In The Company Of The Courtesan

From the internationally best-selling author of 'The Birth of Venus', comes a breathtaking historical novel about love, beauty, the politics of sex and the power of loyalty. Set in Venice, one of the world's most spectacular cities, featuring a fabulous courtesan and her dwarf.

1527. While the Papal city of Rome burns—brutally sacked by an invading army including Protestant heretics—two of her most interesting and wily citizens slip away, their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed. Though almost as damaged as their beloved city, Fiammetta Bianchini and Bucino Teodoldi—a fabulous courtesan and her dwarf companion—are already planning their future. They head for Venice, a honey pot of wealth and trade where they start to rebuild their business. As a partnership they are invincible: Venice, however, is a city which holds its own temptations. But the greatest challenge comes from a young blind woman, a purveyor of health and beauty, who insinuates her way into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all.