Poitevin Hearts, Book 2
When Siri de Calendri’s brother dies, his will sends her from Venice and the medieval illuminating workshop she loves to the faraway county of Poitou. Siri becomes the ward of her brother’s friend, Triston de Brielle, but she does not intend to stay that way. She is determined to find employment as an illuminator in this strange land—until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.
Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife’s shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri’s face, all he sees is Clothilde.
Then Triston’s past returns to threaten them both. Trapped between the rivalry of the king’s sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston knows it would be safer to send Siri away. But Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman’s shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint, but can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston’s soul and make his heart beat for her alone?
