Thread: Need help to understand a sentence

I'm going crazy with the following sentence... I'm not able to understand the beginning. I understand all the words but not the structure of the sentence... Could anybody translate it in English for me??? At least only the red part, because that is the problematic one...

Thanks a lot

Era cierto, pues, lo de los amores del Duque con lo que decían de los suntuarios caprichos de su dueña, ganosa siempre de los presentes que sólo un Alba, por mero antojo, podía hacer traer de las Islas de las Especias, de los Reinos de Indias o del Sultanato de Ormuz

It is quite complicated Spanish.. I see where you are lost... Here is my attempt for the first part:

It was true, then, about the Duke's love affaires and the owner's whims...

Hope my attempt helps clarify some..
J.

yes, it was the "CON" that confused me...
so, it has in this case almost the meaning of "and", isn't it???

Thank you so much