The Van Meters were so charming at first. Daphne was sweet and serene. Livia was just a kid and worshipped Dominique. Biddy was practical, brisk, kind. Winn wore bow ties and pocket squares and attacked all parts of his life with a certainty and precision that Dominique found reassuring. There were no weeds in the Van Meter garden, no unmatched socks in their laundry room. A tennis ball hung from a string in the garage to mark the exact location where the car must be parked. The milk was thrown out the day before it expired. Yet everything they did - playing tennis, cooking dinner, making friends, getting dressed - seemed effortless.