Brides of Rome

It is a world of power and privilege, secrets and sacred duty. It is the world of ancient Rome. And it is the esteemed Vestal Virgins -- priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the home and hearth -- who protect the Eternal Flame that protects the Eternal City. Dedicated to a thirty-year vow of chaste service, Priestess Pomponia finds herself swept up in the intrigue, violence, wars, and bedroom politics of Rome's elite -- Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian and his maneuvering wife, Livia -- all thewhile guarding the secret affection she has in her heart. But when a charge of incestum, a broken vow of chastity is made against the Vestal order, the ultimate punishment looms: death by being buried alive--