It is 1372. The prince is dying, the king is in his dotage and the vultures are circling the throne. The heir is not to be the powerful duke of Lancaster but five-year-old Richard, half-brother of Alys's husband, Thomas Holand.
Alys is the daughter of the earl of Arundel and does not care for her husband. She considers him dull, unambitious and a disappointment in every sense. She yearns for the young man to whom she was once betrothed. But her view of a golden past is shattered when her father dies and she learns of a monstrous deceit.
Later when her husband's brother, John, is accused of murder, Alys offers to help despite her instinctive disgust at his wild and unprincipled behaviour. She has been warned of the dangers and thinks she knows how to protect herself but ultimately knows only half the story.
From elegant riverside palaces to the wilds of the Yorkshire moors and a shabby upstairs room in a London tavern, An Illegitimate Affair is a tale of infidelity, deception and the true nature of love.