“I know of them,” I said.
“They are best known as being patrons of the arts, but what they really excelled at was politics. How else could one family produce four popes?”
“Money and influence?”
“And a trusted network of spies. The rich can only gain so much intel from their own networks. The true scandals are uncovered in the servant’s quarters, the taverns, the brothels… That’s where you learn your enemies’ secrets.”
“Arden is your spy?” I found it hard to believe.
“He’s much more than that, but he’s done a great deal of investigating on my behalf. A couple of years ago, I was terribly depressed. In a creative slump you might say. One of my competitors had landed a coveted contract to dress a famous celebrity for the Met Gala. I’d been granted a lesser contract and was suffering a crisis of confidence, sure that my own efforts would be outdone by my rival.
“Arden took it upon himself to become acquainted with someone from the designer’s inner circle, and he brought me an exact description of the dress, detailed down to the pattern in the lacework. He has a great aptitude when he puts his mind to something. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s taken an interest in writing. Despite his lack of formal education, he’s really quite eloquent.”
I didn’t need to be reminded of my lover’s charms, for I knew them intimately.
“Knowing my competitor’s design gave me the confidence I needed, and even though my client was not quite so attractive or famous, it was my dress that dominated everyone’s attention. I was so pleased by Arden’s gesture that I made him that gold bangle he’s wearing as a token of my affection. It remains one of my favorite pieces.”
“Looks expensive,” I said mildly.
“Arden doesn’t like anything too flashy, but it was well-earned.” Matteo’s gaze had hardly left him, and I saw a true fondness there. “He has incredible resilience. Another man in his circumstance would have turned bitter.”
“Are you in love with him?” It seemed the natural conclusion.
Matteo made a dismissive gesture. “How could I not be?”
“Does Arden feel the same?”
“I don’t think so. Not anymore. There was a time when he may have loved me, but I believe I caused irreparable damage.”
“How so?”
Matteo sighed. “It’s rather personal for both of us. Arden may forgive, but he doesn’t forget. And rather than lose him entirely, we now have an arrangement where I pay him generously for his services.”
“Sex?”
“And other things.”
“Such as?”
“Arden has many attractive friends, and when I entertain, which I sometimes do, Arden fills my home with an array of beautiful young people who might be looking for the comforts that an older, more established man can provide. Not unlike the Ruspanti.”
My Italian was limited to the most rudimentary requests, andRuspantiwasn’t a word I recognized.
“And what about his other clients?” I asked, thinking of the man in the club who’d spotted Arden, and I assumed, instigated this meeting.
“There are occasions where Arden grants me favors, though I try to use him sparingly.”
The idea of this man using Arden for anything stoked my indignance.
“How long do you think this will go on?” Not much longer, if I had my way.
“With you in the picture, I don’t know. Of course, I have the means to offer Arden every luxury he could desire, and I’m willing to negotiate. Do you think you could convince him to live a pauper’s life?”
It was his first bald challenge, though the threat had always been there. I was surrounded by our vast inequities.
“Arden doesn’t strike me as overly materialistic.”
“Why would he ask you when he already has me?”
