suit hand-made and expensive. But then, he did not

need to depend on any inheritance from his late maternal

grandmother to make him a wealthy man. He

was already that in his own right.

There were those who said, foolishly and theatrically,

that for a man to accumulate so much money

there had to be some trickery involved — some sleight

of hand or hidden use of certain dark powers. But

Lorenzo had no time for such stupidity. He had made

his money simply by using his intelligence, by making

the right investments at the right time, and thus

building the respectable sum he had been left by his

parents into a fortune that ran into many, many millions.

Unlike his late cousin, Gino, who had allowed his

greedy wife to ruin him financially. His greedy widow

now, Lorenzo reminded himself savagely. Not that

Caterina had ever behaved like a widow, or indeed

like a wife.

Poor Gino, who had loved her so much. Lorenzo

lifted his hand to his forehead. It felt damp with perspiration.

Caused by guilt? It had after all been by

claiming friendship with him that Caterina had first

brought herself to Gino’s attention.

Lorenzo had been eighteen to Caterina’s twenty-

two when he had first met her, and was easily seduced

by her determination. It hadn’t taken him long,

though, to recognise her for the adventuress that she

was. No longer, in fact, than her first hint to him that

she expected him to repay her sexual favours with

expensive gifts. As a result of that, he had ended his

brief fling with her immediately.

He had been at university when she had inveigled

herself into his kinder cousin Gino’s heart and life,