“Judy was telling us you read Dickens every night.”

“Not only Dickens.” He smiled. “I read them Cicero, Herodotus, Sappho, and the Kama Sutra.”

Judy chirped. “Oh Albert, stop it!”

“Sir, what are we drinking tonight?” Albert gave Joe a gentle pat on the back.

“I had Henry make up some cosmopolitans.” Judy quickly answered. Even though she never touched anything but a sip of champagne, she had cocktail management completely under her belt.

“I was just telling Judy what an extraordinary collection of books you have here.” Pippa smiled at Albert.

“Albert won’t tell you this but he won a prize for best personal library when he was an undergraduate at Amherst.” Judy offered all the guests tiny thimbles of smoked salmon wrapped with an Earl Grey tea leaf.

“How marvelous!” Pippa nodded.

“Is that a Braque?” Joe asked, examining the one painting that wasn’t clearly a small Degas or Pissarro.

“Joe, you are kidding!” Pippa bit her cheeks. “Does that look like a Braque to you?”

“That’s all right, Joe.” Judy made a mental note never to sit him next to anyone important at a dinner party. “It’s a Brice Marden. Albert and I have begun to seriously collect contemporary art. I mean, I love all our Impressionists, but really getting to know the artist is so exciting. That’s one of the reasons I’m having Pippa redecorate. I want a fresh start with the art.”

“Honey, there’s nothing wrong with Braque.” Albert helped himself to another salmon thimble.

“Albert refuses to acknowledge any art past 1918. But I just adore it.”

Albert felt another tinge of contentment. He believed if not for Judy, he could retreat into his own isolated world of Old Norse and Latin poetry. But Judy was an unending source of life-affirming energy. She was also devoid of cynicism. It was, however, far more soothing for Albert to placate Judy than engage her. He preferred, for instance, not to tangle with her decorating whims or dinner party scenarios. But recently she had begun demanding that Albert make a substantial donation to the Museum of Modern Art. Although most spouses did not base their philanthropy on their wives’ current interests and social aspirations, Albert decided to go along with it. He would draw the line, however, at video installations in the living room. That would be worth fighting for, even with Judy.

“This is scrummy! I could eat it every night!” Pippa took a bite of her beef medallion.

“I know. Albert and I got so tired of going to dinner, and there’s nothing to eat!” Judy pushed her medallion around her plate. The chef was always told in advance to give Judy around a third of everyone else’s portion.

“I think real food is coming back. We need comfort right now, and when you’re anxious it’s no time for sprouts!” Pippa smiled at Albert.

“Absolutely. I keep telling Judy we should ask Henry to prepare mac and cheese and chicken à la king.” Albert twinkled and sipped his Lafite Rothschild ’89.