That night it was hard to sleep, whether the food had been too rich or the discoveries of the day just too overwhelming. Caroline lay listening to the sounds of the city, trying to come to terms with finding herself the potential owner of a lovely apartment and dealing carefully with a man who might do anything he could to take it away from her. Why did he have to be so damned attractive? And then she considered this: it had been a long time since she had considered a man desirable. At least that was one small step forward and away from Josh.

The next morning dawned bright but blustery. Caroline breakfasted, chatting with the proprietress, telling her about her discovery.

“The Da Rossi family?” The woman was astonished. “They are one of the great families of Venice, you know. They go back to the Middle Ages and include a doge and a pope. They made their money in shipping, and then more money in shipbuilding during the war for that pig Mussolini and for Hitler. Not something I’d be proud of.” She gave Caroline a knowing nudge. “I believe the patriarch stepped down recently. Now it’s his son who runs the business. But no more shipbuilding these days. That’s all gone to Asia, hasn’t it?”

After breakfast Caroline put on her mac and rode the vaporetto out past St Mark’s, past an area of gardens, now mostly bare and leafless at this time of year, and out to the Lido. There she walked across the island to the beach, watching angry waves crashing on the sand, wishing she had worn a scarf to protect herself from the wind. She grabbed a bowl of minestrone soup at a small café and waited impatiently until she could visit Signor Alessi. At four thirty she climbed the steps to his office. He wasn’t there. Caroline swallowed back frustration until a young woman appeared.

“Un momentino. He will come, signora. Wait.”

She waited, and the old gentleman appeared, smiling.

“I have found the record of your lease,” he said. “It was not too hard. The Da Rossi holdings are easy to find. And I am happy to tell you that the lease is all in order. Va tutto bene, heh? No problem.”

Impulsively, Caroline leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You are an angel,” she said.

He looked absurdly pleased. She almost danced down the steps. The lease was all in order. The apartment was hers! She telephoned Luca Da Rossi’s number and left a message: “The city confirms my lease is properly recorded and still valid. I will be taking possession of the apartment tomorrow. When can we meet with your grandmother?”

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 21

Juliet, Venice, July 20, 1939