When teenage Caterina Gomez returns from England to
Portugal, she comes back to a beloved homeland, a distant
father, and a scandalous past. Traveling with Caterina are
her cousin Jeremy Craddock, a young Englishman seeking a
cure for his ill health, and her dear friend Harriet Brown,
who is on the run from an arranged marriage. This unlikely
trio arrives ian a Portugal rife with tension, for the
country is at war with France, and Oporto, recently
liberated, is a city in ruins and full of bitter memories.
Caterina's hopes for happiness are initially frustrated, for
her father seems determined to see her married or in a
convent. Then the note arrives, a voice from the past that
changes everything and send Caterina into the center of
political and romantic intrigue. Drawn into the tangled web
that binds the Portuguese and English communities together
in an uneasy alliance, she discovers that no one is quite
what he seems.
Characterized by Jane Aiken Hodge's trademark blend of
historical detail and adventure, Whispering tells the story
of a young woman's search for truth and independence in a
society that wants to deny her both.