"Venice is one of my favorite cities," he said. "I want you to see it first at its best, not in a month that's apt to be cold and rainy."
"What if it sinks into the sea before I finally get there?" Ashley wanted to know.
Ryan laughed. "Okay, I give up," he told her. "You can come to Venice with me. I suppose you're right. Venice will be Venice no matter what. And better with you. And we'll be staying at the contessa's villa. You'll like Bianca. She's a very cool lady."
"Wouldn't a hotel be better?" Ashley wondered.
"Nope, and besides, Bianca would never let us," he replied.
"How do you know a Venetian contessa?" Ashley asked her husband.
"The summer I was sixteen, Dad took Mom, Deirdre, Frankie, and me to Venice. There was a great craftsman there, Paolo Venutti. My father wanted to learn his technique, and he took only one student each summer. Dad was on his waiting list, and that summer's student canceled. Venutti called Dad, and the next thing I knew we were on a plane. Venutti arranged for us to rent the Conde di Viscontini's guesthouse. He was old and sick, but he needed the income the rental would bring in, and they didn't entertain any longer. His wife was much younger, I guess in her late thirties or early forties then. She welcomed us. She showed Ma where the best markets were, and how to get around the city easily. She found friends for Deirdre, who was twenty then, and really pissed she had to come with us, but my folks weren't leaving her home alone, and the other sisters were all married. None of them wanted the responsibility for her. I don't blame them. Dee was a pretty wild kid then."
"How old was Frankie?" Ashley wanted to know.
"Fourteen, and the contessa found a few friends for her too. They spent more time at the Lido than anywhere else that summer. There was always an older woman, someone's relative, with them to keep them out of trouble." He laughed.
"And what did you do in Venice that summer?" She smiled at the thought of Ryan at sixteen.
"I explored the whole city. I even took Ma with me now and again. Sometimes I went with Frankie to the Lido. And the contessa taught me to speak Italian. In return I taught her English. It was a great summer, as I recall. I hated to come back."
"You've been back since?"
"Three times. The first time was two years later, when Bianca's husband died. My father felt the family should be represented, and so I was sent. The conde's funeral barge, all decked in black, traversed the length of the Grand Canal and back again. I paid my respects and those of my family, and was on the plane again for home. And I've been back twice since, but the contessa was never there when I visited., I haven't seen her in years. Venutti used to do all her restoring, but I imagine he's dead now. I'm surprised she remembered us, but then R &R's reputation is the best."
"Will you take me for a gondola ride in the moonlight?" Ashley asked her husband. "And can we listen to a band concert on the Piazza San Marco?"
"I don't think they do outdoor concerts in November," he told her. "Next time we'll go in summer. But even now there will be lots for you to see while I'm working, and yes, I'll take you for a gondola ride, if I can find a gondola, but I can't guarantee a moon." Ryan chuckled.
"What do you mean, if you can find a gondola? I thought Venice was full of gondolas," Ashley said. "If I go to Venice I have to ride in a gondola. You can't say you've been to Venice if you haven't had a trip in a gondola."
"The gondolas hibernate nowadays," he said. "And it is late in the year. But if the weather is good and there are still some tourists in Venice, then there will be a few gondolas to be had, and we'll go for our ride," he promised her.
"Is there an airport in Venice?" Ashley wanted to know.
"There are two, north of the city. When I went as a kid we flew to Rome, visited some of Ma's relatives, and then took the train into Venice. I remember Frankie and me leaning out of the open window of the first-class carriage Dad had booked, and taking pictures as we came into the city across the lagoon. When we came out of the station we took the vaporetto, which is like a bus, to Piazza Viscontini, and then, lugging our suitcases, we walked the rest of the way," he recalled.
"So how are we going? And do I have to carry my suitcase?" she asked him.
"There's a direct Delta flight from the city to Venice. It's a nine-hour flight. Book us two first-class tickets as soon as you can get us on the plane," Ryan said.
They departed Kennedy two nights later. They had checked one bag each onto the plane. Ashley carried only her handbag on board, and Ryan brought nothing on the plane but a small book on Venetian furniture. They took off their shoes, which were carefully inspected, walked through a metal detector, put their footwear back on, and picked up the book and the handbag. They were then allowed to board. She was glad she didn't have to do a lot of flying these days. It was getting to be more and more of a hassle.
Ashley had been surprised that there were first-class seats available, but it was an odd time of year to be going away for pleasure. And Thursday night wasn't exactly a night for business travel. Their plane was a new one, with seats that turned into single beds. After dinner she and Ryan turned in, falling asleep holding hands. The steward woke them an hour before landing. Looking outside the windows, Ashley noted that it was a beautiful day. A stewardess brought them breakfast: scrambled eggs, croissants, and cafe au lait. They landed right on time.
Aeroporto Marco Polo was six miles north of the city. Claiming their bags, they boarded the shuttle bus that would take them to the dock. Ryan had booked a private powerboat to take them to their destination in the city. When they reached the boats they saw a young man holding up a sign that read, mulcahy, and they headed for him.
"Signore Mulcahy?" the man asked as they reached him.
"Si, Ryan Mulcahy e Signora Mulcahy," Ryan said.
"I speak English, signore. I'm Pietro. Let me take your bags." Reaching for them, the boat captain quickly stored them. Then he helped Ashley into his vessel, followed by Ryan. "I like to practice my English, signore, if you don't mind. It helps me with the tourists in the summer," Pietro told them. "I know the signore speaks Italian, for the contessa has said so.",
"You know where we're going then?" Ryan inquired.
"Palazzo di Viscontini, signore, sz!"
"I take it this isn't a vaporetto," Ashley said, smiling at her husband.
"No. This is first class," Ryan replied with a grin. "The weather is good?" he asked the boat's captain.
"You have brought the good weather with you, signore," Pietro replied. "They say for the next week we will have sun. Unusual for November."
Out in the open water the boat sped its way across the lagoon. Ashley could see the city ahead of her. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, all gold, blue, and with terra cotta roofs. "Where are the gondolas?" she asked Pietro.
"There will be a few still out," he answered her. "Most have been put away for the winter. Not many tourists come to Venice in the winter months, signora."
As they drew closer to the city, Ashley was delighted to see a variety of boat traffic suddenly surrounding them as Pietro slowed down to keep pace with what was definitely a traffic pattern. Ryan pointed out a vaporetto which was the Venetian method of public transportation. Ashley could see it was crowded with rush-hour traffic. What a fun way to commute if you had to commute, she thought. There were other powerboats such as the one they were in. There were barges carrying all manner of goods, but the one that fascinated her was unloading fresh vegetables and fruit at what was obviously a marketplace. They stopped once to allow a boat that was marked as an ambulance to speed by. Everything seemed to use the water here. Finally their boat slowed and turned down a narrow canal. Beyond the buildings on its corner there were trees and gardens on either side of the waterway.