page18 (2/2)

“I know,” Gareth said quietly He e, sober and serious, and Gareth, who had always run wild But they had been friends as well as brothers, and Gareth liked to think that they had co that he ought to try to lead a so to his brother’s uide his actions

“I was going through his things,” Caroline said “I found so I believe that it is yours”

Gareth watched curiously as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a snize it,” he said

“No,” Caroline replied, handing it to hied to your father’s mother”

Your father’s rimace Caroline did not know that Gareth was not truly a St Clair Gareth had never been certain if George had known the truth, either If he had, he’d never said anything

The book was small, bound with brown leather There was a little strap that reached from back to front, where it could be fastened with a button Gareth carefully undid it and turned the book open, taking extra care with the aged paper “It’s a diary,” he said with surprise And then he had to smile It ritten in Italian “What does it say?”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said “I didn’t even know it existed until I found it in George’s desk earlier this week He never mentioned it”

Gareth looked down at the diary, at the elegant handwriting for words he could not understand His father’s hter of a noble Italian house It had always amused Gareth that his father was half-Italian; the baron was so insufferably proud of his St Clair ancestry and liked to boast that they had been in England since the Nor mention of his Italian roots

“There was a note froive this to you”

Gareth glanced back down at the book, his heart heavy Just one e had never known that they were not full brothers Gareth bore no blood relationship to Isabella Marinzoli St Clair, and he had no real right to her diary

“You shall have to find someone to translate it,” Caroline said with a se always spoke so warrandmother”

Gareth nodded He reh they hadn’t spent very otten on very ith his mother, so Isabella did not visit very often But she had always doted upon her due ragazzi, as she liked to call her two grandsons, and Gareth recalled feeling quite crushed when, at the age of seven, he’d heard that she had died If affection was anywhere near as important as blood, then he supposed the diary would find a better home in his hands than anyone else’s

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gareth said “It can’t be that difficult to find someone who can translate from the Italian”

“I wouldn’t trust it to just anyone,” Caroline said “It is your grandhts”

Gareth nodded Caroline was right He owed it to Isabella to find someone discreet to translate her memoirs And he knew exactly where to start in his search