A young woman suddenly gets off a train heading to Rome. She grabs her suitcase and returns to Venice. Her name is Cornelia Everett and her husband is quite a famous musician. She is tired of being in his shadow although she cannot yet say exactly why she had to leave the train. For eight years she has been the constant in his life; as he traveled the world and shared his talent with others, he shared very little of himself with her. We never know what sort of musician he is but it doesn’t matter, only his callousness does.

Back in the sumptuous hotel she asks for a smaller room than she had earlier and sets out for a walk. Some boys are tormenting a tiny dog which she rescues and smuggles into her room. She has something to care for and something that returns her affections. A few days later man claims he knows the owner of the dog and together they meet the Contessa Lucy  who lives in a villa where he, Matteo, is restoring the art “hidden” beneath layers of old paint - and the real adventure and mystery begins.

Cornelia faints and is invited to stay and recuperate and finds herself drawn to the partially revealed mural of a young woman in distress. Before long she and Matteo and various scholars and historians are piecing together the story of the paintings and the painters. Little is known of Giorgione, he left a small body of work- among it a self portrait. This story makes him real.

The villa has a tragic history. It was once a convent for some rather unconventional nuns who were from some of the most distinguished families in Venice but the plague brought devastating consequences to these daughters of the elite. One was a talented young painter who was separated from her best friend. Her diary reveals a tragic love story.

 Be prepared to suspend your disbelief at times- do you really believe that trunks could remain unknown and unopened for centuries - but read carefully savoring the intertwined tales. Walker is shrewd enough to present the parallels and subtlety aware that the astute reader will draw the correct conclusions. Cornelia has the opportunity to glimpse long ago lives and learn of their regrets, despairs and unfulfilled desires.  Now she must make her decision. 

--Jane Davis