Samuel Atkins is deeply in love with Maria Eleanora, a beautiful young woman from the court of Queen Catherine. But Atkins is a poor clerk, and Maria Eleanora a foreigner, so their love must remain a secret. When an important judge is found murdered, Samuel Pepys' followers are suspected, and Atkins is arrested. Suddenly, Maria Eleanora reaslies that to save her lover and discover the hideous truth behind the crime, she must thread her way through both the treacherous alleys of London and the murky and murderous politics of those seeking to destroy the king. Based on historical events, The Loving Cup not only probes one of the great murder mysteries of English history but also recounts a love story as passionate as it is secretive.