19 December 1784

Rocca Sorrentina

Why is it that the fewer days remain until I am reunited with my dearest husband, the longer each day seems to be? I have received word that Gabriel has booked passage on a boat departing Rome in just two days time. He will be back here with me in three. It might as well be three years or three hundred, I am that impatient to see him once again face to face. It is not just the momentous news I have to share. More than that, it is the deep yearning of a wife for her husband.

How will I while away the hours of waiting? I will drink the tea and take the walks Miss Merry recommended. I will shop in the village for a new hat, one I'll wear to Saturday's Feast of The Seven Fishes, a local festival of this season. I will play the harpsichord, focusing particularly on the music Gabriel most likes to sing, and I shall work at my embroidery. Mostly, I shall yearn.