The Venice Sketchbook

Juliet goes to the Anglican church in Venice for the first time, to pray that they will not have another war like the last. She begins to think she should go home.

She returns to classes, and she and her friends discuss their plans. Some plan to stay, while some will leave. Juliet says she believes she must return to her mother.

Their professor invites them to dinner, despite the news. At dinner, Juliet becomes suddenly nauseated and must run to the bathroom. She and her hostess attribute it to the unusual dish for dinner, and Juliet feels better the next morning, but for several days she continues to have sudden nausea.

When she observes an interaction between two women about pregnancy, Juliet realizes with shock that nausea is often a symptom of pregnancy, and her periods have been late.

In shock, she walks back into the street and recalls the lighthearted way in which she and Leo had talked about that very street, called the Street of Assassins.

Juliet finds ways to manage her sickness, carrying sparkling water and crackers with her at all times. She recognizes she needs to put her emotions aside and create a plan.

She cannot go home. Her mother is a pillar of the church and her town is small and full of gossip. The baby would be born before her year in Venice is over, so she decides to stay, telling her mother that Venice will not go to war and she will be safe. She will have the baby, give it up for adoption, and then go home.

Imelda figures out Juliet is pregnant and that Leo is the father. She suggests having Leo find a doctor who can perform an abortion. Juliet thinks about it, about how easy it would make things, but she realizes she wants to have the child. She takes Imelda’s advice to talk to Leo and get him to help her somehow.

She leaves a note for him, and he meets her at the accademia. Before she tells him, he tries to convince her to go home so she’ll be safe.

He is shocked at her news, but understands why she can’t go home. He promises that he can help her with money and care while she’s in Venice and then help her get to England or, if the war worsens, an English-controlled island nearby. His father and grandfather provide Mussolini with ships, which he believes will allow him to avoid the draft, freeing him to stay in Venice and watch over Juliet.

Juliet’s nausea ends and she returns to her normal routine. She avoids the contessa’s soirees, however, because she doesn’t want to have to lie or tell the truth about her pregnancy. She runs into the contessa, who insists Juliet come to her next soiree, which will host Paul Klee, a famous Swiss artist who had to flee Germany because of his Jewish heritage.

The doctor says Juliet is healthy but encourages her to eat more. Leo, who feels equally responsible for the situation, says he will set up a bank account for her, created from his private funds, so that his family and Bianca will know nothing. She realizes that no matter what others might think, he loves her.

At the soiree, Paul Klee shares how Nazis are harassing Jews and beginning to take them away in the night. He is grateful to the contessa for saving so many German Jews.

Signora Martinelli invites Juliet to join her for mass on the Feast of Madonna Della Salute, but Juliet refuses the invitation, watching the procession from the Accademia Bridge instead. She observes the Da Rossi family joining the procession, Bianca’s hand on Leo’s arm, and she goes home.

When the Christmas season arrives on December 8 with the feast of conception, Juliet observes the festivities with Henry, who is becoming a good friend. He believes she should go home soon, and he is considering it himself. Juliet has also begun to consider it again, but beyond the shame her pregnancy would bring her mother, she also needs the money from her pension (given to her by her benefactor). She sends her mother half of it, and without it, she wouldn’t have any money until Juliet returned to work the next year. By staying in Venice, she can save the money from Leo and still send money home to her mother.

A downpour breaks out, and a man yells that streets are flooding. Both Juliet and Henry race home.

When she gets home, Signora Martinelli helps her undress, as Juliet’s hands are shaking. Signora Martinelli realizes Juliet is pregnant and demands Juliet leave as soon as she can find another place to live, because she does not want the neighborhood to condemn her for housing such a person.

Seeing Signora Martinelli’s reaction, Juliet realizes she can’t go home because her mother would respond the same way. Juliet knows another landlady might not rent to a single pregnant woman, so she decides to rent her own flat. She sends Leo a letter the next morning asking for help.

In class, Henry tells Juliet he saw her with a man and Juliet realizes he is jealous. She tells him he should find a good Italian girl his age, but he tells her she is beautiful and kind, and that is all that matters to him.

Leo meets Juliet and promises to find a place in a day or two.

When they meet again, he says he has found the perfect spot. It is in Dorsoduro, an area that is close to school and where his family does not go. It is a hidden rooftop apartment, one of many scattered around the city and left over from the days of smuggling.

Juliet is struck by the beautiful view. Leo tells her that she will not be paying rent; instead, he has spoken with his lawyers and drawn up a 99-year lease. It is hers as long as she wants it, and if she wants to leave and come back later, she can. He has also arranged to have a trusted woman come to clean and cook.

He admits it is not completely out of kindness, as he would like a place to visit her. She takes this to mean he wants her to be his mistress, and tells him she will not be. Leo apologizes and tells her that he never meant it that way. While he would like to make love to her again, he will always respect her wishes. If she wants, they will just be good friends. But as the mother of his child and a woman he loves, he wants to care for her. Juliet hopes she can trust him, but realizes that she is in a precarious situation and does not have much of a choice.

Caroline spends her time getting the apartment in order, sorting through Lettie’s belongings to decide what to keep, donate, and throw away. She worries that Josh might be poisoning Teddy against her and convincing him to stay in America, but she tries not to worry, since she can’t do anything for now.

Caroline goes to the Da Rossi home for dinner with Luca’s parents. Luca introduces them as the count and contessa, and she is surprised, although she supposes she should have expected it, since she had been told they were one of the oldest families in Venice. The count and contessa are kind and welcoming.

The count tells her that Lettie was not his nanny, and they are as mystified by the hidden apartment as Caroline.

When the contessa refers to the count by his first name, Angelo, Caroline thinks again of Lettie’s cherub painting. The way Angelo looks at her reminds her of how Lettie used to look at her before she lost her eyesight. Caroline realizes that Lettie must have been Angelo’s mother.

When flooding alarms are sounded, Luca’s mother insists Luca drive Caroline home in his boat before the water gets too high. On the boat ride, Caroline admits her suspicion about Angelo’s parentage to Luca. He doesn’t believe it, saying his grandmother wouldn’t have agreed to raise her husband’s child by another woman as her own. Seeing a passing gondolier, Caroline realizes she might have more evidence. She invites Luca into the apartment to show him.

The hall and stairway lights are out, so Luca uses his cigarette lighter to light their way up the stairs. On the second floor, Caroline is frightened by what looks like a ghost but is simply a worker’s coat thrown over a ladder. Luca reassures her, then kisses her. Caroline feels herself responding eagerly. When he pulls away, he apologizes.

In the apartment, Caroline sits on the arm of the chair he has chosen and shows him a painting of a young man from Lettie’s 1928 sketchbook, when she was 18. Luca is shocked and agrees with Caroline that the man looks very much like himself—in fact, he is sure the man is his grandfather. They try to piece together the story, Luca weaving a tale of longtime lovers.

When Caroline questions why his grandfather wouldn’t have married Lettie, Luca explains the tradition of powerful families and arranged marriages in Venice. He admits he married his first wife because everyone told him she would be a good match. She was not, their life together was turbulent, and he was almost relieved when she died. He has spent years getting over it, but now he is ready to move on—and that he doesn’t need to marry for connections anymore.

The weather is awful outside, and he asks her not to send him out in such conditions, telling her he would like to make love to her. Caroline asks if it would be wise, considering what happened to Lettie. Luca insists that that would not happen, but says he will only stay if she wants him to. Caroline replies, “Why not?” (298).

Juliet moves into her new apartment on December 16, and she begins to find some measure of happiness in this new home that is her own, with its beautiful furnishings and view. Francesca, the woman who comes to help her with cleaning and cooking, isn’t warm, but she does the work well and provides Juliet with delicious meals—and she is grateful for the extra money Juliet gives her at Christmas.

Juliet prepares for Christmas, buying food, drinks, and gifts, including a locket.

On Christmas Eve, Leo visits, although she hadn’t expected to see him. He gives her a radio as a gift so she can keep up with everything that is going on in the world. She gives him the locket with a lock of her hair inside so he can remember her when she goes away.

Leo also has a proposal. Bianca cannot—or will not—have children, so he has no heir. Certain the child will be a boy, he asks if Juliet would let him adopt the child, passing it off as that of a dying cousin, making the child his heir. They would hire a nursemaid and Bianca wouldn’t have much to do with the child. He asks her to think about it.

Juliet spends Christmas Day with Henry, exchanging small gifts and introducing him to some of her own customs. They both appreciate having company. On Boxing Day they go to the contessa’s home for a soiree. The contessa tells Juliet that the German she helped escape has already moved on to Florence, and she is working on getting a young woman out.

Juliet begins to think she should not withhold her pregnancy from the contessa, but decides tonight is not the time to tell her. She does tell her professor, however, unsure if she will be welcome at school. He laughs, saying that many in his circle have lovers, illegitimate children, and more. She will be welcome, but he suggests that she should think of her own health and go home. She explains the shame it would bring to her family, and shares that she plans to give up the child and then go home. He notes that it is a noble intention, but wonders if she will go through with it in the end.

Juliet settles into a routine after Christmas, enjoying lunches with Henry and sometimes Leo. When she is able to visit the contessa alone, she tells her about the pregnancy. The contessa had already suspected, and she had deduced that the father was Leo. The contessa admits that when she became pregnant she had an abortion and nearly died. She admires Juliet for having the baby and giving it up for adoption. She invites Juliet to stay with her. Juliet refuses the offer, but she is moved by it.

Henry tells Juliet that his father has booked him passage home. He is leaving in three days. Henry asks Juliet to marry him and come with him; he already knows about the baby from Imelda, but he doesn’t care. He is willing to give the child a name, a home, and love.

Juliet is touched by his offer, but she doesn’t want to saddle him with her. She tells him she does not love him, although she does care for him. They say their goodbyes.

Henry leaves, and Juliet continues to live her life. She becomes more and more creative as the pregnancy goes on.

When Juliet goes into labor, she calls the doctor, but he takes a long time to arrive. Fortunately Leo has asked Francesca to stay with her. The baby comes quickly, and Francesca, not the doctor, helps with the delivery.

The child is a boy. Francesca puts him in Juliet’s arms and tells her to let him feed. When Juliet holds him and looks at him, she realizes she cannot give him up.