Dark Aemelia

‘For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright; Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.’ – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 147 The daughter of a Venetian musician but orphaned as a young girl, Aemilia Bassano grows up in the court of Elizabeth I, becoming the Queen’s favourite. She absorbs a love of poetry and learning, maturing into a striking young woman with a sharp mind and a quick tongue. Now brilliant, beautiful and highly educated, she becomes the mistress of Lord Hunsdon, the ...