Apparently false rumors about Marie Antoinette are all the fashion in 1783ampnbspMarie Antoinette is facing hostility from the populace inflamed by rumors circulated in pamphlets throughout Paris The rumors claim that she has dozens of lovers drinks the blood of poor people holds satanic masses at Versailles and more when nothing could be further from the truth On the advice of the handsome enigmatic Captain von Bauer Joseph IIampmdashemperor of Austria and Marie Antoinetteamprsquos brotherampmdashdecides that mysterysolving violinist Theresa Schurman is the ideal candidate for a spy to discover the source of these vile slandersTheresa is only too glad to get away from Vienna for a while unwilling to commit herself yet to marrying Zoltanampmdasha Hungarian baron she met when she was fifteenampmdashand running out of reasons to postpone her decision She is eager too to explore a new musical scene and broaden her artistic education But when the captain confounds her expectations and places her as a bookkeeper in the establishment of Rose Bertin milliner to the queen she begins to lose hope that she will ever achieve her musical aimsampmdashor the emperoramprsquos goal of exposing the pamphleteersA chance encounter with the Chevalier de SaintGeorges an extraordinary black violinist and expert swordsman sets Theresa on the path to unraveling the mystery But will the chevalieramprsquos patron the powerful duc de Chartres confound her efforts and put herampmdashand the...
