Suspense

At sunset in Genoa, Cosmo Latham watches a ship from Elba while the harbour darkens beneath the city's palaces. The young English traveller has climbed a tower, where a guarded stranger answers his questions with increasing unease. Memories of a naval attack open a discussion of luck, courage and the different kinds of wisdom people acquire. The stranger's account of finding welcome in a remote hut adds a personal history to their exchange above the water.

In another conversation, the Countess of Montevesso tells Cosmo about a marriage troubled by jealousy, public rumours and humiliating travels. His youthful imagination lends her experiences a romantic grandeur that contrasts with her own distress. The novel combines close attention to scenery and gestures with conversations that expose differences in experience and social position. Readers interested in historical fiction can follow the tension between Cosmo's ready curiosity and the painful memories others share with him.