Ysabella has fled to the countryside to escape the horrors of the siege of Palermo. Amodeus wants to rebuilt The Leopard in the city. Fate intervenes with the brutal murders of two women, one in the supposedly idyllic countryside, one in Palermo. Both women are connected to the de Rogerio family and again Ysabella and her family are plunged into danger. Once more, Ysabella must solve these murders before her loved ones become victims. With help from the King's Assassin, some surly but ferocious Danes, and her own 14 year old, the answers are unearthed in a terrifying climax to the Vespers Series.