The children had been watching us closely but hadn’t moved from their place on the hearth. They seemed far more reserved than my son. But at Tommy’s invitation, they joined us.
“Hello. I’m Frances, and this is my youngest brother, John,” Franny said with surprising formality.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I replied.
“My father says you live in Greece,” she continued.
“Yes. We’re here for a visit.”
“He also said you went to Cambridge.”
“I did. To Girton.”
“Father thinks sending girls to university is a waste of time,” Franny said. “That it fills their heads with nothing but nonsense when they should be thinking about finding a husband and—”
“That is quite enough, my dear,” Dolly said as she rushed over and shot me a nervous smile.
“Well, your father is wrong, Franny,” Delia replied. “And despite what he says, that is a frequent occurrence for him.”
Franny’s eyes went wide.
“Oh, look! The tea cart is here,” Dolly cut in. “Let’s see ifthey have those shortbreads you like.” She then quickly ushered her children away.
“May I have a shortbread?” Tommy asked me.
“Of course.”
“In case you were wondering,” Delia began, once Tommy had bounded over to the tea cart, “Jack has become even more tiresome over the years.”
“Yes, I expected as much. Samuel mentioned they nearly came to blows the last time he was here.”
“Oh, Sam,” Delia said, with a wistful look. “I wish he would come home too.”
Like my husband, Oliver, Samuel had joined the Foreign Service after Cambridge. For many years, he had worked as an attaché in Istanbul, so we saw him fairly often in Greece. But not long after Oliver’s death, he had taken a post in Bombay. I hadn’t seen him in person since then. We kept in touch over frequent letters, but it wasn’t the same, and I missed him terribly. He was the sibling I had always felt closest to growing up, not just in age but in temperament and scruples. Which often put us diametrically opposed to Jack.
“It’s been hard being here without either of you,” Delia continued.
I was genuinely shocked to hear this. “Has it?”
She turned to me then. “You can’t be that surprised. I thought the two of you hung the moon.”
I confess, that was not how I remembered my sister. She was much younger than me, and my last memories of her were of a frivolous young girl fixated on nothing but ball gowns and beaus. In short, all the things my mother had wanted me to be interested in. Time and experience had softened my impression of Delia, but I suppose I had never truly considered her impression of me.
“I had no idea,” I admitted.
Her face fell in disappointment. “I suppose it wasn’t reallyuntil after you left and I had my season. It was awful. Andsoboring. Then I … I understood why you chose Girton instead.”
I huffed a laugh. “I wish it had been that easy.”
The truth was that I had fought my parents for years. And, even then, it was only because Aunt Agatha was the only person who could bully my father that they eventually relented and I was allowed to enroll. But I had never forgotten how dismissive they were about my educational aspirations, and it had driven a wedge between us that still remained to this day. And why it had been so easy for me to leave after I married Oliver.
Delia looked chagrined. “Right. Well, I’m glad you were able to go, in any case. If not for you, I don’t think I would have gone to Slade.”
I gave her a smile. “You would have gotten there, Delia, with or without me. I’ve no doubt of that. And I’d love to see your work.”
Her eyes lit up, and she gripped my arm. “You should come with me tomorrow!”
I tilted my head. “To what?”
