CHAPTER FIVE
“Come,” said Michiko, “we’re having tea.”
A dozen or more girls were assembled in the garden room, all laughing and talking. In a corner of the room was a huge samovar. Michiko fetched cups of steaming tea for both of them, and sat Cressida down in the circle. On a low table in front of them was a tray of tiny cakes. Cressida tried one. It was delicious.
The girls all talked at once, their discourse punctuated by giggles and occasional shrieks of laughter. How can they be so carefree, Cressida wondered? After a while Michiko stood up.
“Nasreen is going to teach us a dance,” she said.
A beautiful girl with long jet–black hair got to her feet. She went to a cupboard at the side of the room and returned with a pile of chiffon scarves, strips of gauzy material in bright colou
