Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

"Raised in the exiled court of Charles II, later maid of honor to his queen and then to his sister, Alice Verney has known no other home than the palaces of Whitehall, St. Germain, and St. Cloud; no other family than the courtiers surrounding the French and English monarchs. She herself is the ultimate courtier—wily, ambitious, and fully alive to the subtle nuances of power, the shifting loyalties, the plots and cabals, and the danger and possibility behind every look, every gesture, and every conversation. At the same time, she is courageous, energetic, and fiercely loyal to her friends. In this prequel to her best-selling Through a Glass Darkly, Koen paints a fascinating and richly atmospheric picture of the court of the Merry Monarch as seen through the eyes of a sophisticated young woman whose frailties are all too human and whose worldly ambition ultimately underestimates her heart." ~ from Library Journal Review