“I was fluent in German and French by age seven. With three governesses and hours of Latin, math, and piano daily.” She straightened, wiggling her shoulders. “My mother forced me to wear a steel rod down my spine to straighten my posture. If I slouched, I’d be whipped with a riding crop. If I chewed too loudly, I’d be whipped. If I folded my napkin wrong, you guessed it—whipped.”
