The Enchanted April

The days pass quietly for the women at San Salvatore. They keep mostly to themselves and spend only their mealtimes together. April is the most beautiful month of the year in this part of Italy, and they do their best to enjoy it.

Caroline frets, however, at the prospect of Mellersh’s arrival. She finds men tedious and does not relish the thought of one interrupting the routine they’ve developed at the castle. She also understands that her beauty has a noticeable impact on most men and is always chagrined when married men pay her more attention than their wives think appropriate. She wonders if there is a way to politely broach this topic with Mrs. Wilkins but cannot quite figure out what she would say.

Mrs. Arbuthnot passes her time in quiet reflection. She notes that she has stopped praying and no longer thinks of the needy. She feels guilty for having lost touch with what was so important about her life at home but wonders if she had been filling her life with activities and prayers to distract herself from her unhappiness with Frederick. She wishes that he was there now. She reflects that beauty is better when it can be shared with loved ones, even though she and Frederick are not loved ones in the traditional sense.