The Fourth Queen

Helen Gloag sets sail from Scotland in 1769 seeking a new life in the Colonies, away from the dirt and deprivation of her childhood. But en route the ship is brutally ransacked by pirates and diverted to Morocco

When Helen Gloag runs away from her Scottish village in 1769 to seek a new life overseas, she never imagines what fate has in store for her. Yet before the year is out she will have become Queen of Morocco, one of four wives of the cruel and charismatic Emperor Sidi Mohammed.

Helen is transformed from a simple peasant girl into a pampered but captive mistress. Her home is the glittering harem in Marrakech, crammed with a thousand concubines and overflowing with jewels, silks and spices. But she soon realises that, for all its luxury, there is a deadly danger lurking at the heart of this exotic and mysterious court …

Based on a true story, The Fourth Queen is a compulsive account of an extraordinary time and place, and of an impulsive young woman’s journey towards maturity and love.