“And I’m sure I don’t need to mention my house rules to you,” she said. “No smoking, no drinking and no men in your room. But then, you are not an undisciplined young person. I expect you to know how to behave like a lady.”

“Of course,” I said. “I don’t expect I will have much in common with the other students. I am so much older.”

“I lock my door at ten, unless you tell me in advance that you will be late,” she said.

And immediately my thoughts went back to the convent: they locked the door at ten, so we’d had to have dinner early, and in the darkness of the alleyway near that convent he had kissed me. I could still remember the feel of his mouth against mine, his chest thudding against mine.

“No men in my room,” I muttered to myself after the signora had gone.

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15

Juliet, Venice, July 5, 1939

I am safely installed in my new room. I enjoy the sun shining in the morning, the pigeons cooing on the ledge outside my window and the glimpse between buildings of the Grand Canal. Bruno the cat comes to visit often, curious about all of my belongings. So at least one person in Venice has a pet cat, I think. You were wrong, Leo. And I wonder about my kittens. Leo said they were great-grandparents by now. I do hope he spoke the truth and they were not all drowned the moment my back was turned. I try not to think about him, but I do find myself glancing in the direction of the Palazzo Rossi when I pass that way.

I have been to the accademia and obtained a list of supplies for my classes. Gosh, they will be expensive, I fear, but my stipend is quite generous, and I’m not likely to spend on frivolous things like drink—although wine is cheaper here than water. Isn’t that ridiculous?

And I am rediscovering Venice, free to wander and explore on my own for the first time. I think this is a city one could explore forever and still find new things. After Signora Martinelli mentioned coal and rubbish being taken up and down by a pulley, I have noticed that this is the normal delivery method for many things. A basket comes down, and a newspaper and bottle of milk go up in the early morning. Bottles of mineral water, the grocery shopping. One has to be careful not to be hit by a descending basket!

July 5, later in the day

Something really strange just happened.

I went out to buy my supplies. There is apparently a good art shop close to the Rialto Bridge. I had bought paints, brushes, a sketchbook and charcoal and was lingering on the bridge, admiring the beautiful things in the window of a jewellery store, when I heard a voice inside saying, “Grazie mille, Signora Da Rossi.”