The Tuscan Child

by Rhys Bowen

We are certainly experiencing some lovely spring weather, are we not?” She was doing what the English did. When anything embarrassing or emotional threatened to come up, one discussed the weather. Always a safe topic. “Are you planning to go away at all this year?” she asked. “No plans as yet,” I replied, certainly not about to admit to my current impecunious state.

Hi, Rhys Bowen here. As you know, my background is British—born and educated in England and if you try to analyze the British character you will see that we do not open up to other people easily. When anything vaguely personal or private creeps into conversation we revert to the weather. If you are in Britain and you stand in line next to another person the first thing that will be said is “Lovely day, isn’t it?” or usually the opposite: “Hasn’t the weather been dreadful lately?” In the case of this scene between Joanna and her former headmistress we see Joanna rebuffing any attempt at friendliness by someone who was her former enemy. Joanna has had a loveless childhood, after the death of her mother, and has been betrayed. She has not learned to open up to anyone. It will take a woman in Italy to help her to start living fully again.