Evelyn Skinner and her friend Margaret eat lunch in the Tuscan countryside amid the news that Allied forces are closing in and are close to ending the war. They are relieved to hear that the looted paintings, such as Primavera by Botticelli, Madonna by Giotto, Nymphs and Satyrs by Rubens, and Supper at Emmaus by Pontormo, have been safely recovered. As they eat, they watch artillery fire in the backdrop of the hills surrounding them and banter about birds and the wine they’re drinking.

They were once lovers but have since remained friends connected through their shared fascination with the Renaissance. Margaret asks Evelyn if the rumor she heard from Robin Metcalfe, that Evelyn met famed novelist E. M. Forster, is true; Evelyn met Forster when he was not yet a novelist, but an awkward young man taking notes about the people around him. When she met Forster, she was 21 and had just arrived in Rome. It was her birthday, and a beautiful maid wanted to do something nice for her, so she made her a sumptuous Italian dinner. Later, the maid, Livia, gave Evelyn a violet, which Evelyn has kept all these years. Margaret enjoys the story but is jealous to hear of Evelyn’s youth and her attraction to other women.