Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory

John Tradescant is uniquely skilled at collecting, raising and nurturing plants. His practical good sense makes him an invaluable servant, as he scours the known world for new and beautiful species, and penetrates the most secret activities at court. Here both King Charles I and Tradescant are in thrall to the irresistible Deke of Buckingham, the most powerful man in England. Tradescant has always been faithful to his masters, but Buckingham is unlike any he’s ever known: flamboyant, outrageously charming, utterly reckless. The court may live him but the people hate him. Every certainty upon which Tradescant has based his life is challenged as his personal world is turned upside down and all around him the country slides towards civil war.