In The Ruby Ring, Diane Haeger brings to life a love affair so intense that time has not dimmed its glow. Behind the convent's quiet walls, Margherita makes her decision, and recalls her life with Raphael-and the love and distress-manifest in that one precious jewel. But first, she must relinquish the ruby ring she wears on her left hand, the ring she wore in Raphael’s outrageous nude “engagement portrait.” The ring has a storied past, and it must be returned to the Church or else Margherita will be turned out into the streets. The Mother Superior agrees to accept Margherita into their order. But now that Raphael has died, the convent is her only hope of living an honest and peaceful life. Margherita was Raphael’s beloved and was depicted as the Madonna in several of his paintings. She is Margherita Luti, a baker’s daughter from a lowly neighborhood on the Tiber, now rejected by Roman society, oppressed by influential enemies within the Vatican. At the nearby convent of Sant’Apollonia, a young woman comes to the Mother Superior, looking for refuge. His body lies in state at the magnificent marble Pantheon. The Eternal City is grieving the sudden death of Raphael Sanzio, beloved painter and national hero. Listed in the Visual Arts category on Art In Fiction, The Ruby Ring (2005) is a novel by critically acclaimed historical novelist Diane Haeger.

The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger