The Firebird [Paperback]

<p><strong>THE <em>NEW YORK TIMES</em>BESTSELLER!</strong></p><p><strong>"I've loved every one of Susanna's books! She has bedrock research and a butterfly's delicate touch with characters?sure recipe for historical fiction that sucks you in and won't let go!"—DIANA GABALDON, #1 <em>New York Times</em>bestselling author of <em>Outlander</em></strong><em></em></p><p><strong>Two Women. One Mysterious Relic. Historical fiction with romance, betrayal, and magic you'll never forget.</strong></p><p>Art-dealer Nicola Marter was born with a gift so rare and dangerous, she kept it buried deep. When she encounters a desperate woman trying to sell a small wooden carving called "The Firebird," claiming it belonged to Russia's Empress Catherine, there's no proof.</p><p>But once Nicola holds the object, her buried talent gives her surprising insight. She knows the woman is telling the truth.</p><p>Trying to keep to her hard-won job, Nicola sets out to confirm the fascinating history of The Firebird with help from a man she never thought she'd see again.</p><p><em><strong>The Firebird</strong></em><strong>is a sweeping historical romance that will whisk you from London to Scotland to St. Petersburg in a magical, century-spanning epic about the dangers and rewards of being true to yourself.</strong></p><p><strong>Also by Susanna Kearsley:</strong><br>The Winter Sea<br>A Desperate Fortune<br>The Rose Garden<br>The Shadowy Horses<br>The Splendour Falls<br>Season of Storms<br>Mariana<br>Named of the Dragon<br>Bellewether</p><p><b>Chapter 1</b></p><p>He sent his mind in search of me that morning.</p><p>I was on the Tube, a half a minute out of Holland Park and in that muzzy not-awake-yet state that always bridged the tim