Rita stormed away, making for the Sound. She veered around the hedge, dropped her purse and shoes in the sand, and walked straight into the water.

Edmund blasted through the hedge after her and grabbed her hand. Rita swung and hit him in the face, hard, and he fell backward. Merle ran into the water and carried Rita out with his good arm while she kicked at him. He crouched with her on the beach as she calmed down.

Edmund wiped his bloody nose with a beach towel. Polly pulled him up to the party to explain, to have Jane or Dee fix things.

“How on earth did she get here?” asked Dee, who was in a chair with her eyeglasses on, reading Papa’s cards.

“Rita came with that man,” said Polly.

Dee only glanced. “Who is he?” she asked.

“He has a showroom in Paris,” said Jane. “He’s an art dealer. We met him a couple of weeks ago, and Merle took a real dislike to him. But he might get Rita’s work sold. He’s sort of a good-looking man, or maybe he once was.”

“Well, he’s porcine now,” said Dee.

“Leonine,” said Jane. “But pretty eyes.”

“Yes,” said Dee. “He does look like he’d eat his own babies.” Now she was truly looking. “But what was the name, dear?”

“Ivor Dewitt,” said Jane. “How’s that for pompous?”

She wasn’t watching Dee, but Polly and Edmund were, and Dee looked as if she was in pain. Edmund sidled close.

“Honey,” she said, touching his hair. “Can you get Papa for me, please?”

And so Edmund ran off while Polly watched Merle, soaking wet, lead Rita back up to the man. They spoke and the man finished his Champagne and put his arm around Rita’s waist. Papa was next to Dee now, bending down, listening to her whisper. She pointed, and he looked for a long moment. Then he walked across the lawn.

“Have you met?” asked Merle.

“We have,” said Papa. “Let’s take a walk, Mr. Dewitt. Let’s talk on the beach.”

They headed down, bending around the maze, trailed by Rita. Polly ran after them, dodging through the maze. She knew Papa hated the man. Wrath—that part of Papa, the half-understood part, sliding out in the way he walked. They talked, Papa pacing around, before Dewitt walked back to the party. Papa spoke to Jane and Merle and Arnold, and they all smoked a cigarette; Papa put his arm around Jane and walked off with her in the other direction.