25Female voices, together with that of Botticelli, echo in the hallway. I look at Amerigo with understanding and he, waiting eagerly, is nearly holding his breath until the door opens wide and the Master comes in, followed by Simonetta and Ginevra whose eyes are shining, her face fresh and cheeks glowing. She must have just returned from one of her walks through the countryside. In fact, she puts a jute sack down in a corner before coming over to me.
«I see that the talisman is making progress». She falls into silence for a moment and then turns to Amerigo and greets him with a graceful curtsey. «Do you think you will need it?»
«Well done Filippino, you have started the priming». The Master decides to ignore the veiled sarcasm in Ginevra’s words and hugging his friend says seriously, «I
