the distant cries of drunken brawls, the relentless ticking of the clock. Then he meets a fascinating, mysterious gentleman who sells just that. Precious silk that can drown out the clamour of the world - and everything Henry is so desperate to escape. Summoned to Sir Edward's secluded factory to try to cure his young daughter's deafness, Henry is soon drawn deeper and deeper into the origins of this otherworldly gift: a gift that has travelled from ancient Mediterranean glades to English libraries. Ignoring repeated warnings from the girl's secretive governess, he allows himself to fall under the spell of Sir Edward and his silk ... but when he learns its true cost, will it be too late to turn back? 'Dark, compelling, fantastical and absorbing, Bridget Collins has done it again. Highly recommended.' 'Wholly original and unexpected ... you are in the hands of a story telling master.' 'A splendid work of imagination, almost magical in places, but darkly realistic in others.'