The Tower

A bold, feminist reimagining of Mary, Queen of Scots’s darkest hour—her confinement in a remote island fortress, surrounded by a few loyal women and sustained by a dangerous dream of escape and reclaimed power.

Scotland, 1567. Pregnant and deposed, Mary is seized by rebel lords and imprisoned in Lochleven Castle, her infant son taken by her enemies. With her are two unassuming serving women—sharp, ambitious Jane and romantic, hot-tempered Cuckoo—who share the suffocating quarters of her eleven-month captivity. Their captors want Mary dead; they’ll settle for her abdication.

After Mary yields her crown, her devoted friend Lady Seton joins the trio. Against all odds, the four women form a bond that crosses class and faith, and for Jane and Seton, grows into something deeper. Together, they dare to plan a perilous escape. At the center stands Mary—charismatic, calculating, and unbowed.

Flora Carr’s gripping debut is a story of resilience, power, and the fierce strength of women who refuse to surrender their fate.