a costa de esta inversión...

Hi!

I'm translating a novel about a group of friends and their memories of a summer they passed together many years ago. The narrator, a member of the group, talks about another member, Luisa, who had suffered in the past an unsuccessful marriage. Luisa was a dynamic personality, but when her ex husband used to come to her to ask for help, she exhibited her weakness housing and feeding him.

I'm having difficulties understanding the following sentence. Could somebody give me a hand?

"Claro que a costa de esta inversión de nostalgía, Luisa tenía tema de conversación y cartel de contradictoria cuando se excedía en sus maneras condotieras".

Thanks a lot

At the expense of this investment....

The whole sentence, hugocar! I would appreciate it a lot. (Claro que a costa de esta inversión de nostalgía, Luisa tenía tema de conversación y cartel de contradictoria cuando se excedía en sus maneras condotieras).

Thank you

This is one version:

(Claro que a costa de esta inversión de nostalgía, Luisa tenía tema de conversación y cartel de contradictoria cuando se excedía en sus maneras condotieras).

Of course, at the expense of this investment in nostalgia, Luisa had subjects for conversation and a right to contradiction whenever she exceeded her authoritative manners.

Oh, yes! I got it now! Hugocar you are marvelous!