Those Rosy Hours At Mazandaran by Marion Grace Woolley

As the Shah's eldest daughter, Afshar has advantages.  She is granted deference and obedience from those around her.  She is showered with gifts and luxurious clothes.  But there are also disadvantages.  The harem is full of the Shah's wives, each vying for his attention for themselves and their children, each plotting and scheming to get rid of other wives and their progeny who might be favored over their own children.  Add to that the political alliances in court and Afshar's world is a delicate, dangerous one.

But she never doubts the Shah's love.  After a trip, he returns with one of her greatest wishes; a circus.  Everyone is enthralled with the elephants, tigers, jugglers and acrobats but no one more than Afshar.  She longs for the freedom the circus performers have and the easy camaraderie that they share in their tents.

The star of the circus is the chief magician, Vachon. Vachon can create illusions that are miraculous.  There is an air of mystery about him as well as he always hides behind a mask.  That covers his deformity, the horrible face that he was born with and that sent him out into the world to make his own way as a child.  Vachon and Afshar become secret friends as they come to realize that they share dark interests that neither can pursue alone.

Woolley has written a dark historical novel that is full of intrigue, cruelty and revenge.  It poses the question about what one would do for love and whether love is possible or whether it will always be haunted by the spectre of betrayal.  This book is written for readers of historical fiction, fantasy and horror.