The Patricians

"The Patricians," by Eleanor M. Ingram, is set in fifteenth-century Barcelona. The narrative, told by Jesse, an elderly Jewish steward who fled the Inquisition, chronicles nearly twenty years of service to the merchant Luis Genaro and his son. After Luis's mother dies, young Luis adopts Carlos, a fair-haired youth rescued from Moorish pirates with no memory of his past. The three live contentedly until 1492, when the royal court visits Barcelona. Carlos glimpses a noblewoman in the queen's entourage and suddenly recovers his memory: he is Paolo di Valdi, a Sicilian nobleman, and the woman is his twin sister Fiora. Paolo demands to reclaim his identity and noble station, creating tension with Luis, who has given him everything. Jesse meets with Fiora, who fears Paolo will abandon Luis's love for his restored nobility and family claims.