‘I have. Parents. Sisters.’
He relaxed back in his upholstered chair. ‘Well, you have heard something of mine, so tell me of yours.’
So that is what I did. Mamma, daughter of the Moretti dynasty of Florentine jewellers. Papà’s drive in business and indifference to his family. His mistresses. Gianna’s death. Artemisia. Claudia. My many nephews and nieces. My Moretti cousins.
‘Sounds like your family gatherings might be a touch chaotic. But nicely so, I would think.’
‘Oh, yes, definitely chaos but a special kind of Florentine chaos which is at a different level altogether. Often involving competitive shouting to drown each other out.’
He laughed. ‘Our family gatherings always involved too much silence. I should love to witness your kind.’
‘I think you might change your mind about that
