"Shall we call for tea?" Catherine finally asked.
The family stared at Catherine as if she'd spoken a strange foreign language.
"Some tea would be wonderful," Catherine said.
Catherine rang a small bell, and the doors swung open. Two men carrying a large silver tray with a silver teapot and crystal tea cups entered the room. They moved in lockstep, carefully placing the heavy tray on the low table before they backed out of the room.
"Please allow me to pour the tea," Catherine said.
She slid forward on the sofa and reached for the teapot. It was surprisingly heavy as she lifted it and her arm trembled slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Iris smirk. With a deep breath, she began to pour the tea, steadying the enormous teapot with her other hand. When each cup was filled with steaming brown liquid, she added the sugar and stirred in the milk.
"I don't take sugar with my tea," Iris sniffed.
