The Villa of the Scorpions — Edwina Follett

STING OF FEAR

At first pretty young American Ariadne Forrester found it strange that a scorpion should be the symbol of the Villa Vivarini. When Ariadne arrived at the isolated Italian estate, with its secret gardens and green-moss covered statues, its silent servants and lavish luxuries, it seemed an enchanted fairy-tale world.

Soon, however, enchantment proved to be a sinister spell. Why did Eleanora, the gorgeous mistress of the house, cling so desperately to Ariadne and grow hysterical when Ariadne tried to leave? Why did Fabio, Eleanora's bitter, crippled brother, regard Ariadne with such all-consuming hatred? What mysterious power gave the startlingly handsome manservant Sergio the right to act as if he were master here? There was a curse on this house and all who lived here -- and too late Ariadne felt its venom entering her very heart and making her its slave…