Chapters 3, 4 and 5 Summary

In Chapter 3, the narrator reveals that the owner of the Italian villa which Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot hope to lease is a British man named Briggs, that the rent is to be sixty pounds, and that he wishes to have references from his renters. While the flighty Mrs. Wilkins worries about how she'll explain spending so much money on herself, the calmer and more practical Mrs. Arbuthnot withdraws the entire sum of money from her bank and pays Mr. Briggs who while finding her attractive and interesting, waives the need for references. The two women then advertise in the Times for other women to possibly join them in order to help meet the expense, and are somewhat disappointed to receive only two replies. The first is from the aristocratic Lady Caroline Denster, who simply wants to get away from all...