Don Orsino

  By F. Marion Crawford | Introduction by Stephen Schmalhofer (View the Saracinesca Tetralogy in full. Hardcover edition available from Amazon.com.) “If you make money it is a degradation.” Such is the inherited viewpoint of the princely families of Roman society as the nineteenth century enters its last decade. When Don Orsino Saracinesca, eldest son of the Prince of Sant’ Ilario, makes a break with tradition to take his chances in the world of business, he quickly realizes the fine lines between ally and adversary in commerce, between the domains of politics and finance, and between material success and moral dishonor. Supplied with the necessary capital by the villainous Ugo Del Ferice, Don Orsino soon makes a name for himself in the construction and real estate markets. Yet when his attraction to the mysterious figure of Maria Consuelo d’Aranjuez draws the attention of the dangerous Count Spicca, Orsino finds himself with a pivotal part to play in correcting deception with truth a