Blood Countess

Anna Darvulia enters the household of Countess Elizabeth Báthory as a scullery maid, expecting hard work and little influence. The countess takes an interest in her, raising Anna to a position of unusual closeness and drawing her into a relationship that crosses the boundary between service and intimacy. At first, that attention seems to offer security and possibility. Gradually, Anna discovers the violence beneath her patron’s authority and the danger of depending on someone who controls the household around her. Set in historical Hungary, this horror novel follows a young woman caught between desire and self-preservation as privileged access becomes a form of confinement.