Curses and Smoke

by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Lexile:  720
Genre:  Historical Fiction

Lucia has everything she could want...until her father arranges a marriage for her to a man who is 40 years older than she is.  Lucia and her best friend Cornelia are trying desperately to come up with a plan to get Lucia out of this arrangement.  In the midst of this, Lucia's childhood friend Tages returns from Rome.  Tages is owned by her father and now that they are both grown up, and relationship between the two of them, even friendship is forbidden.  Tages and Lucia are going to have to make some tough choices that could possibly destroy them both.