“We’ll go for a walk in the garden after your nap,” I said.

“With my pink coat?” she asked.

“With the pink coat,” I told her.

She smiled, put the red stethoscope back in her toy doctor kit and clicked the yellow latch shut.

At six in the evening, the dining room had turned cold from the draft creeping under the tall garden doors.

The mahogany table was set with crystal glasses that caught the dim glow of the chandelier.

Judith sat at the head of the table in a high-backed chair, drumming her manicured nails on the wood in a steady beat.