“You’re here! I was half wondering if Will made you up.” She tilts her head to study me. “His stories didn’t make you sound nearly as dumb as all his other girlfriends.”
“Bea!”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I say, trying not to laugh.
“He also says you’re not as dramatic as the last one, which I hope is true because she was dreadful. Always crying and fussing.” She shakes her head. “Andyou’re American. I wish I had American friends. It would be so much fun to travel back and forth to see them.” She plops down on the couch next to me, completely ignoring her brother’s glare. “I’ve been to America, but only once. It’s somassive. I can’t keep it straight.”
“Then you’d fit right in. Plenty of Americans can’t keep it straight either.” I tap my temple as if thinking hard. “It’s thosestates in the middle that are always the trickiest to remember. I think Kansas should be in there somewhere...”
Bea squints at me for a moment and then laughs loudly.
“Ooh, you’re fun!” She scoots closer to me on the couch. “You can stay.”
Dinner arrives and I’m ushered to an enormous glass table covered with all kinds of food I don’t recognize. I hang back, unsure of what to do, while Beatrix reaches around me.
“Have you ever had Indian food before?” Will asks.
I shake my head.
“Well, you’ve definitely come to the right town.” He grabs a plate and starts piling food on it. “Everybody thinks that England is all fish and chips and mincemeat pies, but the real dish of England is chicken tikka masala.” He hands me the plate. It has a big pile of rice and orange-brown sauce dripping over the chicken. “If you want to be British, eat that.”
My first bite is tentative. Then warm spices flood my mouth and I scoop up another forkful. Why has this been missing my whole life?
“How did you like your lunch?” his mother asks.
I quickly wipe my face with a napkin before answering. “It was magical. We ordered the tea service.”
“You know, I can’t remember the last time I got Will to take tea with me.”
“Well, truth be told, he barely drank any.”
“Snitch!” Will says.
Beatrix giggles and warmth washes over me. “What else did you do?” Bea asks.
“After that we went shopping and walked through Green Park.”
She sniffs. “That sounds like a boring day. My friends and I have done that loads of times.” Beatrix swivels and points a finger at Will. “Why didn’t you take her anyplace else?”
Will winces. “I—”
“Oh, it’s all right,” I jump in. “Your brother did a wonderful job. And I already saw some of the big attractions this morning with my friends. Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square. We had a great time.”
Will frowns and I realize I never told him what we did this morning. Actually, now that I think about it, Will was so busy talking about his father and his trip this afternoon that he never got a chance to ask me much at all.
My gaze snags on another painting I recognize. We had to memorize it for our Italian Renaissance chapter in art history. I’ve already forgotten most of the paintings, but this one has stuck in my mind because it was weird staring at the naked woman in the forefront of the painting with Dev sitting right next to me.
“Isn’t that, um,Venus of Urbino?”
Will’s head whips toward me.
“Why, yes, it is. A reproduction.” His mother regards the painting with fondness. “It doesn’t fit with Timothy’s collection, but he agreed to leave it up anyway. I bought it when we visited Italy on our honeymoon.” She cocks her head at me. “Are you an art lover? I thought Will said you were studying psychology.”
“Oh, well, I’m also taking European art history this semester.We just finished a section on the Renaissance.”
Will squeezes my leg under the table and I jump. Oh no, am I embarrassing him? But when I turn, his expression is surprised and pleased. His mother is also studying me with more interest than she had previously. She turns to Will.
“I spoke to your father when he dropped off the papers. He has a new client who works at UCL. He’s very excited about the possibility of your being admitted. He wants you to ring him after dinner.”
