Between Fee and Grandma Jo, thought Lulu, it seemed to be a family trait to marry a foreigner. She looked at her father, trying to see him as a stranger might—although presentable, she thought, he was no Herr B.

“Was he handsome?” she asked.

“Sort of.” Fee thought. “He had nice teeth, for an Englishman. But it was more that he made me laugh than anything about the way he looked.”

“Don’t mind me,” said David. “Just ignore me and carry on talking as if I weren’t there. Oh, wait, you already are.”

“He was very dry,” said Fee. “Very sort of deadpan, a classic witty Brit. And he was kind, too, which is important, and he respected me, which is essential, and we seemed to want the same sorts of things out of life. Anyway, I married him. Lulu, won’t you have something to eat with us? There’s raspberries for dessert if you can wait around.”

“I can’t,” said Lulu. “I really do have to get back to the pub, Mom, I’m late already and they’re short-staffed tonight.”

“Oh, bugger the pub,” said David. “I hardly ever see you these days, Lulu. Tell you what, why don’t you give up the bloody Hat and Stick and come and meet me in Santorini at the end of the week? Get away from things and get yourself some beach time?”

“Great, Dad, thanks.” For all of David’s daughters, the charm of joining him on his travels had long worn thin. “And what am I supposed to do, stuck alone in the hotel while you’re off checking out the state of the local public toilets?”

“I’ve been led to believe that people can give themselves a good time in Santorini,” said David. “And oddly enough, you wouldn’t be alone, either. My friend Jane will be joining me—remember Jane, Rob’s mum? She’s not been very well, so she’s coming out for a break. Maybe you and she could keep each other company a little bit.”

“Oh, score, Dad,” said Lulu. “You and your middle-aged invalid college friend, it’s the weekend I’ve always dreamed of.” She stopped. “Is this your friend Jane?” she asked.

“Well, yes, Lulu,” said David. “I’d say that, all things considered, my friend Jane is pretty much the category that my friend Jane would fall into.”

“Your college friend Jane, who lives in Cambridge.”

“That’s the one,” said David. “Jane.”

“The one,” said Lulu, “who works as a careers counselor.”

There was a silence, while David and Fee exchanged glances.

“She does other things, too,” said David, after a moment. “She listens to music, she votes in elections, she watches films. I’m not going to ask her to wear a bell around her neck and shout ‘unclean’ because of what she does for a living—you wouldn’t even have to talk about careers if you don’t want to.”

“Right, Dad.” Lulu swallowed her tea and stood up. “Have a nice time in Greece. I have to go back to the pub now, which is my job, which I work hard at, and which I wish you’d just occasionally show a shred of respect for. Bye, Dad. Bye, Mom. Bye, Toby. Thanks for not bugging me, Toby. I’ll bring you a nice catnip mouse next time I come to show my appreciation.”