A mysterious brooch leads the young Scottish scientist Vivienne Rees into the world of the Celtic queen Cartimandua. Soon her life seems ominously linked to the regent's tragic fate. A dangerous journey into the past begins. The long-awaited new novel by bestselling author Barbara Erskine - a breathtaking saga of love, intrigue and passion. Two thousand years ago, the young Celtic queen Cartimandua ruled her kingdom. Fierce and strong-willed, she followed her political convictions and even risked her love to do so. Vivienne Rees, lecturer in Celtic history at the University of Edinburgh, is fascinated by this strong young woman. She has worked for years on a book about Queen Cartimandua, and her professor's accusation that parts of it were taken from her imagination alone hits her hard. The rift is inevitable. Disappointed, Vivienne retreats, but not without committing an act of revenge: she steals the brooch of Cartimandua, a priceless piece of jewellery owned by the university. But something evil emanates from the brooch. With each passing day, Vivienne grows closer to the Celtic queen, until she is finally fully immersed in Cartimandua's life. Unawares, she finds herself caught in a dangerous web of greed, betrayal and desperate love from which there seems to be no escape.
