City of Dreams — Elizabeth Hoy

What could be more exciting, especially to an eager art student than to spend the whole summer in the beautiful city of Venice? Julie could hardly believe her good fortune as she set off to work for three months for a real Italian Contessa, in a Ventinian palazzo, and in the company, she discovered, of Piers Mallory, the artist whose work she most admired. She found it was too good to be true. For from the moment of her arrival, Julie found herself in an atmosphere of trouble and ill-will -- jealousy from the lovely Contessa, open hostility from her sinister sister-in-law, misunderstandings and illogical behavior from Piers. Nevertheless, had she but known it, there was a happy future for her at the end of it all.