I am Anna Llagostera, Lady of the house and wife of Joan Vicent Franco, bookseller.

I was born in Valencia twenty-nine years ago. My father, Carles Llagostera is an upstanding notary and doctor. My husband, Joan Vicent Franco is the brother of one of my father´s clerks. The day of my wedding, ten years ago, marked the anniversary of the great marriage of King Philip III, held in the year of our Lord 1599 in the Cathedral of Valencia. I am unable to give my husband any children, but Jesus, the Moorish child we picked up at the shore at the Moorish exodus, we have brought up as such. Since we moved to the new house every year we gather family and friends under the balcony and watch the procession of Corpus Christi. This year there is a lot of tension in the air between supporters and opponents of the beatification of Father Simó, A couple of months ago the Inquisition decreed remove the altars dedicated to him and banned all images with lightning flashes or visions, prompting his followers to storm the convent of Santo Domingo. The City Council and the cathedral chapter, which until now had been ardent Simonian, complied, but even so, things have calmed down. A few days ago the Council have circulated hundreds of leaflets defending the sanctity of Simó and the Immaculate Conception. I do not know where we'll end.