“Why?” Camille asked, and Nory realized it was the first time she had heard her speak all through dinner. “Why must they have preferred for one of their sons to take over?”

“Oh, don’t get on your feminist soapbox, darling.”

“But why?” Camille pushed. “Do you expect Theo to take over my business when I retire?”

“Oh, don’t be daft. You do interior design.”

The disdain with which Guy said the words interior design was enough to draw gasps from every person at the table.

“Guy!” Jenna declared.

“Interior design is far from a female-only space,” Pippa chimed in. “If you won’t take it from your wife, then take it from me. Having a good eye for design has nothing to do with whether you have a vagina or a penis.”

“You can always count on Pippa to bring genitals into any conversation.” Charles laughed.

“I work with an equal split of male and female designers and photographers,” said Dev. “I think pigeonholing genders into particular fields of work is an outdated construct.”

Ameerah raised her glass to Dev, who raised his own and clinked it against Ameerah’s.

“Cheers to that!” Ameerah beamed.

“All right, all right,” Guy conceded. “I admit defeat.” He turned to Camille. “I’m sorry, darling, as usual I let my mouth speak without engaging my brain. Of course, I’d be happy for Theo, Emily, or Randall to take over your business.” He looked sincerely into his wife’s eyes and kissed her softly.

Camille smiled, and even from where she was sitting, Nory could see the love in her eyes. She wondered if love alone would be enough to sustain her, with Guy for a husband.

“It takes all sorts, I suppose,” Jeremy said quietly into Nory’s ear, as though he had overheard her thoughts, and Nory nodded.

“Didn’t your grandfather work here as well?” Pippa asked, steering the conversation neatly back to Isaac.

“He did, he was also head gardener. And his father was a gardener too. He moved to England with my great-great-grandmother, as part of the staff when the De-Veer family came back to England after living in India for some years.”

“The De-Veers,” Charles said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

“Oh, Charles darling, you big snob, you don’t know every wealthy family in England,” Jenna chided him playfully.

“No, but that name rings a bell.”

“They owned Heron House in Surrey,” said Isaac.

“That’s it!” Charles slapped the table triumphantly, making the cutlery shiver. “Heron House. My parents took us there on a day trip. The wife was, oh what was her name, she was an artist, quite famous, my mother has a print of hers in the dining room . . .”

“Serena De-Veer,” said Isaac in a flat voice.

“That’s the one!”