The main characters of this luscious historical novel are the 5th century philosopher, Hypatia and Romano-British Poet known by his Roman name Caius Claudius. He was more generally known as Britannicus the Bard, employed as minstrel to the court in the entourage of Emperor Magnus Maximus, Emperor of the West. He served with Theodosius in Africa and had connections in Alexandria, where Caius Claudius fell under Hypatia's (Lady Alexandrina) spell. They eventually performed the deeply sensual Hieros Gamos to celebrate their spiritual and physical union, meeting regularly whenever their busy schedules allowed. After the execution of his master Caius Claudius quietly settled near that city where he maintained contact with the love of his life with the discretion that her position demanded until her murder. Hypatia went down in history as a pure maiden, but I tell you, she was a real woman...