“Do you think?” I ask, eyeing my curls.

“Yes, I do.” Ursula is firm as she comes to stand behind me, reaching up to untangle my hair with surprisingly gentle fingers.

“Thank you for helping,” I say. “It’s nice to have someone to get ready with.”

“Isn’t that what girlfriends do?” Ursula asks a little sharply after a moment. “Gossip and share lipstick and things?”

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I’ve never had a friend like that before.”

“Neither have I,” Ursula replies, her expression guarded.

“I don’t have any lipstick to share either.” I catch her eye in the mirror and smile tentatively.

A similar smile appears on Ursula’s lips for a second. “Now that,” she says, reaching for her gold bag, “is something I can certainly help with.”

Ursula paints my lips a dark, berry red and lines my eyes with smoky kohl.

“Well?” I ask, as she steps back to survey her handiwork.

She nods. “You will do,” she says. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” I say, taking a deep breath. “All right. Let’s go.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

As we make our way along the hall I can hear the murmur of conversation, and music drifts through from the garden. We descend the staircase and I feel nerves fluttering through my body. Clustered below us are a crowd of people, mostly my uncle’s age, looking closely at some of the paintings that hang in the hallway.

“Promising,” a man mutters to his companion. “Filomena always did have a good eye.”

The majority of the noise seems to be coming from outside. A couple of people glance up and catch sight of us; I feel my step wobble and, for a second, I think I’m going to do something mortifying, like tumble head over heels down the staircase. Ursula slips her arm through mine and I look down at her in surprise. She gives me a sort of rueful grimace, as though she can’t quite believe that she’s doing it herself.

“I feel like everyone’s looking at me,” I say.

Ursula snorts. “Darling, if anyone’s looking at anyone then they’re looking at me.” She untangles her arm from mine and smooths down the sides of her dress, flashing a man nearby such a dazzling smile that he blinks owlishly, looking more than a little stunned. An expression of satisfaction crosses Ursula’s face.

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” she breathes, drifting gracefully forward and leaving me to follow.