Francesca welcomed Ross back with kisses on both of his cheeks. The Vestal exhibit had arrived in his absence and she took him through the displays, introducing the pieces with her usual flamboyance. To her surprise Ross seemed uninterested. In actuality it depressed him. He could not look at the exhibit without thinking of Eliana, her painting of the virgin and the night in her studio when she told him about the fallen Vestals. Even though his pain was still fresh, it already seemed like a long time ago.

Ross’s first tour group was a baker’s dozen of newspaper journalists from Brisbane, Australia. They completed the usual tour of the gallery and then gathered on the first floor before a marble statue of a Vestal as sallow-faced as the Medici Venus.

“Le Vestali, or The Vestals, is a new exhibit and on loan to the Uffizi for only a short time,” Ross explained. “Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, was an important deity to the ancient Romans. I was told that you’ve already toured the Roman ruins, so you might remember seeing the temple of Vesta near the Forum. The keepers of the temple were called the Vestals. They lived near the temple, in a building that is thought by some to be the predecessor of today’s convents.

“The Vestal Virgins were very powerful women. They were not just the guardians of the temple, but the guardians of Rome’s homes and families as well. These women were chosen as Vestals while still young, between the ages of six and ten, and upon her selection the Vestal made three sacred vows. The first was complete allegiance to the goddess Vesta, as her priestess and handmaiden. The second was to keep the sacred fire of her temple burning. The last promise she made was to take upon herself a vow of chastity.”

Suddenly a woman from the crowd asked, “What happened if she broke the last promise?”

Ross looked to find who had asked the question. The woman was standing just outside the perimeter of his group, in the shadow of the arched doorway. Her gaze was fixed tightly on him. It took him a moment to realize it was Eliana. They shared eye contact; then Ross turned back to his group.

“If the final vow was broken, punishment was severe. The Vestal would be bound in linen burial clothes, then placed in a small chamber, where she was buried alive.”

There were audible gasps from the group.

Eliana still stared at him. “Was it worth it?”

A few of the journalists laughed at her question and nearly all turned to see her. Only Ross knew that she was serious.

“I guess only the Vestals could say. But apparently eighteen of them thought so. That’s how many of them were buried alive.”

There was a moment of silence; then Ross looked away from her, back at his group. “If there are no further questions, go ahead and look through the exhibit. I will meet you in front of the large, circular portrait in the next room in ten minutes.”