The Fountains of Silence: A Novel

Puri goes to Julia for advice about when to keep a secret and when to tell the truth. Julia guesses that this has to do with Puri’s work at the Inclusa, and tells her to “give [her] best self to those children” (346). She tells Puri that mothers want their children cared for by someone like Puri: “Someone who cares enough to hold their children, to love them, to think of their future” (346). Puri wonders if Julia is hinting that Puri was once one of those children.

At breakfast, Daniel is in a very awkward position. His parents are delighted that Laura Beth is there, but Daniel is not. Laura Beth admits that she broke up with Daniel and explains why. His mother is angry, and Laura Beth reveals that she really came to Madrid to get a designer dress for a ball she’s attending. Daniel explains that he’s seeing someone else, and Laura Beth tells him he has lipstick on his ear before telling Daniel’s father that her father will “reimburse [him] for the plane fare” (348).