The Ancient Curse (31 page)
‘For how long?’
Francesca smiled. ‘Long enough for all of us to accept a natural explanation for the events we lived through. Don’t worry. Your friend Aldo Prada won’t say anything. He won’t want people thinking he’s a crackpot.’
‘Do you think it will be possible to keep it quiet?’
‘Why not? If those who could speak up decide not to, everything will return to normal. As if nothing ever happened. You’re the only person who stands to suffer. I don’t believe you’ll ever publish your findings about the statue of the lad of Volterra.’
‘Well, Sonia won’t ever publish her skeleton either . . . The official explanation is that it was destroyed in a fire caused by a short circuit. But at least I found you.’
‘You really were fond of that little boy, weren’t you?’
‘Yes.’
Francesca smiled again, this time with a teasing expression. ‘Then we’ll have to call ours Angelo,’ she said. ‘He’ll be the only real thing to come out of this whole story.’
THE ANCIENT CURSE
Also by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Alexander: Child Of A Dream
Alexander: The Sands Of Ammon
Alexander: The Ends Of The Earth
Spartan The Last Legion
Heroes
(formerly
The Talisman Of Troy
)
Tyrant
The Oracle
Empire Of Dragons
The Tower
Pharaoh
The Lost Army
The Ides Of March
To A
NNAMARIA
First published 2010 by Macmillan
This electronic edition published 2010 by Macmillan
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ISBN 978-0-230-75289-4 PDF
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Copyright © Valerio Massimo Manfredi, 2001
Translation copyright © Macmillan 2010
First published in Italian 2001 as Chimaira by
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., Milano
The right of Valerio Massimo Manfredi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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