scandal in Florence by having his mistress depicted
in a series of paintings, each one portraying her readiness
to receive him in a different sexual position. It
is rumoured, in fact, that in order for the artist to
faithfully portray the correct angles of her body, the
original sketches were made whilst she and the Duce
were in the act of making love. But the Duce’s figure
was removed by the artist for her final painting, so
that her patron could visualise his lover’s body as she
waited to receive him.'
'Oh,' said Jodie weakly. 'The artist was a woman?'
Lorenzo shrugged. 'My ancestor was probably concerned
that a male artist might find such an erotic
commission too much for his self-control. And rumour
has it that Cosimo himself was not averse to
persuading his artist to abandon her work in order to
join them in their pursuit of sexual pleasure.'
When Jodie couldn’t help glancing at the walls,
Lorenzo told her grimly, 'You will not find any of
the paintings here — they vanished a long time ago—
looted, so it is believed, on Napoleon's instructions.
He had heard of them and wanted them. If they still
exist they will be in the possession of some private
collector.' Lorenzo give another shrug. 'Their value
was not in the hand of the artist who painted them so
much as in their notoriety.' He flicked back the cuff
of the linen jacket he was wearing and glanced at his
watch.
'It is now almost four o'clock. I telephoned ahead
and arranged for you to have a private showing at a
designer salon on Via Tornabuoni. The manager there
understands the situation, and she will help you to
select a suitable wardrobe — including a wedding
dress. It isn’t very far from here, and—'
'No!' Jodie could see the look of hauteur darkening
Lorenzo’s eyes. He obviously didn’t like having his
plans questioned. Tough, she decided grittily. No way
was she going to be treated like some kind of mindless
doll he could have dressed up in over-priced designer
clothes to suit his own idea of how his wife
should look.
'I agree that I need to buy something suitable to be
married in, but I am perfectly capable of making my
own choice and paying for whatever I need with my
own money. Think of how much medical care you
could donate to those children in need, instead of
wasting money on designer clothes for me,' she urged
him.
'You have a valid point,' he agreed. 'But Italian
society, like any other society, has its rules and its
obligations. For you as my wife not to be dressed as
the other wives will cause questions to be asked—
which could raise doubts as to the true validity of our
marriage. That in turn could lead to a legal challenge
that the terms of my grandmother’s will are not being
met. Indeed, I wouldn’t put it past Caterina to do
everything she can to achieve just that. And, since the
whole purpose of this marriage is to meet those terms,
it is necessary that we both conform to society’s expectations.
If it will make you feel any better, I shall
undertake to donate an equal amount to charity as you
spend on clothes.'
'that’s bribery,' Jodie told him, but Lorenzo was
already walking away from her, leaving her no choice
but to follow him.
To her surprise the gallery opened out into a second,
even longer single-storey rectangular space, this
one housing more modern paintings and sculptures.
'Like my ancestors, I substitute my own lack of
artistic skill by taking an interest in and supporting
those who do have it,' Lorenzo was explaining dryly.
But Jodie wasn’t fully listening to him. Instead her
attention had been caught by the large wall space in
the middle of the gallery, which was filled with what
seemed to be unsophisticated, childlike drawings.
'Ah, my most valued commissions,' Lorenzo told
her quietly.
Jodie looked at him uncertainly. 'They look like
children’s drawings.'
'That is exactly what they are. These drawings
were all produced by children who have lost limbs—
sometimes but not always a dominant hand — as victims
of a variety of wars. These drawings were done
after they had been fitted with their new limbs, as part
of their ongoing therapy. The very special paintings
in the middle of the wall are painted with those new
limbs.'
Jodie discovered that emotional tears had suddenly
rushed to fill her eyes. Blinking them away, she told
Lorenzo huskily, 'No wonder you value them so
much.'
He turned away. 'I shall introduce you to Assunta,
who is my housekeeper here, and she will show you
over the rest of the apartment while I make some
telephone calls.'
In other words, he was bored with her company
and wanted to be free of it. Well, that certainly did
not bother her, Jodie assured herself ten minutes later,
as she was handed over into the care of a shrewd-
