Thanks for the tip about the Dunnett companion! I don't suppose you have any of the Lymond chronicles in stock at the moment?? You were right, by the way, about having to give it 50 pages or so for things to click -- she really does dump you right in the middle of a whole lot of people. It helped that I've read a lot of history from that time period, so I knew who at least some of them were.

I have to say one of my favorite moments in the book was when Will and Lymond are at the Ostrich drinking in the common room; Molly says to Lymond, "Your room's ready" and hands him a key, and Lymond says to Will, "Well, shall we?"...and then Will is so disappointed when they get upstairs to the bedroom and it turns out to be a political meeting :D I totally laughed at the slashy undertones (and was a tiny bit disappointed myself, to be honest!).