25: Tea with Helga StraussHelga was clumsy. She managed to pour almost as much tea into the saucers as the cups. She wasn’t at all apologetic and kept up a constant flow of chatter. Eliza was the only guest, but the other members of the Strauss family had gathered in the hallway to greet her when she arrived and look her over with ill-concealed curiosity.
Eliza had felt obliged to accept Helga’s invitation, but had approached the house with a sinking heart: she was conscious of her face and dreading being asked to remove her veil and having to explain her injuries.
Once they were alone in the drawing room, Helga’s monologue ranged from listing the names, ages and occupations of each member of her family to her favourite books and songs and descriptions of every concert she had attended i
