Lisa Hilton Enslaved by the Medici, embroiled in the power games of Renaissance Italy, an orphan must beguile her way to freedom. From the acclaimed historian and Commonwealth Prize-nominated novelist, comes a gripping novel of intrigue, seduction and murder.
Italy, 1492. 5-year-old Mura is a strange and bewitching child. Daughter to a Nordic mother and Spanish father, she has been tutored in both Arabic learning and the ancient myth cycles of the north. But her widower father has been arrested by the Inquisition, and Mura is sold to a Genoese slaver.
In the port of Savona, Mura's androgynous looks and unusual abilities fetch a high price. She is bought as a house slave for the powerful Medici, arriving in Florence as the city prepares for war against the French. When the family is forced to flee, Mura finds herself gifted to the notorious Tigress of Forli, Countess Caterina Sforza.
Beautiful, ruthless and intelligent, the Countess is fascinated by Mura's arcane knowledge. As the Tigress educates her further in the arts of alchemy, potions and poisons, she becomes much more than a lady's maid. Mura becomes a potent weapon in the Machiavellian intrigues of the Renaissance court...
LISA HILTONis the critically acclaimed author of Athenais: The Real Queen of France, Mistress Peachum's Pleasure and Queen's Consort. She was educated at Oxford University and lives in London. Her first novel, The House with Blue Shutters, was also published by Corvus.
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