After transferring the ownership of the Ashley estate to Rachel, Philip becomes deathly ill and is unconscious for a week. When he wakes up, he finds that Rachel is spending a lot of time with her Italian friend Signore Rainaldi. He also finds that much progress has been made in building the water garden, including a bridge across the steep gorge. A workman warns Philip that the bridge isn't safe for traffic yet, but Rachel doesn't get the message.