Cover Blurb:
"In the early 1900s, in an
elegant,
isolated villa called Il Piacere, the
playwright Galeazzo D'Ascanio lived for Celia Sands. She was his
muse and his mistress, his most enduring obsession. She was the
inspiration
for his most stunning, original play. But the night before she
was
to take the stage in the leading role, she disappeared.
"Now, in a theatre in the
grounds of Il
Piacere, Alessandro D'Ascanio
is preparing to stage the first performance of his grandfather's
masterpiece.
A promising young actress -- who shares Celia Sands's name -- but not
her
blood -- has agreed to star. She is instantly drawn to the
mysteries
surrounding the play -- and to her compelling, compassionate
employer.
And even though she knows she should let the past go, in the dark -- in
her dreams -- it comes back ..."
Author's Note
"The character of Galeazzo
D'Ascanio and
the estate of Il Piacere were
inspired by the real-life poet Gabriele D'Annunzio and his grand home
Il
Vittoriale, built on the shores of Lake Garda above the beautiful
resort
town of Gardone Riviera. In paying homage to a fascinating man I
did not, of course, mean to imply that any of the events described in
this
book actually took place -- the story is entirely imagined, and on my
own.
"For my research into
D'Annunzio's life I
am greatly indebted to the
wonderfully colourful biography written by his friend and secretary,
Tom
Antongini, and published in English by William Heinemann Ltd. in 1938.
"To all those others, both in Italy and
here, who were kind enough to
assist me in my research for this book, I give my heartfelt thanks;
most
particularly the woman at Equity in London, whose name I never learned;
to Humphrey Price; to Jane Bradish-Ellames of Curtis Brown; and last
but
by no means least, to the actress Cynthia Dale, who generously prompted
from the wings."
Dedication:
"For my mother,
my first and best reader,
with love."
