Slade House

Rita Bishop, a Royal College of Music musician, is invited to Lady Norah Grayer’s home, Slade House, for a musical soirée. Struggling to support her 13-year-old son, Nathan, in the wake of her divorce, Rita hopes to network with Arts Council members and grants managers so that she can get a job. At Lady Grayer’s insistence, Rita brings Nathan, who is the narrator of this chapter.

Dressed in her finest concert clothes and hairpin decorated with a fox’s head, Rita is anxious to make a good impression on Lady Grayer. She reminds Nathan of his manners and instructs him to lie that they reached the house by taxi.

Nathan is less anxious than his mother, partly because he stole two of Rita’s Valium pills. He is surprised that Lady Grayer’s neighborhood is less affluent than he expected, situated near a pub called The Fox and Hounds on Westwood Road. The residence is accessible through a narrow path between two houses called Slade Alley.

When they enter, Nathan finds a dead cat and becomes concerned about informing the owner that their cat has died. Rita tells him to forget about it—they are late for the gathering. They search for the small black iron door that marks Slade House, but they cannot find it.