‘I can understand your reaction,’ said Luiza calmly. ‘And if I’m right, it is indeed obscene.’

Gustavo was pacing up and down, trying to calm himself. ‘Then tell me why you put this man – whom you obviously suspected was my wife’s lover – under your patronage? It was you who introduced him to society, helped him gain commissions through your recommendations. And, if I remember correctly, even provided him with a soapstone block from our family’s mines to enable him to continue his work! You prolonged his stay here in Rio. Why on earth would you do that if you were suspicious of his relationship with Izabela?’ Gustavo eyed her furiously. ‘Because, Mãe, I believe you actually wanted to help discredit my wife. You’ve disliked her from the start. You’ve spent every day of her married life here at the Casa patronising her and treating her as if she was simply an irritation to be borne. It wouldn’t surprise me if you wanted our marriage to fail before it had even begun!’ Gustavo was now shouting across the table at Luiza. ‘I will hear no more of this. And I can tell you that I mean to make sure Izabela assumes her rightful position in this house as soon as possible. If you interfere in our marriage any further, I will have you out! Do you understand?’

‘I do,’ Luiza replied without a flicker of emotion. ‘Besides, you need worry no longer about Senhor Brouilly. He is leaving tomorrow for Paris.’

‘You are still spying on him?’ Gustavo raged.

‘Not at all. I halted my patronage as soon as your wife left for the fazenda with her mother. Without a commission, and your wife gone from Rio, I knew it would not be long before he decided to return to Paris. He wrote me a letter only two days ago informing me of his departure and thanking me for my assistance. Here,’ Luiza said, handing him an envelope, ‘you can read it for yourself. You will note the address of his apartment in Ipanema at the top of it.’

Gustavo grabbed the envelope from his mother and stared at her in hatred. His hands were shaking so much that he had difficulty stuffing the envelope into his trouser pocket.

‘Although you say you did this out of love for me, there is not one part of your son who believes you did. And I will not hear another word about any of it. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Yes.’

With a small smile, Luiza watched her son leave the room.

Somehow, Gustavo managed to maintain an outwardly calm demeanour as Izabela left with her maid to visit Madame Duchaine. As he watched the car snaking down the drive, he thought that one way of discovering immediately whether there was any substance to his mother’s story was to ask Jorge, the driver. But given that Jorge had worked for Luiza for over thirty years, Gustavo couldn’t trust him to tell the truth. Walking into the drawing room, his first instinct was to grab the whisky bottle, but he refrained, knowing if he took a little, it would not be enough and he needed a clear head to think now.