Saronia / A Romance of Ancient Ephesus

The novel takes place in ancient Ephesus and follows a slave woman who claims sanctuary in the great temple, setting off a clash with her mistress and the city's social and religious authorities. Around this central dispute develop entwined strands of artistic ambition, ritual life, romantic attachment, and occult practice: painters and musicians, priestesses and augurs, love philtres and prophetic horoscopes all influence events. Public festivals and private reckonings reveal personal loyalties and moral choices, and gradual disclosures about identity, faith, and fate lead to tragic upheaval and a final separation.