3 January 1785

Rocca Sorrentina

I find myself deliriously happy in the presence of the maestro of my heart, el divo Gabriel, my husband! Always a generous and gentle man, since learning of my blessed state, Gabriel dotes. Today he brought my tea and biscuits in bed, insisting that my feet not touch the ground until he had seen to the most basic needs of mother and child. We spent the day in grand isolation, reading to one another from Holcroft and Chaucer, venturing out late in the afternoon when most villagers were still at their afternoon naps. Near the harbor, we visited the island's one music store. The instruments there were impressive and we are considering the purchase of a clavichord. Gabriel serenaded me as we shopped. We walked to the end of a pier and arrived in time to observe the sunset, myself folded into my husband's arms. If I had known twenty years ago that love could be as it is with Gabriel, I'd have demanded more than that for which I settled. Better late than not at all, I suppose.