After a session of deep conversation with Mario in his study, Ezio made his way back into Monteriggioni. The question of the Pope’s survival hung heavily over him and he sought distraction from it. Mario had suggested he visit his tailor to order some new clothes to replace his travel-stained ones, so first he made his way to the tailor’s shop, where he found the tailor sitting cross-legged on his workbench, sewing a brocade cloak of a rich emerald green.

Ezio liked the tailor, who was a good-natured fellow a little older than Ezio himself. The tailor greeted him warmly.

‘To what do I owe the honour?’ he asked.

‘I think I’m due some new clothes,’ said Ezio a little ruefully. ‘Tell me what you think. Be honest.’

‘Even if it were not my job to sell you clothes, signore, I would have to advise you that a new suit would be the making of you.’

‘I thought as much! Very well!’

‘I’ll measure you now. Then you can pick out the colours you’d like.’

Ezio submitted himself to the tailor’s ministrations and chose a discreet dark grey velvet for the doublet, with matching hose in wool.

‘Can it be ready by tonight?’

The tailor smiled. ‘Not if you want me to do a good job of it, signore. But we can try for a fitting towards midday tomorrow.’

‘Very well,’ replied Ezio, hoping that the meeting he was to attend that evening would not result in his having to leave Monteriggioni immediately.

He was making his way across the town’s main square when he noticed an attractive woman struggling with an unwieldy box of red and yellow flowers that was clearly too heavy for her to lift. At that time of day there were few people around, and Ezio had always found it difficult to resist a damsel in distress.

‘Can I lend you a hand?’ he asked, coming up to her.

She smiled at him. ‘Yes, you’re just the man I need. My gardener was supposed to pick these up for me, but his wife’s sick so he had to go home. As I was passing this way I thought I’d fetch them, but this box is way too heavy for me. Do you think you could … ?’