Summary

In Chapter 1, Alberta “Bert” Monte compared learning that she was heir to a noble title and estate to being named a lottery winner and then learning that prize would be paid in a currency with no value. She wondered if she had known what the future would hold for her if she would have just thrown away the envelope addressed to Alberta Isabelle Eleanor Vittoria Montebianco. The letter had come from Torino, Italy and was written in Italian.

Bert went to find her estranged husband, Luca, at the bar that he ran. Bert believed that Luca would be able to give her good advice about the letter. Luca and Bert’s grandparents had both been born in the same village in northern Italy. They immigrated to the United States after World War II and eventually settled in Milton, New York. Luca and Bert...