Chapter Thirty
AMSTERDAM, 1629
The next day, seated in Henri’s library, Clara read through Gerrit’s transcription of her meeting with Fabritius, astonished by its accuracy. She was grateful he had left out the revelations about Nico – and everything about his relationship with Joris – as she had asked of him on their journey home. He had agreed Nico’s life and past were his own to reveal to Henri, if and when he chose to. In truth, Nico had confided in him long ago, but Clara thought it best nothing of it should be written down. She had also asked him to leave out Fabritius’s claim to have found her not to his taste all those years before. ‘I don’t believe it has any relevance.’
‘I understand.’ He cleared his throat. ‘You do know it’s a common thing for a man to blame the woman in such
