Venice in the winter of 1643. Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy.
But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this dangerous occupation, fearing it will lead her into trouble. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.
Giulia insists Mia should live quietly out of public view. If not, it could threaten them all.
Giulia’s real name is Giulia Tofana, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, and she is in hiding from the Duke de Verdi’s family who are intent on revenge for the death of their brother. But Mia doesn’t know this, and rebels against Giulia, determined to go her own way.
When the two secret lives collide, it has far-reaching and fatal consequences that will change both their lives forever.
Set amongst opulent palazzi and shimmering canals, The Fortune Keeper is the third novel of adventure and romance based on the life and legend of Giulia Tofana.
The Fortune Keeper by Deborah Swift, the third in her Italian Renaissance series, is published on 24 November, 2022.
Deborah’s written an intriguing feature about the background to her new book in Mask wearing and crime in Renaissance Venice. And her piece on The Silkworm Keeper, the second book in the series, is Slashing the face: punishing unfaithful women in Italy.
She’s been a generous contributor of features to Historia. You might enjoy these:
A different kind of WWII resistance
In search of the animals in the Great Fire of London
And so to bed – a goodbye to Pepys’s diary
Luck or lottery? Choosing your valentine in the 17th century
Health and Hellfire: Personalising the Plague in 17th-century London
Animating Pepys’s Women
