Carolyn Smith

The House of the Faun Carolyn Smith

In Pompeii's beautiful House of the Vettii, thirteen-year-old Ariana works as a kitchen slave. Unbeknownst to her, she is the daughter of her master, Claudius Vettius, a wealthy wine merchant. Ariana must deal with the smoldering jealousy of Claudius's wife, Julia, and the misplaced ardor of her half-brother, Marcus, a handsome teenage rebel. Not far from the House of the Vettii is the stately House of the Faun, notable for the bronze statue of a dancing faun, a mythical woodland creature, at the center of its spacious atrium. The master's son, Gaius, is almost fifteen, and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father, an official in the city government. When Ariana is sent to the House of the Faun to serve as a maid, she and Gaius meet and fall in love. But they know that a slave girl and a government official's son have little chance of a future together. Numerous obstacles stand in their path, not the least of which is Marcus's jealousy. An absorbing and passionate tale, The House of the Faun tells a story of young love set against the intriguing backdrop of ancient Pompeii.