Chapter One

The tome had a leather cover, the kind that lasted for centuries under the right conditions, and the kind of vellum pages that spoke of monks and sharpened quills and ink ground by hand. Alessio Rossi loved such books with a deep passion, one that no one else in his immediate family really understood.

His brother Darius was one for figures. Darius could turn cents into Euros like no one else. Though Alessio still said lire more often than not, earning jeers. It was not that he lived in the past. He simply resisted change for a long while.

No, Alessio liked history, and heaven knew the Rossi family had a long one, full of thieves to beggars and courtesans to kings. The book all but glowed where it sat on his mahogany desk, calling to him. And it was time to give in to the siren song, as he had achieved all of the long list of to dos that Darius had left for him. From signing the paperwork to buy a new dressage school to tasting the latest samples of wine from their vineyard in Tuscany, he had accomplished it all.

Now he could indulge in the family saga. The book was a new discovery, found in the attic of one of the family houses being newly remodeled. Everyone knew to send such things to him, even Guiseppe, who liked to pretend he wasn't related and had been the one to unearth the thing.

Pulling on a pair of cotton gloves, he opened the book carefully, unwilling to crack the old spine or tear the fine pages. The frontspiece took his breath away. Beautifully illuminated, it stated that this was the account of Fortelli di Rossi, steward of the Miggliozzi villa in Venice.

Amazing, sometimes, how interconnected the two families were. And how fortunes had changed since the 1600s. Alessio's sister, Cecilia, had married Marco Miggliozzi several years ago, the first marriage between the families in decades, perhaps more.

They were very happy, and Alessio was even happier at keeping the two families connected.

The first section of the book was dry as a bone. A description only of Fortelli's duties and a listing of accounts, it almost had Alessio losing interest. But he persevered, and found the second section of the book leaving him leaning forward in his chair, and picking up his personal telephone to call his brother, Darius.

"Si?"

"Darius. I need you to come to my office."

"Why?"

Alesso rolled his eyes and sighed. "Always you question me. Just come. Oh, and I need you to arrange for Jacob to come to the island."

Jacob had entered the family a few years back, being assimilated in by Alessio's siblings, Damian and Gianni. He was a fine art historian, and had proved to be something of a historical sleuth.

"Whatever it is, I am not sure I want to know," Darius grumbled. "But I will come."

"Good." Alessio rang off, nearly bouncing in his seat.

He couldn't wait to share this with the rest of the family.

Continued in First Section