so foreign, and so strange, to Olivia, and it reminded her again of how different they were. In spite of the similar instincts they sometimes shared, and their apparent similarities, there were some enormous differences between them.
"Maybe you should marry Charles Dawson, " Victoria was teasing her by then, as they both began dressing for dinner with Bertie. "Since you think he's so sweet. Maybe you'd like being married to him, " Victoria said, as she did up the slide fastener on the back of Olivia's dress, and then turned around to have hers done in turn. It was a new invention that had just come into fashion that year, and it was incredibly easy, and a vast improvement over rows of tiny buttons that tangled one's fingers.
"Don't be stupid, " Olivia said of her sister's comment about Charles Dawson. "I've only met him twice in my life, " Olivia said quietly.
"But you like him. Don't lie to me. I can see it."
"All right, so I like him. So what? He's intelligent and pleasant to talk to, and terribly useful when my sister winds up in jail.
Maybe I will have to marry him if you make a habit of becoming a jailbird.
Either that, or go to law school myself."
"Now, that would be much better, " Victoria said firmly.
The two sisters had made their peace with each other again by the time they were dressed, and Olivia had almost forgiven her for the exotic end to the afternoon, but she had forced Victoria to swear that she would stay away from demonstrations for the rest of their stay in New York.
She didn't want to spend her time there getting Victoria out of trouble.
Victoria promised reluctantly, and lit a cigarette in their bathroom while Olivia combed her hair and complained about how unattractive it looked for a lady to smoke cigarettes, but Victoria only laughed at her and told her she sounded like Bertie.
"If she ever knew you smoked, she'd kill you! " Olivia waved her hairbrush at her twin to emphasize her point, as Victoria laughed, looking terribly racy as she sat with her long legs crossed on the edge of their huge tub, in one of the dresses Olivia had just bought them.
It was bright red and a little shorter than some of the dresses they wore, in fact it was extremely fashionable and suited them both to perfection.
"I like it by the way, " Victoria complimented her as they walked downstairs to the dining room with their arms around each other.
"I like all the dresses you pick for us. Maybe I'll just live with you for the rest of my life, and forget about Europe."
"I wouldn't mind that, " Olivia said softly, feeling sad at the thought of a time when they might not be together. She had never let herself think of marriage because she couldn't bear the thought of leaving either of them, her father, or her twin sister. It would have been like leaving part of herself behind, and she felt at times that there would have been nothing left of her without them. "I can't imagine ever leaving you, " Olivia said as she looked at the familiar face she had seen all her life, so totally identical to her own that it was like looking in the mirror. Each detail that the one had, the other had on the opposite side, so that it really was like looking in the mirror.
"I couldn't leave you, " Olivia said, looking at Victoria, who smiled and kissed her cheek gently.
"You won't ever have to, Ollie. I don't suppose I could bear to go anywhere without you. I'm all talk, " she said, sensing that she had upset Olivia with her talk of Europe. "I'll just stay home with you and get arrested whenever I need a breather."
"You dare! " Olivia wagged a finger at her again, as Bertie joined them in the dining room in a black silk suit Olivia had had copied for her from a magazine from Paris. It looked surprisingly well on her, and she wore it whenever she had dinner with the family, which she considered an honor.
"And where were you all afternoon, Victoria? " Bertie asked as they took their seats, and both girls averted their gazes as they
"Maybe you should marry Charles Dawson, " Victoria was teasing her by then, as they both began dressing for dinner with Bertie. "Since you think he's so sweet. Maybe you'd like being married to him, " Victoria said, as she did up the slide fastener on the back of Olivia's dress, and then turned around to have hers done in turn. It was a new invention that had just come into fashion that year, and it was incredibly easy, and a vast improvement over rows of tiny buttons that tangled one's fingers.
"Don't be stupid, " Olivia said of her sister's comment about Charles Dawson. "I've only met him twice in my life, " Olivia said quietly.
"But you like him. Don't lie to me. I can see it."
"All right, so I like him. So what? He's intelligent and pleasant to talk to, and terribly useful when my sister winds up in jail.
Maybe I will have to marry him if you make a habit of becoming a jailbird.
Either that, or go to law school myself."
"Now, that would be much better, " Victoria said firmly.
The two sisters had made their peace with each other again by the time they were dressed, and Olivia had almost forgiven her for the exotic end to the afternoon, but she had forced Victoria to swear that she would stay away from demonstrations for the rest of their stay in New York.
She didn't want to spend her time there getting Victoria out of trouble.
Victoria promised reluctantly, and lit a cigarette in their bathroom while Olivia combed her hair and complained about how unattractive it looked for a lady to smoke cigarettes, but Victoria only laughed at her and told her she sounded like Bertie.
"If she ever knew you smoked, she'd kill you! " Olivia waved her hairbrush at her twin to emphasize her point, as Victoria laughed, looking terribly racy as she sat with her long legs crossed on the edge of their huge tub, in one of the dresses Olivia had just bought them.
It was bright red and a little shorter than some of the dresses they wore, in fact it was extremely fashionable and suited them both to perfection.
"I like it by the way, " Victoria complimented her as they walked downstairs to the dining room with their arms around each other.
"I like all the dresses you pick for us. Maybe I'll just live with you for the rest of my life, and forget about Europe."
"I wouldn't mind that, " Olivia said softly, feeling sad at the thought of a time when they might not be together. She had never let herself think of marriage because she couldn't bear the thought of leaving either of them, her father, or her twin sister. It would have been like leaving part of herself behind, and she felt at times that there would have been nothing left of her without them. "I can't imagine ever leaving you, " Olivia said as she looked at the familiar face she had seen all her life, so totally identical to her own that it was like looking in the mirror. Each detail that the one had, the other had on the opposite side, so that it really was like looking in the mirror.
"I couldn't leave you, " Olivia said, looking at Victoria, who smiled and kissed her cheek gently.
"You won't ever have to, Ollie. I don't suppose I could bear to go anywhere without you. I'm all talk, " she said, sensing that she had upset Olivia with her talk of Europe. "I'll just stay home with you and get arrested whenever I need a breather."
"You dare! " Olivia wagged a finger at her again, as Bertie joined them in the dining room in a black silk suit Olivia had had copied for her from a magazine from Paris. It looked surprisingly well on her, and she wore it whenever she had dinner with the family, which she considered an honor.
"And where were you all afternoon, Victoria? " Bertie asked as they took their seats, and both girls averted their gazes as they
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