The Winter Palace (Large print, Paperback, Large type edition)

When Vavara, a young Polish girl, is brought to serve at Empress Elizabeth's glittering court in St Petersburg, she is groomed as the Empress' spy. Then Sophie, a vulnerable young princess, arrives from Prussia as a prospective bride for Peter, Elizabeth's nephew and heir. Set to spy on her by the Empress, Vavara soon becomes her friend and confidante. But Sophie's destiny is to become the notorious Catherine the Great. Are her ambitions more lofty and far-reaching than anyone suspected, and will she stop at nothing to achieve absolute power?