Roman Fever & Other Stories

by Edith Wharton

First published in 1934, "Roman Fever" was one of the last short stories that Edith Wharton wrote. At first glance, it seems to be little more than a tale about the nostalgic remembrances of two middle-aged women revisiting Rome. But, as Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley pass an afternoon on a terrace overlooking the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Palatine, their conversation reveals that their long friendship has been filled with rivalry and animosity - and that each has hidden an important secret from the other. It's no accident that Wharton places her characters in Rome. As the two women gaze across the Eternal City's most alluring collection of ruins, and as they discover each other's secrets, the very foundations of their lives crumble