Wings over Delft (The Louise Trilogy)

Book 1: The Louise Trilogy. Winner of the Bisto Book of the Year Award 2004 and Reading Association of Ireland Award 2005. As the daughter of a wealthy Dutch family, Louise Eeden knows that certain things are expected of her. When her father commissions a famous artist to paint her portrait, she reluctantly agrees. But lately things have started to move too fast in her life. Somehow everyone believes she is engaged to Reynier de Vries; a marriage that will bring about the merger of two respected pottery businesses. In the studio with Master Haitink and his gangly apprentice, Pieter, Louise unexpectedly finds freedom to be herself. But someone has been watching her every move, and her deepening friendship with Pieter has not gone unnoticed. Behind the scenes, a web of treachery and deceit is gradually unravelling, leading to a brutal and shocking confrontation. And fate has yet another surprise in store for Louise Eeden.