The Venetians · Chapter
From the Evil to Come explained
After the loss of their daughter Peggy and a newborn son, Eve and Vansittart retreat to Courmayeur for the summer, where Eve slowly recovers her health and spirits.
What happens
After the loss of their daughter Peggy and a newborn son, Eve and Vansittart retreat to Courmayeur for the summer, where Eve slowly recovers her health and spirits. They return to Hampshire in late autumn, where Eve's relationship with her mother-in-law warms, though Eve still wrestles with grief and religious doubt.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Redemption
Vansittart's self-reproach and fear of Nemesis highlight his guilt over past sins, seeking redemption through family.
Love and Sacrifice
Eve's grief and Vansittart's devotion show love tested by loss and the sacrifice of a hoped-for child.
Fate and Consequence
The deaths of Peggy and the infant son are seen as consequences of past actions, reinforcing a sense of inescapable fate.
Characters to notice
- Eve Marchant
Grieves deeply for her daughter Peggy and newborn son, struggles with faith, and slowly regains health in the Alps.
- Jack Vansittart
Filled with self-reproach over Eve's illness, fears a curse on their love, and finds solace in their Alpine retreat.
- Maud Hartley
Eve's mother-in-law, now showing more affection toward Eve, acknowledging her as Mrs. John Vansittart.
- Benson
Eve's devoted maid, who accompanies her to the cemetery and is scolded for the late return.
- Peggy
Eve's deceased daughter, whose grave Eve visits and whose memory haunts her.
Key passages
“There is a blight upon us and upon our love. Nemesis will have her due.”
Vansittart feels that a curse hangs over their marriage and that fate is punishing them.
Reflects his guilt and fear of retribution.
“The heart must rebel sometimes; one must ask these questions.”
Eve argues that it is natural for the human heart to question God in times of grief.
Shows her struggle with faith after losing her children.
“You are pretty enough to set the fashion of cropped heads.”
Vansittart reassures Eve that her short hair is attractive and could become a trend.
Highlights their affectionate bond and her recovery.