Ravenscourt: Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour
Ravenscourt
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He wanted to be gone from the dark enclosing room, with its mocking misery, to be gone from this house of nightmares, of shattered dreams, and discovered secrets which could not be put back in the box.
Venice, 1880.
Alexander, Viscount Dundarran, seeks refuge from scandal amidst the fading grandeur of crumbling palazzos during the infamous Carnival in the city. There he encounters the enigmatic Lady Arabella Pembrook—a young, beautiful widow. Both are scarred by their pasts but find solace in each other and a chance at redemption.
But when duty calls Alexander back to England upon his father’s death, a darker journey begins. Travelling to Ravenscourt, the decaying estate once belonging to Arabella’s late husband, Alexander must confront the house’s disturbing legacy which has echoed through the generations. Within its walls lie secrets that refuse to stay buried and will threaten everything he thought he knew. But can Alex uncover the truth in time?
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Excerpt:
The next morning, as Alex was returning from the train station where he had finally sorted out tickets for their return to England the next evening, he came across Sophia staring across the water at a small, narrow Palazzo. He was surprised to see her out alone. There was a chill in the air and a drizzling rain, but she stood resolute looking at the peculiar building, as if in a trance.
‘Miss Sophia, are you all right?’ he enquired gently, trying not to scare her as she was so deep in thought.
‘Oh, your Grace, I did not see you there.’ Once again, she was fearful in his presence and her eyes darted around as if she was checking to see if they were noticed standing there together. There was no one else there but she did not appear to relax.
‘You look rather taken with that building,’ Alex said, pointing across the canal.
‘It is called Palazzo Contarini Fasan, but it’s known as the House of Desdemona,’ she whispered.
‘Desdemona? Wasn’t she the wife of Othello?’ he asked, recalling the Shakespeare tragedy he had read at school.
‘Yes, local legend has it that the Palazzo was home to Nicola Contarini, known as “the Moor” because of his dark skin. His wife Palma Querini left him due to his brutality and jealousy. I think there are other versions of the story, but over time the Palazzo became known as Desdemona’s House.’
A chill came over Alex as he remembered the play and the senseless murder of Othello’s innocent wife. Sophia’s next words cast a colder shadow.
‘My father once thought about renting it as he admired its strange design and the neatness of the rooms, but once he was told its history and nickname, he couldn’t bear to live in it. He always found Othello one of Shakespeare’s saddest tales. He could never understand Othello’s jealousy and his utter belief in Iago’s lies. He told me no man should treat his wife so badly. He was a gentle man, you see.’ Sophia stared at him defiantly; he became uneasy and looked away. How could this sweet girl still defend her father after all he had put Arabella through? A sudden squall of rain had whipped across the canal, and they had both run for cover, rushing towards the Grand.
When they arrived at the hotel, Sophia had placed her small hand on his wet sleeve and, lowering her voice, whispered to him, ‘Take care not to ever listen to an Iago; false tales can change a life.’
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