“Great!” I said.

But Simone started to cry.

“Sweetheart,” Linda said. “You know your blood is weak, and you won’t eat liver. You gag when I give you the iron medicine. The doctor wants you to rest — every day. You know that”

“I’ll stay with her,” I said.

“That’s silly. The maid will be here. She won’t be alone.”

I was eager to take another boat ride, but I felt bad about Simone. We went out together in the morning, but she walked slowly, dragging her right leg as if the brace were weighing her down, and I thought that maybe her mother was right, she did need to rest. We stopped at a tourist kiosk near St. Marks, and I bought her an Archie comic book. After lunch, I helped her with her exercises, and went up with her to the room. She took off the black velvet ribbon that she wore around her head, under her page boy, undressed to her slip, and flung herself on the bed. She looked sullen. “I’m tired of reading,” she said when I handed her the comic book. “I hate naps. I wish I were grown up.”

A shudder ran down my spine. I saw Jack letting himself into the apartment, then climbing the stairs to Simone’s room. The maid would be busy in the kitchen, or out back gossiping with someone in the neighborhood. Simone would lie there listening to his steps.

“Do you want me to close the shutters?”

“I don’t care.”

I pushed the curtains aside, and fastened the shutter half-way open so she’d have some air with the darkness. She’d buried her face in her pillow. I put my hand lightly on her hair, to say goodbye, and she jerked away.

Linda was waiting in the hall. I could hear the maid clattering pails in the kitchen. We walked together, not saying much, pushing through crowds as we got closer to St. Marks.

“I don’t know what gets into her sometimes,” Linda said as we stood waiting for the boat to Burano. We’d missed the launch from Harry’s Bar, and would now have to get a gondola from Burano over to Torcello. She gestured with her cigarette. “Well, anyway, Jack called while you were upstairs. He’d said he’d look in on her.”

A shudder ran down my spine. I saw Jack letting himself into the apartment, then climbing the stairs to Simone’s room. The maid would be busy in the kitchen, or out back gossiping with someone in the neighborhood. Simone would lie there listening to his steps. I didn’t know what he would do to her — I couldn’t imagine what men did with children — but I knew she’d be frightened.

The boat was chugging toward us. I put my hand on Linda’s arm. “I’m not feeling well all of a sudden, Aunt Linda” I said. “I’d better go back — I think it’s — you know.”

“Cramps?”

“Bad ones. I think I need to lie down for a while.”

She sighed. “All right, all right. Do what you need to do.” The boat was docking now, and people were jostling forward. “I’ll see you this evening.”

I nodded, trying to look as if I were in pain, and waved goodbye. I hurried down the first narrow street I came to, and rushed in the direction of the apartment. I knew my way now, and only got lost once, when I hurried down a blind street and had to turn around. I didn’t have a plan. My only idea was to prevent Simone from being alone with Jack.