"Not so modest by nature, signorina," he laughs easily, very much enjoying this, "but there was a time it did behove my station. Cardinals shouldn't gape, n'est-ce pas?" As if the purple had ever stopped him.
There's a sweet, sweet wash of sympathy coming from her, lapping at him. It almost makes him purr. Wouldn't it be interesting to have her...
"We were married to cement an alliance, signorina, and shared each other's company only for a few months before business called me home. She did not depart with me, alas." Charlotte had wanted to, hadn't she. But he had declined. And when he wanted her to join him, later, she no longer was free agent. "Romantic marriage is a very modern concept, carissim'," he sadly smiles at Victoire.