The Venice Sketchbook

Caroline enters the apartment on the fourth floor and marvels at how lovely it is. The man offers to show the lease to the Da Rossi lawyers, but Caroline knows he could easily “lose” the document—the apartment is, after all, prime real estate. She insists on keeping the document.

The man invites Caroline to join him for lunch. When she asks if his employer would be all right with that, he reveals that he is actually Luca Da Rossi, and he recently took over the business from his father.

They eat together, and Caroline notices his subtle flirtation. They also bond over loss—Caroline’s divorce and struggle over Teddy, and Luca’s wife’s death in a car accident.

When they discuss who in his family could know why her aunt was given the lease, he tells her that his grandfather, Leo, died in the war. His grandmother is still alive but suffers from dementia.

At the end of lunch, Luca asks Caroline to call him once she verifies the document with the town hall. They will then meet with his grandmother to see if she knows the answer to this mystery.

By the following day, Caroline has received word that the lease is valid. She calls Luca to set up a meeting.

Juliet has settled into a routine in Venice, making friends, although she struggles to be as intimate with them as they are with her. Imelda in particular shares many confidences. Juliet also makes friends with Veronika, the girl who chatted with her after their figure drawing class.

Juliet listens to Leo’s suggestion about painting ordinary people, finding places around the city to sit and sketch. On one such day, Leo happens to pass by. She accidentally reveals that she lives in the area, although she refuses to give him her street. She inadvertently reveals her landlady is from Turin.

Leo asks Juliet if she will come watch him row at the festival for the Feast of the Redentore. He says she could invite her fellow students, and she agrees. He tells her he will row more fiercely knowing she is watching.

Juliet wonders again if she made a mistake in coming to Venice. She and Leo speak so easily, laughing often, and it is difficult to resist.

The next day she receives a large bouquet from Leo, who asked around for a landlady from Turin. Signora Martinelli warns Juliet against getting involved with him, as it’s rumored that Bianca’s father has “Mafiosi ties,” and he would not take kindly to anyone crossing his daughter. Juliet insists that Leo is only a childhood friend.

Caroline visits her new apartment the next day to see if it is habitable. It is—except for the bed, where mice have clearly made a home. It strikes her that the apartment looks as if Lettie had planned to return soon after she had left—sheets on the bed, some dishes drying on a drying rack by the sink. When Luca arrives, he agrees.

She is also surprised to find piles of crumpled clothing in the dresser, as her aunt was tidy. The final shock is finding clothes for a child, perhaps an 11- or 12-year-old girl. When Caroline shares with Luca that her aunt had escaped to Switzerland during the war and helped refugees, he notes that perhaps that explains the mysteries: She had to leave quickly, and the clothing belonged to one of the refugee children she helped. Both are still puzzled, however, over the lease—why would a 99-year lease be given during war, especially to an English woman who would have been in danger in Italy?

Luca takes Caroline to visit his grandmother. She claims not to know of a Miss Browning, and becomes angry, saying she hates all English women.

She seems to recognize Caroline, however, and Caroline wonders if the woman did know Lettie after all.

When Luca returns Caroline to the apartment, he suggests that perhaps in the future he could buy the property from her, as Venice property is quite valuable now. Caroline almost says she would never sell it, but she reminds herself that if she has to fight Josh over Teddy, she might need the money for a good lawyer. For now, she plans to use the apartment.

Juliet attends the festival races. She is unable to find her fellow students in the crowd, so she starts off on her own, finding a place to observe the races and cheer on Leo as she had promised. He and his partner win third place, and Juliet sees Bianca push her way through the crowd to embrace and kiss him.

The sight upsets Juliet, and she decides to leave. Before she can do so, however, an Italian family insists she join them. With such joy around her, she wonders what it might be like to simply stay in Venice after her year at the accademia. She wonders if it is possible for her.

As a storm approaches, Juliet makes her way across the “bridge” of boats, which is packed and slow-moving with people trying to escape the storm. As rain begins to pour and thunder begins, people begin to cry out in fear. Suddenly a woman loses balance and grabs Juliet, pulling them both into the water.

Juliet struggles in the water, the larger woman pulling her down as she panics because she can’t swim. Juliet does her best to make the woman hold still so they can stay above water until someone can save them.

A boat arrives to help, and Leo is at the helm. He jokes about how many times he has saved Juliet from drowning, but she sees real concern in his eyes. When they reach land, he announces to the others that he knows where Juliet lives and will take her home in his boat. When they get as far as the boat will take them to her apartment, she struggles to walk, so Leo helps her inside.

He insists she have grappa, an alcoholic beverage, and he starts a bath for her. Juliet forgets to tell him about how to start it correctly, and it bursts in his face, leaving soot all over him. She cleans his face, and soon they are kissing and undressing. They make love.

She admits to him that it was her first time, and that it was wonderful, but insists it cannot happen again. He agrees, but he says he is glad it happened. She sends Leo away and gets in the bath, wondering if she will be able to resist him if she sees him again.

Signora Martinelli gets home, and, seeing Juliet’s nightgown, she assumes she stayed home and missed the fun, but Juliet says, “Not quite” (219). Signora Martinelli also tells her that several people drowned when the boats were pulled apart by the storm.

Juliet wakes the next day feeling both ashamed and exhilarated. The shame wins out, and she wonders if she should leave Venice. She realizes she wants to be able to say goodbye to Leo, so she stays, even though many people, including Leo, leave Venice for the month of August, when it’s hot and the canals stink.

One day, she visits the contessa. Juliet notes the new footman, and the contessa confides that the man is actually a Jewish German painter whom the contessa has helped escape. She tries to aid as many German Jews as she can, helping them get out and then providing them with work and Italian instruction.

Juliet admits to the contessa that she loves Venice and how alive it is compared to her home in England, but that she isn’t sure she should stay. The contessa says she should stay rather than living someone else’s life. She also offers to help Juliet keep herself occupied while others are away from the city, asking her to catalogue her art collection while Vittorio is away on other business.

Juliet agrees, and spends an enjoyable few weeks with the contessa. On September 1, Signora Martinelli returns with news that Germany has invaded Poland. War has begun.