Chapter 4 Summary

"You can only be faithful to people one at a time," Esmé tells Otto at a breakfast counter where he finds her munching toast. Otto is suspicious about her relationship with Chaby and several other men. He asks Esmé why she is so beautiful and tells her he loves her. She answers that he does not love her because he does not know her. He loves only his image of her. Otto tells her a story about a forged Titian canvas that was discovered, When the forgery was found, it was scraped off to reveal a very mediocre painting in an old frame. When that was scraped off they found a genuine Titian masterpiece, Otto says, an analogy for getting to know someone intimately. Otto tells Esmé he wants to marry her to "save her" from her helter-skelter life. She replies that she...