Giulia Tofana never wanted to be a nun, but she is determined to atone for her past misdeeds by making her new monastery a success.
When an unexpected disaster closes the convent, Giulia is forced to turn to her old friend Fabio Pasello for help. Giulia still has intense feelings for Fabio, and Fabio’s passion for her has never diminished.
But they are not the same people they were before. Giulia has taken her vows, and Fabio is apprenticed to Gianlorenzo Bernini the famous sculptor, and has become one of Bernini’s rakish libertines. They could not be further apart.
To add to their problems, Giulia cannot escape her reputation as a poisoner, and is soon embroiled in a plot against Fabio’s patron, Pope Urban VIII. Faced with the idea of murder, will Giulia renounce her vows or embrace them?
The Silkworm Keeper by Deborah Swift is published as an ebook on 29 June, 2021. It’s the companion volume to The Poison Keeper and continues the story of the notorious poisoner, Giulia Tofana.
Read about the shocking true story behind one of the scenes in Deborah’s book.
