The Diva Serves High Tea Read Online Free PDF Page B

so scary to me. It was an old sideboard painted cream. The guys shifted their hold on it and turned it around. The front had three carved sections. Two of them were of gorgeous fruit. Very pretty for a dining room. But the middle section featured a gargoyle face that made me shudder. Who would have carved such an evil visage on a sideboard? For once, I was in full agreement with Natasha. “What possessed you to buy it?”
    She flapped her hand. “I needed something to donate to the auction. It’s certainly unusual.”
    â€œIn other words, you got a deal on it.”
    â€œYou like old stuff. Will you buy it at the auction?”
    â€œI’m all for supporting literacy, especially for kids, but I don’t think I would like that particular piece in my home.”
    Natasha frowned at me as though I had alarmed her. “What if no one buys it?”
    There was a pretty good chance of that happening. “Then I guess it’s yours.”
    â€œUgh. I just never have understood—”
    She stopped midsentence. Aha! She still disliked antiques. Something was up with her.
    Bernie latched the door on the truck, and Mars climbed inside. Just before Bernie hopped in the driver’s seat he said, “See you at the antiques store, Natasha.” The truck pulled out.
    Natasha fluffed her hair. “That wasn’t so bad.” She looked at her watch. “Now I can have lunch and relax for a few hours. See you later.” She started toward her house.
    I spun around and grabbed her arm. “You’re kidding, right? Those guys are going to dump everything in a big pile if you’re not there.”
    â€œBut I have a lunch date.”
    A date? Wow! Mars hadn’t needed to agonize over leaving Natasha. She’d been planning the same thing all along. “Then you’d better cancel it.”
    She tilted her head and whined. “Sophie . . .”
    â€œNo way. This is not my gig. You made promises, and I am not filling in for you. Pull yourself together and get going. They’ll be arriving at the store any minute. And I’d suggest wearing clothes that can get dusty.”
    â€œSophie! When did you become so selfish? Can’t you do me this teensy little favor?”
    I walked away—fast! Maybe Natasha could wheedle other people into doing everything for her, but I had had enough of it. Of course, when I turned the corner in front of her house, I felt a little guilty. After all, she
had
been attacked the night before. But then I saw a curtain move in her living room window and the vague outline of a man drifted away.
    I knew one thing. It was not Mars.
    I spent the next few hours working on the upcoming Halloween ball at the Kennedy Center and trying to put Natasha and her tea auction out of my mind. It wasn’t my responsibility to fix it, I kept telling myself.
    Besides, one thousand family lawyers were about to descend on Old Town for their annual meeting and they
were
my responsibility. They had taken care of their own agenda but I had been hired for a few special events like the banquet on their closing night, and special trips around Washington, DC, to entertain their families while the lawyers attended sessions.
    Just before two o’clock, I walked Daisy and came home to shower and dress for the Tea, Brie, and Skeleton Key auction and tea. The announcement had said something about Victorian apparel. I located an outrageously fancy cream-colored hat adorned with lush peonies, faux pearls, and a dramatic fluffy faux feather that I had worn for an event years ago. I pulled it out of the hatbox and sought an appropriate dress to go with it. A sleeveless dress of faint pink lace over cream picked up the colors of the hat nicely,even if it wasn’t exactly right for early fall. The skirt flared to mid-calf, which seemed appropriate to me. I added dangling pearl earrings and a plain pearl necklace. I wasn’t sure why, but pearls seemed