of power in Scotland, France, Malta, Stamboul (Istanbul), and Russia. He develops as a leader in war and politics, with the potential to rule a country: but at the expense of his humanity, his family and his companions, as he ruthlessly suppresses his own weaknesses and frailties.
The language, culture, customs, political intrigue, warcraft and ethos of the time are captured in beautifully constructed prose and the books are worth reading for this alone. But they are also cracking adventures. If you can, ignore the author's constant reminders of her hero's beauty and stick with them.