been writing for twenty years,” he said, shaking his head, “and I’m as confused about the process as I ever was. It’s still a mystery to me. Meet you in a little bit, Vicki?”
“Half an hour near the zinnias?”
“Sounds good,” he said as he walked away on a path that led to the back of the house.
“Well,” Teddy said quietly as he watched Ethan’s retreat, “that’s about as low as I’ve seen Mr. Ethan.”
“Yeah, he’s been awfully quiet all week. I think that’s why Marc’s being even more outrageous than usual; he’s trying to make him laugh. Marc says this latest play has totally stalled and Ethan has almost given up on it.”
“Well, at least the gardens look good,” Teddy observed as he took in the landscape. “Clem!” At the mention of her name the dog came to attention. “Go with Ethan. He needs your help.” Clementine looked to where Ethan had just disappeared, around the corner of the house, and took off in pursuit. “That’ll keep him occupied.”
Vicki leaned back into her husband’s embrace and smiled. “Oh yes, she’s quite the helper. It’s good of Phoebe to have all of us over tonight.
“ Well, I don’t know how good it is of her. I suspect she has ulterior motives.
“ What do you mean?” Vicki asked.
“ She’s gone all Miss Marple over this Roz thing. She wants to find out if we know anything new.”
“ What makes you think that?”
“ Because she called the office yesterday and pumped Clea for thirty minutes about all things Rosamund Whiting. She said she was “preparing dossiers” on all the “suspects.”
Vicki laughed. “Do you think she’s serious?”
“ What I think,” her husband began, “is that she’ll show up tomorrow night wearing a Burberry trench coat and carrying a magnifying glass in her Hermes purse. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t have Vincent fingerprint everyone.”
“ You know,” Vicki giggled, “for the first time all week, I’m starting to look forward to our little gathering.”
Chapter 10
Instead of driving the quarter mile to Phoebe’s house, the foursome decided to walk. It was a lovely summer evening and although the sun hadn’t quite set, the wooded area to their right was dark enough to encourage a smattering of fireflies to start their nightly ritual. To the right of the group, beyond a precarious drop-off, flowed the Hudson River. A low stone wall ran along the path, ensuring that no one veered too close to the cliff. On the other side of the magnificent estuary, a glowing red-orange orb was beginning its descent behind the indigo peaks of the Catskill range, sending fingers of purple reaching across the sky. The four stopped near the Courting Oak and took in the glorious sunset. The massive tree was so named because generations of McDowell men, including Teddy, had chosen this spot to propose to their future brides. As twilight established itself, the group continued on its way to the Big House, as it had come be called over the years in order to differentiate it from Teddy and Vicki’s place, which was absurdly referred to as the Cottage.
After cocktails were served on the patio, which was gaily illuminated by brightly colored paper Chinese lanterns, a Phoebe Russell McDowell summer staple, the group moved inside to the dining room to enjoy shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, roasted potatoes, and grilled asparagus. Mrs. O’Hanion, who along with her husband, Gerald, always accompanied Phoebe to Lenore’s Folly, might not travel the adventurous culinary trails on which Marc journeyed, but her traditional meals were excellently prepared nonetheless. The group praised the meal profusely before adjourning to the drawing room for dessert and coffee.
Like the rest of the Big House, Phoebe’s drawing room, or withdrawing room as it had been called in earlier times, was decorated in whites and creams with bold splashes of color in the accessories. She had purposely kept the woods and fabrics muted
“Half an hour near the zinnias?”
“Sounds good,” he said as he walked away on a path that led to the back of the house.
“Well,” Teddy said quietly as he watched Ethan’s retreat, “that’s about as low as I’ve seen Mr. Ethan.”
“Yeah, he’s been awfully quiet all week. I think that’s why Marc’s being even more outrageous than usual; he’s trying to make him laugh. Marc says this latest play has totally stalled and Ethan has almost given up on it.”
“Well, at least the gardens look good,” Teddy observed as he took in the landscape. “Clem!” At the mention of her name the dog came to attention. “Go with Ethan. He needs your help.” Clementine looked to where Ethan had just disappeared, around the corner of the house, and took off in pursuit. “That’ll keep him occupied.”
Vicki leaned back into her husband’s embrace and smiled. “Oh yes, she’s quite the helper. It’s good of Phoebe to have all of us over tonight.
“ Well, I don’t know how good it is of her. I suspect she has ulterior motives.
“ What do you mean?” Vicki asked.
“ She’s gone all Miss Marple over this Roz thing. She wants to find out if we know anything new.”
“ What makes you think that?”
“ Because she called the office yesterday and pumped Clea for thirty minutes about all things Rosamund Whiting. She said she was “preparing dossiers” on all the “suspects.”
Vicki laughed. “Do you think she’s serious?”
“ What I think,” her husband began, “is that she’ll show up tomorrow night wearing a Burberry trench coat and carrying a magnifying glass in her Hermes purse. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t have Vincent fingerprint everyone.”
“ You know,” Vicki giggled, “for the first time all week, I’m starting to look forward to our little gathering.”
Chapter 10
Instead of driving the quarter mile to Phoebe’s house, the foursome decided to walk. It was a lovely summer evening and although the sun hadn’t quite set, the wooded area to their right was dark enough to encourage a smattering of fireflies to start their nightly ritual. To the right of the group, beyond a precarious drop-off, flowed the Hudson River. A low stone wall ran along the path, ensuring that no one veered too close to the cliff. On the other side of the magnificent estuary, a glowing red-orange orb was beginning its descent behind the indigo peaks of the Catskill range, sending fingers of purple reaching across the sky. The four stopped near the Courting Oak and took in the glorious sunset. The massive tree was so named because generations of McDowell men, including Teddy, had chosen this spot to propose to their future brides. As twilight established itself, the group continued on its way to the Big House, as it had come be called over the years in order to differentiate it from Teddy and Vicki’s place, which was absurdly referred to as the Cottage.
After cocktails were served on the patio, which was gaily illuminated by brightly colored paper Chinese lanterns, a Phoebe Russell McDowell summer staple, the group moved inside to the dining room to enjoy shrimp cocktail, filet mignon, roasted potatoes, and grilled asparagus. Mrs. O’Hanion, who along with her husband, Gerald, always accompanied Phoebe to Lenore’s Folly, might not travel the adventurous culinary trails on which Marc journeyed, but her traditional meals were excellently prepared nonetheless. The group praised the meal profusely before adjourning to the drawing room for dessert and coffee.
Like the rest of the Big House, Phoebe’s drawing room, or withdrawing room as it had been called in earlier times, was decorated in whites and creams with bold splashes of color in the accessories. She had purposely kept the woods and fabrics muted
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