“Well cheers to you being all grown up!” Vronsky said, lifting his glass of sparkling cider to toast her. They clinked glasses merrily and moved on to the next animal they had in common: horses. Vronsky had ridden a lot as a child, in fact it was possible they crossed paths at Staugas Farms when they were both much younger. But when he rode a motorbike for the first time in Italy at the age of eleven he found himself less impressed by the speed of four legs, and hadn’t ridden a horse since, though his thrill-seeking tendencies made him a big fan of the Maryland Hunt Club timber race. Anna told Vronsky she was less attracted to the danger of horses and instead adored the companionship and connection they provided. She had two horses, both of whom were sure to be wondering if she was dead because she couldn’t recall the last time she had let an entire week go by without riding them. “I just don’t understand where the last two weeks have gone,” she said truthfully, then added, “Well, now that Westminster is over with, I suppose I can go back to my boring old ways.”

“Boring? You? I highly doubt that!”

Anna smiled and locked eyes with him. “You may be projecting, Alexia. Because from what I’ve heard, you’re the one at the table who has an exciting life. I’m sure I’m far less interesting than the many, many girls you normally run around with.”

Alexia grinned and shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, but before he could respond she leaned in and continued.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Why do they call you ‘the Count’?”

“Do you really want to know?” he asked.

“I don’t know, do I?”

“When Bea and I were toddlers, she had this purple blankie I used to tie around my neck. Her favorite color was yellow and she wore this yellow dress all the time. So our parents nicknamed us ‘Bea Bird’ and ‘the Count.’”

“You mean, like, from Sesame Street?”

“Go ahead … laugh.”

“It’s adorable. But you do know…” Anna trailed off, not wanting to be the one to repeat the rumor.

“People think it’s because I’ve slept with too many girls to keep count. I do know and I’m fine with it. It’s far better than the truth.”

“Not to me.”

“Well good, because you’re the only one I’ve ever told.”