Chapter Twenty-One
“I was born Nicolai Vlcek. My father was a Czech industrial engineer, very successful, and my mother was an Italian music protégée who played the violin and had performed all over the world. They met in Rome and their love was one of the greatest love affairs of the age.
“I was raised on the island of Sardinia. My family had wealth, status, opportunities and respect. My father arranged to have the best tutors in Europe teach me. I was a scion of Italian aristocracy. I had privilege.
“As a young man, my life was as luxurious as my childhood. But now, I had the opportunity to travel and have adventures, and travel I did – Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas. I was ravenous for experiences, to see the world and explore. I climbed the Matterhorn in my twenties. I
