Pretty Things

Nina returns as narrator and announces that Vanessa thinks they are friends. She holds Nina tight, and Nina wants to choke her. She reminds herself: She is Ashley, and Ashley is emphatic, so Nina hugs Vanessa and thinks about what she put in the library.

One day earlier, Nina returns to their arrival and first impressions of Vanessa: Her highlights, puffy eyes, and sharp hip bones contrast with the perfect influencer they expected. Vanessa’s energetic greetings make Ashley cringe—Vanessa is a fake.

Nina says the inside of Stonehaven is the same. She comments on how the castle-like structure taught her the difference between her and the wealthy. It also made her appreciate beauty and prompted her to study art history. She compares the cluttered, claustrophobic space to the modern mansions where minimalism reigns.

The trio discusses Lachlan’s family castle, and Vanessa admits that she is lonely, but, hopefully, Nina and Lachlan (Ashley and Michael) will fix that. They have tea, and Nina thinks that Vanessa is deranged. Vanessa asks Nina if she has been to Tahoe. Nina replies: Never. Lachlan says that they came for the quiet. He is on sabbatical and plans to work on an experimental novel and drops the name of the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño.