It is winter, and the stone balustrades have a coating of frost as my sister and I collide on the stairs in our night shifts, hanging over the edge to watch the horses arrive in the main courtyard.

• 那时正值冬天，石栏披着迷蒙的夜雾，以致我去顶替姐姐守望前院的马匹时，我们在楼梯上撞在了一起。