Belladonna

In Manhattan, a masked hostess runs the city's most exclusive and lavish private club under the name Belladonna. Out in the horse country of Virginia, the same woman is better known as the Contessa, a reclusive heiress who defies social norms and avoids nearly all company.

Some people remember her from her days at The Club, when she was a naive young woman. Those who once wanted her also deceived her, handing her over to a nobleman whose cruelty took her youth, her self-respect and eventually her capacity to love.

The story is narrated by one of Belladonna's loyal manservants, who gradually reveals what lies behind her disguises and her consuming need for revenge. Its truth is built on betrayal, murder and corruption, and it is dark enough to turn brother against brother and father against son, forcing Belladonna to face the one man who could either ruin her or free her.