She turned to thank him and noticed that he was naked. “So
will you.”
He grinned, positioning himself in front of her and opening the
robe so it wrapped around both of them. She sighed at the pleasurable feeling of their naked bodies pressed tightly together.
“Was everything to your liking?” Gabriel rubbed her back through
the robe.
“You couldn’t tell?”
“We didn’t have a lot of conversation, if you recall. Perhaps I kept you up too late. I know we were making up but…”
“I’m a little out of practice, but deliciously worn out.” She flushed.
“Last night was even better than our first time together. And certainly, as you put it, more vigorous.”
He chuckled. “I concur.”
“We’ve been through so much. I feel as if our connection is deeper.”
She nuzzled his shoulder with her nose. “And I don’t have to worry about you disappearing.”
“I’m yours,” he whispered. “And I feel the connection too. It’s
what I needed. It’s what you deserve. When I touch you, when I look into your eyes, I see our history and our future.” He paused and lifted her face so he could see her better. “It’s breathtaking.”
Julia kissed him delicately and snuggled closer in his arms.
411
Sylvain Reynard
“I spent too long in the shadows.” Gabriel’s voice brimmed with
emotion. “I’m looking forward to being in the light. With you.”
She placed a hand on either side of his face, forcing him to see
her. “We’re in the light now. And I love you.”
“As I love you, Julianne. I’m yours for this life and the next.”
He kissed her lips once more and led her back into the bedroom.
Fin.
412
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
I am indebted to the late Dorothy L. Sayers, the late Charles Wil-
liams, Mark Musa, my friend Katherine Picton and The Dante Society of America for their expertise on Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, which informs my work. In this novel, I’ve used the Dante Society’s conventions of capitalization for places such as Hell and Paradise.
I’ve been inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s artwork and the in-
comparable space that is the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The cities of Toronto, Florence, and Cambridge lent their ambience, along with
the borough of Selinsgrove.
I’ve found several electronic archives to be quite helpful, especially the Digital Dante Project of Columbia University, Danteworlds by
the University of Texas at Austin, and the World of Dante by the
University of Virginia. I’ve consulted the Internet Archive site for its version of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s translation of La Vita Nuova along with the original Italian, which is cited in this book. I’ve also cited Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s translation of The Divine Comedy.
The text from Abelard’s letter to Héloise was taken from an anony-
mous translation dated from 1901.
I am grateful to Jennifer, who read the first draft of this story
and offered constructive criticism at every subsequent stage. This book would not exist without her encouragement and friendship.
I am grateful also to Nina for her creative input and wisdom. Kris read and offered insightful suggestions on the manuscript during
the revision process.
Thanks are due to the fine staff of Omnific, especially Elizabeth, Lynette, CJ, Kim, Coreen, Micha and Enn. It has been a pleasure
working with you.
I would also like to thank those who read a previous version of
my story and offered criticisms, suggestions and support, especially the Muses, Tori, Elizabeth de Vos, Elena, Marinella, and Erika.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers and my family. Your
continued support is inestimable.
-SR
a b o u t t h e a u t h o r
Sylvain Reynard is a Canadian writer with an interest in Renaissance art and culture and an inordinate attachment to the city of Florence.
As an author, Sylvain has been trying to increase awareness about
various charities. You can find out more about these organizations on Twitter: @sylvainreynard
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Document Outline
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Information
Dedication
Engraving
Prologue
Quotation
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Omnific Titles
Coming Soon from Omnific
FB2 document info
Document ID: 09d693bd-f194-4910-9399-07c446e33bf9
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 12.3.2013
Created using: calibre 0.9.22, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6 software
Document authors :
Sylvain Reynard
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