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Rome 1644: A Novel of Love, Power, and Poison
Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always
― Dante Alighieri
In the heart of Rome, the conclave is choosing a new Pope, and whoever wins will determine the fate of the Eternal City.
Astrologer Mia and her fiancé Jacopo, a physician at the Santo Spirito Hospital, plan to marry, but the election result is a shock and changes everything.
As Pope Innocent X takes the throne, he brings along his sister-in-law, the formidable Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, known as La Papessa – the female Pope. When Mia is offered a position as her personal astrologer, she and Jacopo find themselves on opposite sides of the most powerful family in Rome.
Mia is determined to protect her mother, Giulia Tofana, a renowned poisoner. But with La Papessa obsessed with bringing Giulia to justice, Mia and Jacopo's love is put to the ultimate test.
As the new dawn of Renaissance medicine emerges, Mia must navigate the dangerous political landscape of Rome while trying to protect her family and her heart. Will she be able to save her mother, or will she lose everything she holds dear?
For fans of "The Borgias" and "The Crown," this gripping tale of love, power, and poison will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Praise
''historical fiction that is brisk, fresh and bristling with intrigue'
Bookmarked Reviews
Excerpt
Rome, September 1644
Jacopo was hurrying through the hospital courtyard when a familiar face caught his eye, and involuntarily he stopped to stare. It was the woman from the Pope’s election day, the same grubby skirts, the same dirty blonde hair. She was standing in the queue for the ruota – the turning wheel in the wall where foundlings could be left. The turning box contained a mattress and was covered with an iron grid so the bars could not admit infants bigger than three months old.
The woman saw him look and hurriedly turned her head away.
With a pang, Jacopo saw the baby in her arms. She was going to leave it after all, that little scrap they’d brought into the world. He walked over to her. ‘You remember me?’
A wordless nod.
‘How are you doing?’
‘I’m all right.’
‘You didn’t go back to Signora Ranchetti?’
A sullen stare.
He peered in at the swaddled baby, who was sleeping, her small mouth puckered, face white as milk.
‘You’re giving her away?’ Somehow he couldn’t quite believe it.
‘Have to. Or I can’t work. And if I can’t work, I’ll starve. And girls are no use, not if you’ve no dowry to give them. Just another brat to feed, and trouble.’
‘But surely there must be some other way? Another way of earning a living, sewing, or laundry, or—’
A grunt of derision. ‘Nothing earns as much as what I do.’
‘There must be a—’
‘Then you try and find one.’ She thrust the baby at him and he had no alternative but to take it or let it fall. Her eyes held a challenge. ‘Now. See how you like doing your job with a babe attached. I guarantee she’ll be through that slot quicker than a knife through butter.’
The woman was already walking away, with not even a backward glance.
‘Wait!’ He ran after her, holding out the bundle.
Hearing his footsteps after her, she grabbed a fistful of her skirts in her hand and ran off, bare feet pounding on the dusty ground.
The ungrateful wretch! Jacopo clutched the child to his chest and hurried awkwardly after her, but then realised he looked ridiculous. The women in the queue were laughing at him. The baby had woken and was crying. He stopped, his heart thudding, breath coming in gasps. He looked down at the child’s open eyes and red face. She stopped crying and stared up at him, unblinking. Her eyes were as clear and blue as the sky.
The other women in the queue were staring, thirty pairs of eyes. He couldn’t put this baby through that slot, not with everyone watching.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx