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the unthinkable she must take responsibility alone for the thunderstorms ahead.
    ‘What do you mean, you’re not coming with me?’ Evadne almost choked on her pasta soup.
    They were sitting in the dining room when Penny announced her intentions in a croaky voice.
    ‘I’m not going back. I want to stay in Athens and continue my lessons.’
    ‘Don’t be tiresome, it’s all arranged. We leave in two weeks.’ She tore off a chunk of thick bread.
    ‘Then we can unarrange it. I can stay here with Walter until I get myself sorted,’ Penny continued, seeing she had her sister’s full attention now.
    ‘Oh, no you won’t. I can’t have a single girl staying with me. When Evadne goes, so do you, and that’s the end of the matter,’ Walter snapped. ‘It’s not proper.’
    ‘Who cares what’s proper? I want to be a student not a debutante.’
    ‘And just how do you intend to do that with no allowance? Live off thin air?’ Walter slammed down his soup spoon in annoyance. ‘You’ve never earned a penny in your life.’
    ‘I know, isn’t it dreadful at my age? But I’ll find a way . . . I’m not going and that’s that.’
    ‘We’ll see about that. I’m going to telegraph Mummy right now. She’ll insist you return. We didn’t bring you out here to make waves in the family. You have to do what is expected. Don’t disgrace us,’ Evadne demanded. ‘I don’t want to fall out with you. I thought you’d grown up enough to know when it’s time to leave the party.’
    ‘I’m sorry to disappoint you all, Effy, but is it disgraceful to want to earn my own living, to exercise my brain and be useful, not just an ornament?’ Penny hated upsetting her sister but she had to make her understand how she was really feeling.
    ‘So I’m just an ornament then, no use to anyone? Is that what you think after all we’ve done for you, you ungrateful madam?’ Evadne was in tears now. ‘What’s got into you? It must be the influenza; they do say it can affect the brain. You’re not thinking straight. We’ve given you all this freedom and you throw it back in our faces. How can I return home without you?’
    ‘Can’t you see I’m trying to be grown-up? You came here alone, and I have been useful here since . . .’ she hesitated, not wanting to hurt her sister further, ‘. . . since you were ill. I didn’t mean to stay so long but things happened. I just love being here. I belong and I’ve made friends. Why can’t you see that?’
    ‘It’s that Bruce Jardine, he’s at the back of this. He’s filled your head with nonsense.’ Walter banged his spoon down again as if trying to call her to heel.
    Penny felt her cheeks flushing. ‘No, it’s not,’ she replied, but they were not convinced.
    ‘Look I understand, you’ve got a pash on him,’ Evadne leaped in, sensing a chink in her resolve. ‘Oh, Penny, it’s what happens at your age. You’ve led a sheltered life. He’s the first boy who’s shown an interest but he’s an adventurer and not likely to settle for anyone less than a countess when the time comes. I’ve seen his type: handsome, sporty and a bit of a daredevil; the sort that breaks your heart. Don’t throw it all away drooling after something that’s never going to be yours.’
    Penny shook her head. ‘You’ve got it all wrong. Bruce isn’t interested in me one bit.’ Somehow saying it aloud suddenly made it more true, more real and it hurt. ‘I’m staying because this is where I want to be, not parading round some stuffy ballroom in London.’
    ‘We’ll see about that,’ said the couple in unison as they looked at each other.
    ‘You are in no position to argue any more,’ Evadne added. ‘Let’s just finish dinner in peace.’
    The atmosphere in the villa was fraught for days afterwards as Evadne made preparations for leaving and Penny refused to budge at first. She spent as much time as she could at the student hostel, reading, drawing, making herself useful in the museum,