Arrival of the Quincey Cousins

Briony's cousins from the north—Lola, fifteen, and the nine-year-old twins Jackson and Pierrot—arrive at the Tallis house. They are refugees from their parents' bitter divorce, a fact that Briony, absorbed in her artistic ambitions, largely ignores. Briony rushes out to greet them, clutching her play scripts and announcing that rehearsals will begin in five minutes. Her mother and sister, Cecilia, intervene to impose a more relaxed timetable, showing the cousins to their rooms and offering them cordial and a swim. The Quincey children are ginger-haired and freckled, a physical trait that will later complicate Briony's casting decisions. The arrival introduces the theme of family breakdown and the vulnerability of the children, which will be exploited later in the story.