Pipistrello

Book excerpt: Set in 1908 in a stately home in the lush English countryside, Pipistrello is a gothic tale of murder and mayhem. It follows the fortunes of the Chester family: the Italian countess Eleanora, her husband Sir Peregrine, their daughters Allegra and Elodie, and the loyal staff who serve them. At its heart is a set of tarot cards which divine the future. Full of dark omens, ghosts, lust and tragedy, the story travels to the glittering shores of the Italian Riviera and back as the lives of the inhabitants of Chichester Hall are transformed in unexpected and unimaginable ways. Pipistrello takes a glimpse into the intricacies of motherhood, the different seasons within a marriage and the desire for metamorphosis that lies within us all.