Renaissance of the Heart - Part 3 - Sex Stories

Renaissance of the Heart - Part 3

... was, you were nudged in the ribs by culture. I picked my way along the corridor, noseying through the little, fire-proof windows where white-coated workers were looking through microscopes and using all sorts of cutting edge instruments. At last I arrived at the door marked Dr E di Rosso. I knocked once and entered cautiously. A slim, attractive dark-haired woman of thirty or so looked up from a book that she was reading. “Cindy Lucina?” “Yes. That’s me!” “You’re younger than I had imagined,” she said, offering her hand. Elanora had long auburn hair, tied in a ponytail. She had a light Mediterranean complexion with sharply defined features, which were relieved by a pair of rimless silver spectacles. They were perched on an aquiline nose that made her look alert and intelligent. “You have something for me?” she said. She spoke perfect English through a thick Italian accent. “Yes, it’s here. It’s hardly left my side for two weeks.” “We will take care of it. Don’t worry.” “Thank you, it means so much to me for you to do this.” “You know the odds against it being a Michelangelo…” “Are a million to one, yes. But when you see…” “I’m not an expert in art, but I hope for you that is one.” I unwrapped the painting and placed it on the heavy wooden table where she was working. She raised her glasses and looked at it closely. “It is a remarkable painting. It is beautifully painted.” “When will you begin the tests?” I asked inquisitively. “The carbon dating will begin tomorrow. And then ...

... then we will see.” “What’s the accuracy of the test?” “If it’s an uncompromised sample, then for the last half millenium, about one hundred years.” “Uncompromised?” “Yes, if there are more recent sources of cross contamination or much older elementals, it can give a false reading.” “Oh!” “But we will take a sample from behind the frame and it’s prepared specially The preparation is the hard part, the test is an hour. Don’t worry Cindy, we’ll get a good sample, I’m sure. If it’s something that’s been buried in the ground – well that’s tricky.” “There’s a painting just like this one in the Sistine Chapel. That one is a Michelangelo.” “Well, the subject was very popular during the Renaiassance.” Elanora listened as I enthused over my confidence in the painting and then I remembered the letter. Maybe she would be able to throw a little light on the address. “Elanora, I have something to ask you. About a street in Rome…” “Go ahead.” I pulled the letter out of my pocket and read the address. “Via Azzo Gardino. Do you know where that is?” Elanora looked blank and shook her head. “I’ve never heard of it, but Rome is a big place.” “I know. It’s not on my map.” “Ah, that means nothing. I will check the directory. May I ask the relevance of Via Azzo Gardino?” Elanora’s pronunciation of the name, her stress of the syllables made me smile. Her speaking voice was as near as one gets to singing as I had heard. “Apparently it was in a sale there, in 1934,” I confirmed. “I thought if I could ...