Paris, 1856. My head spins with hunger as the countess steers me towards the kitchen, her scarlet gown glimmering in the light of a hundred long candles. The clang of pots and scent of sage overwhelm my senses and my baby flutters inside me. But as I reach for the dish of currants, my eyes narrow. About half of them are larger and blacker than the rest. My blood feels slow and thick in my veins. Those are deadly nightshade berries. I would swear it. 

Newly married to Niccolo, a wealthy envoy to the French emperor, skilled herbalist Livia Valenti feels lost and alone. Her husband is a distant stranger, and their echoing Paris mansion is too far from her fragrant garden in Italy.    

But then Niccolo fills the shelves with her favourite books and prepares an apothecary room full of rows of shining glass jars. And a beautiful romance begins to blossom. With masked balls, luxurious dinner parties and a new life growing inside her, Livia believes her dreams of love and happiness may finally come true. Until an assassination attempt is made on Napoleon III. And Niccolo is arrested for treason....

As Niccolo awaits execution in prison, Livia turns to Napoleon’s glamorous mistress Elisabetta. With her friend’s influence and connections and Livia’s knowledge of poisons, she thinks she can discover who is trying to kill the emperor. But then tragedy strikes, and dark secrets in Livia’s own past come back to haunt her. They are all in terrible danger, and it will take all of Livia’s courage to save her husband and their baby....    

An absolutely gripping historical novel about the power held by women in a world run by men. Beautiful and heart-breaking, fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton, and Marie Benedict will be hooked until the final, breath-taking conclusion.