The Masquers

The Masquers by Natasha Peters. mass_market edition. ISBN: 9780441521029.

Venice. A city of intrigue, a city of beauty, a city of exquisite sensuality.... In the late 18th century, during the days of a dying aristocracy, of never-ending Carnival and unbridled licentiousness, Venice teems with mystery and immorality. Gondolas glide soundlessly through narrow canals, carrying masked lovers to secret trysts, while cicisbei play court to bored noblewomen. Such a woman is the magnificently beautiful Fosca Loredan. Her husband, Alessandro, is the ambitious leader of the aristocracy. Her lover is the bold revolutionary, Rafaello Leopardi - Alessandros deadliest enemy. The flaunting of their passion before her husbands eyes leads to imprisonment, exile, and treason. Raf, Alessandro, Fosca - a triangle that sizzles with the heat of passion, that fire of hate; a triangle of emotional torture and delight that could happen only in the treacherous, the beautiful, the sensual city of Venice.