Shades of Earl Grey Read Online Free PDF Page B

was her private oasis. Big roll-top desk wedged into a small space, wall filled with framed mementos that included photos, opera programs, and tea labels. A cushy green velvet guest chair faced her desk, a chair that Drayton had dubbed “the tuffet.”
    Sitting at her desk, Theodosia thought about the hellish events of last night. Did someone actually crash through the roof and steal the antique wedding ring or am I just trying to rationalize a terrible event? When bad things happen to good people, that sort of thing?
    She thought about it, tried to dismiss her somewhat strange theory.
    But it wouldn’t go away. Stuck in her mind like a burr.
    All right, she thought to herself, then I’ve got to tell someone. Who, though? The police? Hmm, seems a little alarmist. No, she decided, Delaine will come by. She always does. I’ll run it by Delaine and then, if it still holds water, Delaine can take it to the police.
    She wasn’t about to get pulled into this, was she? No, of course not.
    Haley was always kidding her that she liked nothing better than a good mystery to poke her nose into. Well, she was going to leave this incident well enough alone, wasn’t she?
    Wasn’t she?
    Theodosia sighed. On the other hand . . . from the moment she’d climbed that ladder last night, she’d felt as if she was being pulled slowly and inexorably into what appeared to be a web of intrigue.
    What was this strange fascination she had with murder? Why did she have this dark side?
    Enough, she decided as she flipped open her weekly planner and studied her calendar. This weekend looked relatively quiet. Tomorrow, Saturday night, was the members-only party at the Heritage Society to celebrate the opening of next week’s big Treasures Show. And then her calendar was fairly clear until the following Thursday afternoon when they were scheduled to have an open house at the tea shop.
    The open house. She had to start thinking seriously about that. The Indigo Tea Shop was about to kick off its new line of tea-inspired bath and beauty products and she had to decide exactly what refreshments they’d be serving, what theme this little launch party should follow.
    Theodosia had experienced a brainstorm not too long ago about packaging green teas, dried lavender, chamomile, calendula petals, and other tea and herb mixtures into oversized tea bags for use in the bath. She had commissioned a small batch to be manufactured by a highly reputable cosmetics firm and then tested the feasibility of those products on her web site. Much to her delight, the T-Bath products, as she had named them, had sold remarkably well, so she expanded the line to include lotions and oils as well. This coming Thursday, their open house would serve as the official product launch for the new T-Bath line. She’d already been interviewed by the Charleston Post & Courier and a fairly in-depth article about her new bath products would be running in their Style Section sometime next week.
    â€œTheodosia?”
    Theodosia looked up to find Haley standing in her doorway. She wiggled her fingers, gesturing for Haley to come in.
    â€œDelaine’s here,” Haley told her. “She’d like to talk to you.”
    â€œHow is she?” asked Theodosia.
    â€œSniffly. Subdued,” said Haley. “Same as us.”
    â€œYou’re a real trooper for coming in,” Theodosia told her. “Last night was pretty rough.”
    â€œThat’s okay,” said Haley. “I feel better now. Sad for poor Camille, of course.” Haley shook her head as if to clear it. “Strangely enough, Delaine is dressed to the nines. Anyone else would have thrown on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I guess Delaine’s brain doesn’t operate that way.”
    â€œShe probably just came from her store,” said Theodosia. “So she had to dress up.”
    Delaine’s store, Cotton Duck, was just down the block from