The Serpent and the Pearl (A Novel of the Borgias)

PRAISE FOR

Empress of the Seven Hills

“Power and betrayal were never so addictive than in this gorgeously wrought tale of star-crossed lovers caught in the turbulent currents of Imperial Rome. Kate Quinn deftly contrasts the awesome splendor of torch-lit banquets with the thunder of the battlefield.
Empress of the Seven Hills
is a riveting plunge into an ancient world that is both utterly foreign and strikingly familiar—where you can feel the silken caress of an empress and the cold steel of a blade at your back.”

—C. W. Gortner, author of
The Queen’s Vow

“[An] epic, sexy romp—the long-awaited sequel to
Daughters of Rome
 . . . Readers will delight in the depictions of historical figures like Hadrian and Trajan, as well as the engrossing and dramatic relationships that drive this entertaining story.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Kate Quinn outdoes herself with a story so compelling that the only complaint readers will have is that it ends. From the moment Vix and Sabina appear on the page, readers are taken on an epic adventure through Emperor Trajan’s Rome. No other author brings the ancient world alive like Quinn—if there’s one book you read this year, let it be this one!”

—Michelle Moran, national bestselling author of
The Second Empress

“Quinn handles Imperial Rome with panache.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Daughters of Rome

“A soap opera of biblical proportions . . . [Quinn] juggles protagonists with ease and nicely traces the evolution of Marcella—her most compelling character—from innocuous historian to manipulator. Readers will become thoroughly immersed in this chaotic period of Roman history.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating view of four women during the year of the four emperors . . . Regardless of whether you already have an interest in Roman history,
Daughters of Rome
will fascinate you from beginning to end.”

—
Book Loons

“The two sisters are fascinating protagonists . . . Ancient historical fiction fans will enjoy this intriguing look at the disorderly first year after Nero’s death.”

—Midwest Book Review

“Ancient Rome is wonderfully portrayed in this book, with awesome details of first-century Roman political culture . . . I love a complex plot, however, and this one is layered with great characters, engrossing historical facts, and a little romance.”

—PrincetonBookReview.com

Mistress of Rome

“[Quinn] skillfully intertwines the private lives of her characters with huge and shocking events. A deeply passionate love story, tender and touching, in the heat and danger of the brutal arena that was ancient Rome . . . Quinn is a remarkable new talent.”

—Kate Furnivall, author of
The White Pearl
and
The Jewel of St. Petersburg

“Equal parts intrigue and drama, action and good old-fashioned storytelling. Featuring a cast of characters as diverse as the champions of the Colosseum,
Mistress of Rome
is destined to please.”

—John Shors, bestselling author of
Temple of a Thousand Faces

“Stunning . . . a masterful storyteller . . . It is no mean feat to write a novel that is both literary and a page-turner.”

—Margaret George, author of
Elizabeth I: A Novel

“Full of great characters . . . So gripping, your hands are glued to the book, and so vivid it burns itself into your mind’s eye and stays with you long after you turn the final page.”

—Diana Gabaldon, #1
New York Times
bestselling author of the Outlander series

“[A] solid debut . . . Quinn’s command of first-century Rome is matched only by her involvement with her characters; all of them, historical and invented, are compelling . . . Should make a splash among devotees of ancient Rome.”

—Publishers Weekly

“For sheer entertainment, drama, and page-turning storytelling, this tumultuous debut novel is well worth reading.”

—Library Journal

Books by Kate Quinn

MISTRESS OF ROME

DAUGHTERS OF ROME

EMPRESS OF THE SEVEN HILLS

THE SERPENT AND THE PEARL

The
SERPENT
and the
PEARL

A NOVEL OF THE BORGIAS

Kate Quinn

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

Copyright © 2013 by Kate Quinn

Excerpt from
The Lion and the Rose
copyright © 2013 by Kate Quinn

“Readers Guide” copyright © 2013 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY
^®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / August 2013

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62494-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Quinn, Kate.

The serpent and the pearl : a novel of the Borgias / Kate Quinn.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-425-25946-7 (alk. paper)

1. Borgia family—Fiction. 2. Rome (Italy)—History—1420–1798—Fiction. 3. Nobility— Papal states—Fiction. 4. Political fiction. I. Title.

PS3617.U578S48 2013

813'.6—dc23

2013004891

Cover design by Danielle Abbiate

Book design by Tiffany Estreicher

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincident. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

For my husband’s remarkable grandmother, who served as the inspiration for Carmelina:

Mildred Jackson, née Carmelina Mansueto, a fiery Sicilian cook who has never (to my knowledge!) cooked for the Pope or defended her virtue from a Borgia prince, but would absolutely threaten to fry your ears in a pan if you committed the sacrilege of breaking the pasta into the pot instead of folding it.

PART ONE

May–August, 1492