Seventeen-year-old Giulia is the bastard daughter of a Milanese nobleman. When she learns she's to be packed off to Padua against her will to become a nun, she pays a desperate visit to an astrologer-sorcerer, and begs him for an enchantment to bring her what she believes she wants most in all the world: her one true love, who will save her from the convent. The sorcerer seals a celestial spirit inside a talisman, bound to Giulia's heart's desire. He also gives her a warning: Be sure you know what your desire is, or you may find yourself surprised by what you receive. At the convent, Giulia's talent for drawing is discovered by the mistress of an unusual workshop of nun-painters. Though the workshop is hidden behind convent walls, it's famous throughout Padua for its artistry, and for the extraordinarily beautiful paint color known as Passion blue. Only the nuns know how to make Passion blue, and they guard the formula closely, for there are those in Padua who would steal it if they could. Giulia begins to learn the mysteries of the painter's craft. For the first time in her life she's part of something, accepted by her companions and valued for her talent. But the magic of the talisman is also at work, and she meets Ormanno, an artist in a rival painter's workshop. He's handsome and charming--everything she ever dreamed of. Or so it seems. As they meet in secret, Giulia begins to suspect he's keeping secrets. Is Ormanno her one true love, or is he something darker? Is the talisman's magic more dangerous than Giulia believed? How much is she willing to sacrifice to find her place in the world? In the answers to these questions lie a shattering betrayal--and the key to Giulia's true heart's desire. |