For centuries, readers have debated the identity of the mysterious and seductive Dark Lady in William Shakespeare's sonnets. Emilia Bassano - lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, patron of the arts and the first woman to establish herself as a professional poet in England - could be the answer. Emilia Bassano is new to Queen Elizabeth's court and unschooled in its dangerous intrigues. She quickly catches the eye of Lord Hunsdon, the Queen's Lord Chamberlain, and becomes his mistress. When she falls pregnant, Hunsdon arranges a hasty marriage to her brutish cousin, the court musician,...