Remarkable . . . full of life, colour and intelligence' Sunday Times
London, 1850. On a crowded street, the dollmaker Iris Whittle meets the artist Louis Frost. Louis is a Pre-Raphaelite painter who yearns to have his work displayed in the Royal Academy, and he is desperate for Iris to be his model. Iris agrees, on the condition that he teaches her to paint.Dreaming of freedom, Iris throws herself into this new life of art and love, unaware that she has caught the eye of a second man. Silas Reed is a curiosity collector, enchanted by the strange and beautiful. After seeing Iris at the site of the Great Exhibition, he finds he cannot forget her.As Iris's world expands, Silas's obsession grows. It is only a matter of time before they meet again . . . 'A dark delight and fans of The Miniaturist and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock will love it' Red magazine