The narrative returns to the last evening before Ambrose departed for his third winter abroad in Italy. First, however, the narrative explains that Philip’s parents died when he was 18 months old, after which Ambrose raised him alone in an all-male household run by the steward Seecombe. Though Ambrose was respected by neighbors like Nick Kendall and the vicar, Hubert Pascoe, he was eccentric, mistrustful of women, and often joked that Philip was his ready-made heir.

On the final night before Ambrose’s departure to Italy, he has a reflective demeanor and wishes that Philip could accompany him, yet he refuses Philip’s offer to do so. The next morning, he departs by carriage.

During Ambrose’s absence, Philip manages the estate and visits Nick and his daughter, Louise. The first letter arrives from Marseilles, followed by one from Florence after Christmas, in which Ambrose mentions meeting their widowed cousin, the Contessa Rachel Sangalletti. Subsequent letters describe Ambrose’s growing regard for Rachel, who shares his passion for gardens and whom he is helping with her financial affairs. Nick recalls that Rachel’s family, the Coryns, were “feckless” (21) gamblers.

Shortly after Easter, Ambrose writes to announce that he had married Rachel two weeks earlier in Naples. He expresses deep happiness while assuring Philip of his continuing affection. Philip’s reaction is numb misery and jealousy rather than joy. He feels lonely and lost.

Philip feels like a traitor as he feigns happiness about Ambrose’s marriage when speaking to his neighbors. The vicar’s wife, Mrs. Pascoe, irritates him with comments about the changes a new mistress will bring. Seecombe gloomily predicts domestic disaster. When Louise cheerfully lists the improvements that Rachel will make, Philip snaps at her, prompting her to ask if he is jealous.

Nick then suggests that Philip should find his own property, as Ambrose and Rachel might have a son who would then inherit the estate. The thought of such a displacement devastates Philip. His imagination conjures various hateful images of Rachel, though he is relieved when a mid-May letter announces that she and Ambrose will remain in Italy for the summer due to her business complications.

In winter, Ambrose’s letters change tone dramatically. He complains of intense headaches, oppressive weather, and loneliness, referring to Rachel only as “[his] wife” (32) and not by name. After a long silence, a July letter arrives. In the short and incoherent letter, Ambrose writes that Rachel watches him constantly and that he distrusts his doctors, including one recommended by someone named Rainaldi.

Philip shows the letter to Nick, who fears Ambrose has a brain tumor like his father. Philip decides to travel to Italy immediately. On the morning of his departure, a final desperate note arrives, begging him to come quickly and accusing Rachel of having destroyed him, describing her as his “torment.” Philip realizes that he cannot reach Ambrose before mid-August.

Philip arrives in Florence on August 15, exhausted and filled with loathing for the foreign country. He hires a carriage to the Villa Sangalletti in Fiesole. At the villa gate, Giuseppe, a lodge keeper who speaks some English, stuns Philip with the news that Ambrose died three weeks earlier, and that Rachel shut up the villa and left almost immediately after the funeral.

Numb with shock, Philip follows Giuseppe through the shuttered, musty villa. Giuseppe shows him the small courtyard where Ambrose spent his days beside a dripping fountain, then leads him to the bare, monk-like room where Ambrose died. Giuseppe recounts Ambrose’s final illness, describing his fever, severe pain, and violent delirious episodes, which required physical restraint. He mentions that Signor Rainaldi was frequently present and that the villa will be let or sold.

Giuseppe and his wife confirm that Rachel packed all of Ambrose’s belongings when she left and that Ambrose has been buried in Florence’s Protestant cemetery. As Philip departs, Giuseppe’s wife retrieves Ambrose’s old, wide-brimmed hat from a chest—the only possession Rachel left behind—and gives it to him.

Philip returns to Florence as the city comes alive at night. He enters the city’s main cathedral, where the full weight of his loss strikes him: Ambrose is truly gone. After dining, he finds Signor Rainaldi’s house across the Arno. Rainaldi, a pale, lean man of about 40 with dark, deep-set eyes, shows a brief flash of recognition upon seeing Philip.

Rainaldi reveals that Rachel left the villa but remained briefly in Florence before departing suddenly; he claims not to know her current whereabouts. When Philip confronts him with Ambrose’s desperate letters, Rainaldi calmly explains that doctors diagnosed a brain tumor. He believes that this sickness explains the paranoia and delusions, turning Ambrose against his devoted wife. He produces a death certificate signed by two doctors and mentions that copies were sent to Philip and to Nick, whom he identifies as Philip’s guardian, based on Ambrose’s will.

Philip remains hostile and unconvinced, pointing to the language in Ambrose’s final note. Rainaldi dismisses this as a classic symptom of mental illness. Before Philip leaves, Rainaldi offers a note for the cemetery guardian, but Philip decides not to visit the grave. Rainaldi says he fears that Rachel will never return to Florence.

Philip walks to the Arno and watches a dead dog float along the river. Standing by the river, he vows to one day repay Rachel for the suffering that he believes she inflicted upon Ambrose.

Philip arrives home in early September to find that Rainaldi’s letter has preceded him; Wellington, Seecombe, and the other servants now greet him with new formality, addressing him as Mr. Philip or Mr. Ashley. The tenant farmers, including Billy Rowe, also treat him with a deference that suggests he has taken Ambrose’s place. That evening in the library, Philip realizes that the entire estate now belongs to him alone, and he gains a deep sense of happiness and confidence.

The next day, Nick and Louise visit. Nick formally reads Ambrose’s will, confirming Philip as sole heir but revealing that Nick will remain Philip’s guardian until he turns 25 in seven months. Philip recounts his meeting with Rainaldi and Nick shows him Rainaldi’s official letter, confirming the brain tumor diagnosis. Philip argues heatedly, showing his godfather Ambrose’s final, desperate note as proof of Rachel’s guilt.

Nick firmly rejects Philip’s theory, insisting that Ambrose was ill. He warns Philip not to slander his cousin’s widow, or he could face legal action. Realizing that he will not be believed, Philip drops the subject. He confides in Louise, who is more sympathetic and suggests that Rachel may be a dangerous woman with “several lovers” (70).

About a week later, Philip is summoned to Nick’s home. A disturbed Nick reveals that he has received a letter from Rachel Ashley, who has arrived by boat in Plymouth.