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A young noblewoman accused of murder, awaits execution. Imprisoned in the Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. . .

This is the true and tragic tale of Beatrice Cenci.

Murder most foul or vengeance most just?

Helpless victim or resolute heroine?

Rome, 1599.

Beatrice yearns to escape the clutches of her abusive father and determined to find a way back to Rome, enlists the help of Olimpio, the castle’s keeper. Soon the love that grows between them will transform Beatrice’s fortunes, for better and for worse. . .

History has sold her short. She is no doe-eyed victim of her father’s brutality, nor the cunning murderer who plotted her father’s demise. No, this Beatrice - a woman pregnant by her lover, incarcerated in a remote castle by her father, and brim-full of white-hot rage - is both innocent and guilty, saint and sinner.

And she will stand tall in the face of the violence of men, no matter the cost.


Praise for Elizabeth Fremantle:

'MAGICAL, THRILLING, WONDERFUL, EXCELLENT. HEARTPOUNDINGLY TENSE AND ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSING. CLEVER, AMAZING AND INSPIRING' DAILY MAIL

‘Electric’ Good Housekeeping

‘Rich in atmosphere and period detail . . . An enticing read’ Stylist

‘Beautifully written and finely observed' RACHEL HORE, author of A PLACE OF SECRETS

'An enthralling tale of power and passion, loyalty and betrayal’ ELIZABETH WILHIDE, author of ASHENDEN

© Elizabeth Fremantle 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025