Music & Silence

In 1629, young English lutenist Peter Claire arrives at the Danish court believing music will secure his future. Instead, he enters a world shaped by suspicion, rivalry and royal power.

Set in Denmark and in the shadow of the Thirty Years' War, Music & Silence follows Peter as he joins King Christian IV's royal orchestra at Rosenborg Castle. The musicians perform in a freezing cellar beneath the splendour of the court, a stark contrast to the glittering chambers above. Yet although he is favoured by the King and nicknamed his "Angel", Peter is drawn into a forbidden love affair with Emilia Tilsen, companion to the King's estranged wife, Kirsten Munk - and further into court intrigue.

As King Christian's authority weakens, loyalties fracture. Letters are intercepted, alliances shift, and both Emilia and Peter are threatened with a separation that might extinguish their fragile happiness.

Moving between Copenhagen, Norway and Jutland, Music & Silence tells a story of ambition, political manoeuvring and love tested by exile.

'The best thing from Denmark since Hamlet.' John Julius Norwich
'The best historical novelist of her generation. . . an unforgettable tapestry of Eros and art.' A. N. Wilson