"1818 London. In a last-ditch effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Madeleine Jameson invested in a merchant brig, the Padget. The ship was granted a rare privilege by the king's regent: a Letter of Marque authorizing the captain to seize the cargo of French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea. Yet when the Padget returns to London, her crew is met by soldiers ready to take possession of their goods and arrest the captain for piracy. And the Letter-- the sole proof his actions were legal-- has vanished. She turns to barrister William Snopes, a strong advocate who defends the poorer classes against the powerful. As he delves into the case, he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more perilous than he'd imagined." -- Adapted from back cover.