In this lush high fantasy set in a society much like ancient Rome, Kestrel enjoys all the luxuries afforded to the daughter of a powerful Valorian General, whose army has conquered the Herran peninsula and enslaved its people. When she impulsively bids on a Herrani slave in the marketplace, Kestrel has little idea how the slave, Arin, will upset her life. They match each other in intelligence and share a deep love for music. Romance between mistress and slave is naturally forbidden. But like star-crossed lovers everywhere, they find that their feelings cannot be altered by any custom or law.
Kestrel plays piano, often late into the night. To please Arin, Kestrel plays a piece of Herrani music written for the flute on her piano, a beautifully intimate scene between the two. I imagined this music to be simple and lovely, a folk song that expresses yearning for home.
I am still imagining this song.
In the end, I decided to take the easy road and use a lovely Beatles song from their album Help!, which is from the 1965 movie of the same name. Fortunately for Jukebooks, there is a perfect Beatles song for every book.