Alice felt blessed to have found herself at Casa Gabriella in a room overlooking the water where, from the purview afforded by the window, she could gaze and ponder while the rest of the household slept. She took in the early morning light dancing across the waters of Lake Maggiore, shimmering silver in the glassy black. The mountains on the far side that rose up sharply, cutting a jagged snow-capped line horizon, their wooded flanks deep in shade, a thick curtain enclosing the valley that was all but drowned by the lake. In all it was a splendid sight to behold.
Her host, Olga Fröbe, had installed the girls in a room down the hall, leaving her and Foster to make use of the large and airy room tucked away in a corner of the house. It was simply furnished with twin beds side by side. She p
