Chapter Fifteen
It was strange to go back into my parents’ house with my weekender bags slung over my shoulder and make my goodbyes, but by then they seemed to have resigned themselves to my departure. My mother’s eyes were a little too bright, and my father seemed too quiet, as if he was holding back the things he really wanted to say. However, they were civil enough to Raphael, who treated them with that grave charm I loved so much. I could see it beginning to have an effect on my mother; she didn’t exactly fawn over him, but I could see her start to unbend, as if her bad memories of the way he had acted all those years ago were starting to be overridden by her current encounters with him. I had to hope so, anyway.
My father was friendly enough as well, although I could tell from the c
