Summary

In Chapter 8, Nora is stunned that Clare is marrying James. Clare says that neither she nor James has done anything wrong and both want Nora’s blessing. Before anything else can be said, Flora appears in the doorway of the house to greet Clare and bring her inside. Nora is devastated, for she has spent ten years trying to forget about James. Yet, she realizes that she and James have been broken up for a decade, and so Clare and James really have done nothing wrong. Nora goes upstairs to shower, and cannot help but reflect on meeting James when she was sixteen. Downstairs, festivities get underway and Nora goes to join in.

In Chapter 9, Nora joins everyone else downstairs. There, she discovers that Flo is wearing the exact same clothes as Clara. Tequila, pita bread, and other light refreshments are brought out while...