After your husband is sent to Italy to seek treatment for his illness, you begin exchanging letters with the man in charge of his care, Silco. Over the course of 46 letters, an unrequited love slowly blossoms between you and the priest.
To Naples, 2 February 1817
You must forgive my ignorant indulgence, for I have been little more than a burden to you with my restless questioning. Last night I could not sleep; my mind wandered to dreams of blood and violence. I seem to harbour such vivid omens that they drown out my very memory. I have ever been, as a child, imprisoned for years by terrible nightmares. I stand in need of a kindly hand to soothe this strange and foreign pain that afflicts me, the pain that lurks in the solitude beneath my shelves, or in the shadowed corners of my chamber.
I do not wish to trouble you further, and I am persuaded that, once you have answered me, I shall leave you in peace.
I am, however, compelled to inquire concerning Mr Walton. You will understand that this is my duty, and the cause of my present recklessness. Since I resumed my journey, I have been unable to dismiss the prospect of an unavoidable confrontation with the distress occasioned by his illness. I am consumed with guilt at having been obliged to leave him.
I entreat you, if it be possible, to read to him each night. My husband possesses a most romantic soul, overflowing with sweetness. I would beg you to grant me one last indulgence of my caprices and permit him to feel my love in the prose of his favourite works. I shall myself see to it that three volumes are dispatched to him every month from England, each chosen from his own library or from among my dearest favourites.
Once again, I offer you my humble apologies for my imprudence. You must understand that I am, as perhaps was evident during our hurried first meeting, of a most impatient disposition.
I should remain eternally grateful for any intelligence you might send regarding the health or continued suffering of my dear husband. I pray you will be so good as to inform me when these documents have safely reached your hands, Father.
With the most affectionate regard.