The Law Inevitable

Nestled in one of Rome’s sun‑kissed quarters, the Marchesa Belloni’s pension blends the faded elegance of an old Ludovisi villa with the practical comforts of modern sanitation and electric light. Its modest rates and proximity to the Pincio keep the rooms perpetually full, drawing a steady stream of travelers who linger from October until Easter, using the pension as a tranquil base before venturing further south.

Into this setting arrives Cornélie de Retz van Loo, a solitary English visitor enchanted by the city’s golden glow. Welcomed by a familiar‑looking porter and guided through the dim drawing‑room, she meets two sharply dressed English ladies and the flamboyant Marchesa herself—an imposing, jewel‑adorned matron whose rapid speech and striking appearance hint at a household that is anything but ordinary. A brief confrontation over a newspaper foreshadows the subtle social currents that will shape Cornélie’s stay.