The Tower and The Dream Author:Jan Westcott Beautiful, Stubborn, Ambitious Bess Hardwick — From the time she was twelve, men were captivated by her tawny beauty and fiery spirit. In the years that followed, Bess would make four brilliant marriages--one more advantageous and tempestuous than the next. At the peak of her wealth, in fluence and ripe womanhood, Bess suddenly found herself in t... more »he middle of a treacherous, bloody struggle between two British monarchs: iron-willed Elizabeth I and the fragile, scheming Mary, Queen of Scots. It was a battle to which only Bess Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, was equal.« less