The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

In the winter of 1561, Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner, it occurs to her that their journey to this lonely place has a sinister purpose: he intends to kill her.

The Marriage Portrait is the story of a singular young woman who must battle for survival amidst the splendour and treachery of the Italian Reniassance.