Following the murder of her husband, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. Her confectionary shop on Piccadilly is barely turning a profit. Henry Fielding, the famous author-turned-magistrate, is threatening to confiscate the money in her husband’s bank account because he believes it might have been illicitly acquired. And even those who claim to be Hannah’s friends have darker intent.Only William Devereux, a friend of her late husband, helps Hannah unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his death. He also tells her about iced cream, an innovation she is convinced will transform her shop. But their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip and draws Fielding’s attention, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything she can imagine.

Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red’s care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique. Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red’s fortune-telling delights in high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: Who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him? While Red’s pursuit of these mysteries brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger.