This is the tenth book in the "Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain" series...Libertus attends a society wedding as his patron's representative, but before the ceremony can begin the father of the bride is discovered dead - poisoned - after testing the wedding wine. Pompeia, the bride, hysterically declares that she has caused the death, but Libertus believes otherwise, and is retained by the potential bridegroom (who needs the substantial dowry) to prove her innocent. His investigations uncover hidden tensions in the house and when another guest, Antoninus, is discovered a little later murdered at his home, moments before Libertus was due to call on him, events take a different and more sinister turn.