Alec’s earlier assertion now echoed in her mind. It had been unexpectedly devastating. For years Lottie had wanted her independence, to belong to no one but herself. But in that moment she craved to know what it felt like to be under his care not at the behest of her uncle, but because he truly wished it. Lottie chewed her lip. Surely Valentina’s sister was as comely as she was, and Alec obviously doted on Nico. A fellow countrywoman—a fellow Venetian—could provide him with a kind of understanding that Lottie would never be able to match.

Valentina’s sharp gaze met hers in the mirror. Her eyebrows rose. “No, signorita. I did not mean—” She paused and shook her head. “My sister has the misfortune to only love Nico’s father.”

“And the professor?” Lottie heard herself ask.

Valentina shrugged and turned her attention back to her work. “I have never seen him with a woman. Until you.”

Lottie looked down at her hands. She had no wish to see the ridiculous blush that was spreading across her face. Still, it meant nothing. Why, she all but forced Alec to bring her here in the first place.

And yet…

Any more talk of Alec ended as Stella, Nico’s mother, arrived to press Lottie’s gown. She was, indeed, a pretty woman but far more serious than Valentina. There was a hardness about her that likely came from shouldering a great deal of responsibility at a young age. Stella didn’t appear to know much English, or perhaps she was not as loquacious as her younger sister. She greeted Lottie and gave her sister a fond kiss on the cheek, then immediately set to work.

After Valentina had finished brushing out Lottie’s hair, she artfully pinned her mass of curls in a heavy knot at the back of her head. Then she teased a few long tendrils to spill gracefully over her shoulders. Once Valentina finished, the sisters helped Lottie dress. She had found the gown in a little shop in Florence run by a rather forward-thinking seamstress. A fine lady had it commissioned, but then she disappeared without paying. The gown was cleverly designed with a corset built into the bodice, but that didn’t stop Stella from fastening it within an inch of her life. Lottie pressed a hand against her waist and let out a breath. “Perhaps it could be loosened a bit?”

Despite the language barrier, Stella knew exactly what Lottie meant. She soundly shook her head and guided Lottie over to a floor-length gilt mirror. “See?”