Bordeaux 2024
Monsieur Propriétaire yawned as he rolled up from his bed, his body reluctant to leave behind the warmth of his cosy nest. He sat on the side of the bed for a moment to gather his thoughts, running his hand across the pure white sheets of finest silk. The seamless texture of the material, so light to the touch, brought a contented smile to his face.
And no wonder. These were genuine mid-20th-century sea silk sheets fashioned from byssus, the thready secretions of the Pinna nobilis pen shell, by the late silk master herself, Efisia Murroni (1913 – 2013). Better known as La Signora del Bisso, Murroni’s work with sea silk had been unparalleled, and Monsieur Propriétaire had been searching for an piece from her oeuvre to add to his wardrobe for many years. In truth he had been looking for a rather more modest purchase – a pocket square, or perhaps a pair of sea silk gloves – but when these sheets appeared in the catalogue of a reputable London-based auction house he had been unable to resist.
True, they had cost the same as a brand new Aston Martin, but so what? The profits from the 2022 vintage had to be spent somewhere. And, as furnishing for the château, he had an inkling that the purchase could, at least in part, be written off against tax.
Yawning again, Monsieur Propriétaire slipped his podgy feet into the Armani leather slippers which lay waiting on the floor and, standing up, he pulled on his silk dressing gown.
A sea silk dressing gown, of course.
Well, you didn’t think he would stop at a couple of sheets, did you?
Monsieur Propriétaire left his chamber in the west wing and shuffled through the lengthy corridors of the château, across the dimly lit antechamber. It was just past 7 am, one day in April 2024. Outside, beyond the vines and the water, still shrouded in inky night, the sun was just beginning to paint the sky a vibrant pink hue.
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