They sat in silence for a moment.

“Want to talk about something else?” he said.

“Yes,” she said firmly.

“Okay,” he said. “Then maybe there’s something you can explain to me about the Crown & Sceptre, which is something I’ve been wondering about for some time. Now, even I’d noticed the woman who hangs out behind the counter there, the one with the hair who’s kind of witchy-looking, and always looks at you as if you’ve murdered her pet tarantula. Know the one I mean?”

“Yes,” said Lulu. “Oh, yes, I know the one you mean.”

He leaned forward across the table, his brow furrowed in bafflement.

“What is her problem?” he asked, interested.

Later that afternoon, Lulu’s mother telephoned her at the pub.

“You have to come home,” she said. “As soon as they let you out of that awful place. That terribly wicked and reprehensible young friend of yours Charlie has sent me the most enormous bunch of ridiculously over-the-top flowers, which she had no business doing, and I’m most upset with her, but they are completely beautiful, and you just have to come home to see them.”

“Is Dad there?” said Lulu.

“Oh, honey,” said Fee. “You’re not still upset with him about the Jane business, are you?” It took a frozen moment for Lulu to realize that her mother was talking about the invitation to Santorini. “Oddly enough, he’s gone off to see her tonight. They had such a good time catching up last week that she’s organized a mini-reunion weekend with Neil and Helen. He’ll be home on Sunday.”

“He’s gone to see Jane?” she said. “Didn’t he invite you, too?”

“No, thank God! Can you imagine the reminiscences? I get to stay home instead and have marvelous flowers delivered to me from a beautiful young woman. Come and see them.”

“Okay.” Lulu wanted to see her mother; more, she now realized, she needed to see her mother. “I’m off in an hour, I’ll be there then.”

The flowers were in a jug on the hall table, an explosion of color and fragrance, roses and lilies, hydrangeas and larkspur.

“Aren’t they glorious?” said Fee. “But she’s a very bad girl, and I want you to tell her so, this is completely unnecessary. All I did was ask her a few questions—she came up with the answers all by herself.”

“Well, she’s pretty pleased with the outcome,” said Lulu. “She’s going out with him tomorrow, and I dread to think how much money she’s spending on hair-care products probably right at this very moment.”

“Well, good.” Fee smiled, led them into the kitchen, and poured tea. Then looked a little wistfully at Lulu. “I only wish I could be as useful to my daughter, too.”

“Mom,” said Lulu. “If you are going to start talking about my career yet again …”

“Don’t shoot me, I’m not!” said Fee. “You just look so sad these days, and I wish there was something I could do to help. A mother’s allowed to wish that, isn’t she? Let’s talk about something else, then. How’s the attic going? Have you found anything interesting up there?”