I knew youd come, she whispered.
I left right after you called.
Thank you, Chase. I didnt know who else to turn to. She stood back, looked at him. Poor thing, you must be exhausted. Come in, Ill get you some coffee.
They stepped into the foyer. It was like stepping back into childhood, so little had changed. The same oak floors, the same light, the same smells. He almost thought that if he turned around and looked through the doorway into the parlor, hed see his mother sitting there at her desk, madly scribbling away. The old girl never did take to the typewriter; shed believed, and rightly so, that if a gossip column was juicy enough, an editor would accept it in Swahili. As it turned out, not only had the editor acquired her column, hed acquired her as well. All in all, a practical marriage.
His mother never did learn to type.
Hello, Uncle Chase.
Chase looked up to see a young man and woman standing at the top of the stairs. Those couldnt be the twins! He watched in astonishment as the pair came down the steps, Phillip in the lead. The last time hed seen his niece and nephew theyd been gawky adolescents, not quite grown into their big feet. Both of them were tall and blond and lean, but there the resemblance ended. Phillip moved with the graceful assurance of a dancer, an elegant Fred Astaire partnered with well, certainly not Ginger Rogers. The young woman who ambled down after him bore a closer resemblance to a horse.
I cant believe this is Cassie and Phillip, said Chase.
Youve stayed away too long, Evelyn replied.
Phillip came forward and shook Chases hand. It was the greeting of a stranger, not a nephew. His hand was slender, refined, the hand of a gentleman. He had his mothers stamp of aristocracy straight nose, chiseled cheeks, green eyes. Uncle Chase, he said somberly. Its a terrible reason to come home, but Im glad youre here.
Chase shifted his gaze to Cassie. When hed last seen his niece she was a lively little monkey with a never-ending supply of questions. He could scarcely believe shed grown into this sullen young woman. Could grief have wrought such changes? Her limp hair was pulled back so tightly it seemed to turn her face into a collection of jutting angles: large nose, rabbity overbite, a square forehead unsoftened by even a trace of bangs. Only her eyes held any trace of that distant ten-year-old. They were direct, sharply intelligent.
Hello, Uncle Chase, she said. A strikingly businesslike tone for a girl whod just lost her father.
Cassie, said Evelyn. Cant you give your uncle a kiss? Hes come all this way to be with us.
Cassie moved forward and planted a wooden peck on Chases cheek. Just as quickly she stepped back, as though embarrassed by this false ceremony of affection.
Youve certainly grown up, said Chase, the most charitable assessment he could offer.
Yes. It happens.
How old are you now?
Almost twenty.
So you both must be in college.
Cassie nodded, the first trace of a smile touching her lips. Im at the University of Southern Maine. Studying journalism. I figured, one of these days the Heralds going to need a
Phillips at Harvard, Evelyn cut in. Just like his father.
Cassies smile died before it was fully born. She shot a look of irritation at her mother, then turned and headed up the stairs.
Cassie, where are you going?
I have to do my laundry.
But your uncle just got here. Come back and sit with us.
Why, Mother? she shot back over her shoulder. You can entertain him perfectly well on your own.
Cassie!
The girl turned and glared down at Evelyn. What?
You are embarrassing me.
Well, thats nothing new.
Evelyn, close to tears, turned to Chase. You see how things are? I cant even count on my own children. Chase, I cant deal with this all alone. I just cant. Stifling a sob, she turned and walked into the parlor.
The twins looked at each other.
Youve done it again, said Phillip. Its a lousy time to fight, Cassie. Cant you feel sorry for her? Cant you try and get along? Just for the next few days.
Its not as if I dont try. But she drives me up a wall.
Okay, then at least be civil. He paused, then added, You know its what Dad would want.
Cassie sighed. Then, resignedly, she came down the steps and headed into the parlor, after her mother. I guess I owe him that much.
Shaking his head, Phillip looked at Chase. Just another episode of the delightful Tremain family.
Has it been like this for a while?
Years, at least. Youre just seeing them at their worst. Youd think, after last night, after losing Dad, we could pull together. Instead it seems to be driving us all apart.
They went into the parlor and found mother and daughter sitting at opposite ends of the room. Both had regained their composure. Phillip took a seat between them, reinforcing his role as perpetual human buffer. Chase settled into a corner armchair his idea of neutral territory.
Sunshine washed in through the bay windows, onto the gleaming wood floor. The silence was filled by the ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece. It all looked the same, thought Chase. The same Hepplewhite tables, the same Queen Anne chairs. It was exactly the way he remembered it from childhood. Evelyn had not altered a single detail. For that he felt grateful.