The euphoria I felt when I completed the portrait returns. I rush out into the gardens and back through the patio doors leading to Roman’s study and burst in. He’s sitting around the sofa with Gil and his two brothers, but I’m too happy to falter at the sight of Benito and Cesare. All the conversation stops, and Roman rises from his seat. “Emberly?” he asks. I leap into his arms and pull him into a kiss.
