A surprisingly compelling read. The story centers on three time periods: an exiled queen in 1600s Europe, a courtesan writing her diary in the early 1800s, and a glassworker artist in modern England who is summoned to the countryside by the mysterious disappearance of her brother. There are powerful artifacts, Rosicrucians, strong love affairs, fate, and courtly politics. Thinking too much about the story points out its flaws, but the writing was so strong that I enjoyed getting swept away by it.