Read Online The Gilder by Kathryn Kay - Free Book Online

looked at our work. I was mortified, of course. When he got to my easel, he stopped and flipped through my sketches.”
    Sarah sat up suddenly and leaned toward Marina, her face glowing. “I thought he was terribly arrogant. I wanted to slap his hand away, but I just stood there. You won’t believe what he said.”
    “What?” asked Marina, captured as much by the proximity of the freckles dusting the bridge of Sarah’s nose as by her story.
    “I’d done all these drawings of his hands. He just stared at me with those cool gray eyes and said, ‘I guess you liked my hands better than my balls.’ ”
    “You’re kidding!” Marina opened her eyes wide, both in astonishment and to better study Sarah’s face, the crinkle at the corners of her eyes, the twitch of her lips as she suppressed a smile. “What did you say?”
    Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know, something about liking hands. I was just trying not to die of embarrassment. I know my face was bright red. Then he turned and walked away. Oh, and I forgot.” She laid her hand on Marina’s forearm. “All he had on was his jeans, no shirt or anything. After he finished the pose, he just pulled on his jeans, right in front of everyone, no underwear.”
    Marina couldn’t sit still another moment and, pulling her arm gently from under Sarah’s hand, got off the bed. “I need some water. Want some?”
    Sarah shook her head.
    “So then what? How did you get together?” Marina called from the kitchen, letting the water run at the kitchen sink until it ran cold. She drank half the glass, then refilled it before returning to the living room.
    Sarah was now propped up against the wall, her legs tucked up under her skirt. “Wouldn’t you know it, he was waiting downstairs when I left. Supposedly wanting to apologize for embarrassing me. It was just a ploy to get my attention.” She looked at Marina and shrugged. “I guess it worked.”
    Marina stood in the doorway and leaned against the doorjamb. “But what about your work, did you finish the program? Do you still draw?”
    “I finished the degree, but I got involved with Thomas right away and just got wrapped up in his life, I guess.” Sarah was quiet for a moment. “Actually, I always wanted to be a sculptor.”
     
    The gilding course was held in a crumbling palazzo on the other side of the river, the Oltrarno district, near Piazza Santo Spirito. A makeshift workshop with several large tables had been set up in the grand salon where large sections of the frescoed walls and ceiling had fallen away, giving the effect of a giant paint-by-numbers canvas waiting to be finished. Large, south-facing windows provided not only light, but also, on sunny days, a modicum of heat.
    Marina found herself in a panic the first few days of class, when all she understood was a word or two in each sentence. However, she quickly realized that she could learn as much from watching as from anything that was said. The teacher, Sauro, was a local artisan, a third-generation master gilder who worked with his father in his grandfather’s workshop. This much she gleaned from the brochure that Sarah helped her translate. He was a round man with a cherubic face and gentle manner and seemed to understand that she was serious about her work, so he explained things slowly, checked her work closely, and made sure she followed his instructions. Marina hadn’t realized that the gilding course would emphasize restoration to such an extent but was pleased to be learning two skills for the price of one. She was intrigued by how well damage, even that which seemed irreparable, could be concealed beneath a fresh layer of gold. Because the other students were hobbyists or antiques shop owners who wanted to learn a few quick tricks, she imagined that the course would only scratch the surface of this fascinating art, and she was determined to learn as much as she could. She shared her workbench with two English girls who were simply fulfilling a