“Have you seen his teeth?” said Sofia. “So straight!”

“I thought you only read Interiors magazine and the Edinburgh Law Review.”

“No!” said Sofia. “I read! Self-help can be very useful.” She gave her sister a meaningful look.

“Really?” said Carmen. “As useful as Rainbow Rowell? Or Douglas Adams? I doubt it.”

Sofia, though she was clearly excited, turned to Carmen seriously. This could be just the thing to get some get up and go into her sister. “And his advice, you know. Find something true to your spirit and your soul and do it every day.”

Carmen frowned. “What, make packed lunches?”

“No,” said Sofia. “Find your centering bliss.”

Carmen’s glance went to the wine fridge.

“Not like that. Anyway, I think he’s super.”

“I think he sounds up himself,” said Carmen, looking at him online, where there were lots of pictures of him showing off his horses.

“Being with my horses is the only place I can feel truly free,” she read. “See. All his friends are horses. He obviously doesn’t have much conversation.”

“Maybe he’s rich and lonely,” said Sofia.

Carmen sniffed. “Yeah, that’s what young, fit, superrich guys with all their hair are. Suffering from a terrible lack of company.”

“Well, you should wash your hair just in case.”

Pippa marched in with her bassoon. “I’m going to be leading the school show!” she announced. “Mrs. McGillicuddy said so!”

“Oh, darling, that’s wonderful!” said Sofia, while Pippa smiled defiantly at Carmen, as if it were a victory over her too for not having praised her enough. It had not escaped Pippa that Carmen often seemed to be siding with Phoebe, and that would not do. Not at all.

“Congratulations,” said Carmen, without offering to listen to it. She assumed there’d be enough of Sofia’s children doing enforced showing off between now and the big day.

“I think you should get Phoebe to audition, Mummy,” said Pippa, as if they were two friends the same age. “Don’t you think it would be good for her confidence?”

Sofia looked unsure. “Oh, darling, you know what happened last year.”

“What happened last year?” said Carmen.

“Oh, it was so awful. She froze in front of the entire school!” said Pippa with much relish. “It was just so embarrassing. People talked about it for months. Poor Phoebe,” she added with a long sigh. “Poor, poor Phoebe.”

Frowning, Sofia took out oatcakes and soy milk for snacks.

“Why am I poor Phoebe?” said Phoebe, trailing in, her scarf rucked off her shoulders, one of her braids falling undone, and what looked like paint down her jumper.

“I was just saying what a wonderful singer you were,” said Pippa, “and how it would be nice to get a chance to hear you sing this year.”

Phoebe turned a dull shade of pink and shuffled toward the fridge.