Virginia looked so radiant, as if a light had been switched on and refused to be dimmed.
Pandora wondered if Virginia was falling in love.
“What does Wolfgang look like?”
“I hardly noticed,” Virginia said with a shrug. “He has longish dark hair, and when he reads his poetry, he rubs the stubble on his chin. I’m not interested in his appearance; we have so much in common. We’ve read all the same authors. He loves T.S. Eliot and thinks Ulysses is overrated, and when he was a child, he read Peter Pan so many times, he almost memorized it.”
Virginia and Pandora had spent hours reading Peter Pan, even once they became teenagers. It had been Virginia’s favorite book, and her favorite character was Wendy.
“Wendy wanted to be a mother and have children,” Pandora reminded her.
“Yes, but that’s not all she wanted. She also wanted to leave home and have grand adventures.” Virginia glanced at the silver watch on her wrist. “I have to get dressed. I’m going back to Byrdcliffe tonight. I’m going to have dinner with Wolfgang again.”
“You can’t go, you’ll miss the fireworks.”
Virginia tied her robe more tightly around her waist.
“I’ve seen the Winthrops’ fireworks a dozen times. Besides, Wolfgang is going to tell me about the literary salons in New York. Once, he heard Anita Loos read some of her short stories.” Her eyes were as playful as a cat’s. “The stories are so risqué they make The Awakening seem tame in comparison.”
That afternoon, Lillian was the first person Pandora saw when she stepped onto the terrace. She was lying on a chaise lounge near the swimming pool.
A large floppy hat covered her hair, and a magazine lay open in her lap. All traces of the party—the elegant candelabras, the bar overflowing with cocktail glasses, the dance floor where Pandora had danced with Owen—were gone, and the lawn was set up for croquet. She thought of all the parties at the Van Luyens’， where it was her job to take the tablecloths from the tables and stack them in the laundry room for the laundress.
“Pandora, come join me.” Lillian waved to her. “Owen and a few others went boating. I couldn’t face being on the water. I was afraid I’d get another migraine.”
Pandora was disappointed; she would have loved to go out on a boat. The river was a brilliant blue, and the air was thick with summer scents. But she had been in her room with Virginia when they left. Owen wouldn’t have known where to find her.
“I hope you’re feeling better,” Pandora said, sitting on a chaise lounge next to her.
“Much better, I should have been more careful.” Lillian nodded. “The same thing happened last summer when we were on the Lido of Venice. We were at the Excelsior of course, it’s the only place to stay. I got so sunburned I had to lie in my room with a cold cloth on my forehead. From Venice we drove to Portofino, and the road was so winding, I got a migraine all over again.” She lifted the brim of her hat. “I adored Portofino. It was nothing more than a fishing village until a few years ago. It became popular because some British author wrote a novel set there. My mother read it; it’s called Enchanted April. I tried, but I couldn’t get past the first chapter.” She opened her mouth in a yawn. “Portofino is much less touristy than Naples or Capri. Have you been?”
Pandora shook her head. “I’ve never been out of New York.”
Lillian studied Pandora as if she were some kind of foreign species. Pandora wondered if that’s how the animals felt at the zoo.
“That’s right, your father is the Van Luyens’ tennis instructor. Owen said he went all the way to Wimbledon.”
“That was a long time ago,” Pandora said uncomfortably. “He’s been an instructor for as long as I can remember.”
“It must be strange for you,” Lillian went on. “Always being dependent on others for everything.”
“We’re all dependent on other people,” Pandora said, working to keep her voice pleasant. “Archie’s parents gave him a car, and Virginia’s mother buys Virginia’s clothes in London. The breakfast I ate this morning was made by the Winthrops’ cook. I didn’t go out to the henhouse and collect the eggs myself.” She had to be courteous, but Lillian was making it difficult.
“Parents are supposed to give their children things,” Lillian said airily. “I meant it must be difficult for you. Being part of all this but not really.” She waved at the house. “You were only invited to the house party because of Archie and Virginia. It’s like that story, The Prince and the Pauper, by Mark Twain.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Pandora replied, even though she knew exactly what Lillian meant.
“We performed the play in school. Spence is a girl’s school, so I played the lead,” Lillian continued. “The prince and the pauper change places because the prince wants to know what it’s like to be a regular boy. It doesn’t work out.” She looked at Pandora archly. “We’re born to be who we are. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Pandora had read The Prince and the Pauper, and that’s not what she took away from the story. Prince Edward learns what it’s like to live in a London slum, and Tom sees the drawbacks and responsibilities that come with being a prince. When they switch places at the end, they’re both kinder and more understanding of others.
But Pandora had already said enough. She couldn’t afford to get in an argument with Lillian.
Lillian stretched out on the chaise lounge. She did have a lovely figure. A belt encircled her small waist, and she had full breasts and shapely legs.
“My father wanted me to go to finishing school in Switzerland to learn how to be a good society wife.” Lillian set aside her magazine. “I told him I didn’t need to. I was born knowing the right people to invite to dinner parties and how to serve afternoon tea.” She gave Pandora a small smile. “And I already know what kind of man I’m going to marry, so why waste my time on European men?”
Later that afternoon, guests mingled on the lawn and waited for the treasure hunt to begin. A buzz of excitement ran through the crowd, increased by the cocktails being served. Pandora had already drunk two sidecars. She knew she shouldn’t drink in the afternoon, but her conversation with Lillian caused a pain behind her eyes, and she had to do something to make it go away.
“There you are.” Archie approached her. He wore knickerbockers and a white V-neck sweater. Though he had a straw hat jammed on his head, his face looked tan from boating. For a moment, Pandora envied him. Archie didn’t have to spend hours choosing the right outfit. No matter what he wore, he fit in.
“I’ll need one of those,” Archie said, pointing to Pandora’s cocktail. “You haven’t been to one of Mabel Winthrop’s treasure hunts. The items are impossible to find, and she gives extra clues to the people she likes best. It’s as if we’re in grade school and have to compete with the teacher’s pet.”
“Or you’re lazy and can’t be bothered to look.” Pandora laughed.
“The whole purpose of a house party is to be lazy,” Archie grumbled. “Instead, I spent hours rowing on the Hudson. My arms are tired.”