Portrait of a Lady

Leonardo da Vinci serves the Duke of Milan as court engineer. His restless mind takes him from painting to the occasional murder investigation, and two female servants have now died.

To find out why, Leonardo sends his apprentice Dino into the household of Contessa Caterina, the Duke's ward. Dino is to go undercover dressed as a woman, and the task should be simple. Dino is in fact Delfina, a young woman who has been passing as a boy to work in Leonardo's workshop.

Inside the Contessa's household, Delfina is pulled two ways. She owes loyalty to Leonardo, who trusts her with the investigation. She is also falling for Gregorio, the handsome captain of the Duke's guard, and the attraction complicates her mission.

The Contessa's tarot cards hang over her as well. According to the reading, Delfina may lose her heart, and possibly her life.

This is a historical mystery set at the Milanese court, with a light romance running through it and a cross-dressing heroine at its center. It is the follow-up to The Queen's Gambit, and it features Leonardo as an amateur sleuth.