Wife of the Secretary of State

The wife of the Secretary of State holds secrets that could shatter the marble monuments of American power. When diplomatic papers vanish from the State Department, the city's most influential men discover they are all circling one woman who knows too much. Set in the corridors and drawing rooms of Washington at the turn of the century, this is a novel about the dangerous games played by those who govern behind closed doors. Mrs. Redmond moves through a world of ambassadors and senators, her position both her protection and her prison. Count Valdmir, the Russian ambassador, is charming, ruthless, and bound to her by something neither can escape. As suspicion mounts and stolen documents threaten international incident, every conversation becomes a chess match, every glance potentially a betrayal. First published in 1905, this is political suspense wrapped in Gilded Age elegance, where the real battles are fought in whispers and the deadliest weapon is a woman's silence.