“Bushels and then some. Vita’s writing tower will perch twenty feet above the stage and needs to be covered in vines. The garden backdrop is going to require its own floral tonnage, also climbing roses over the pergola. Basically we’ll need fill for everything that isn’t walkway and French-door entrance.”

Someone has already started painting the wall of books that is the backdrop for Vita’s living room. The books, she sees, are life-size. Cate hates to start off a project by correcting the mistakes of others, so she frames a correction as a collaboration.

“I’ve had to do this before,” she tells the painter, “I think the books look more substantial from a distance if I go to one-and-a-half size. Can I borrow your tape measure?” She pencils in a line three inches above and just under two inches wider than the first book, then does this for the next few books What do you think? Let’s paint them in this size then back off and see how they’ll look to the audience.” Part of what she’s become adept at is asking the opinions of people who will not really be concurring so much as following her orders.