Lottie fixed her gaze on Susan standing with Cooper, then decided to allow Roger to lead her away. The two women joined BoomBoom.
“You certainly have an effect on women.” Cooper laughed at BoomBoom.
“Usually negative.” She smiled, though, as Thomas was returning to her.
“She'll wear us all out.” He indicated Aunt Tally.
“First woman to fly a plane in Albemarle County as well as other things,” Susan remarked.
Under the long table inside the house Pewter had fallen fast asleep. Stuffed with turkey, ham, smoked salmon, and other delicacies, she needed a snooze to aid her digestion. Tucker lay beside her, a little bubble escaping her lips.
Murphy sampled everything but she wasn't a big eater. She'd walked back into the kitchen.
The caterer's assistant fussed over the large silver samovar, filling it with coffee. He sniped at one of the kids. “Keep the coffee coming—for obvious reasons.”
“Crab.” Murphy curled her tail around her as she watched.
“Be sure and put out the raw sugar. I noticed most of it was gone.”
“Yes, sir,” Brooks Tucker, Susan and Ned's daughter, said. She walked through the pantry filled with china and silver to go back to the kitchen. She carried the near-empty silver sugar bowl, which she filled with raw sugar, hurrying back to the dining room to put it on the table. Another sugar bowl with cubed white sugar was on the table. That, too, was getting used up fast. Honey was also on the table. She wondered if Aunt Tally would mind if she filled up a few nonmatching bowls with sugar to meet the demand but forgot about it as Chef Ted, the caterer himself, called for her to come back in and take a tray of moist carrot cake out.
“Want to help me, Mrs. Murphy?” Brooks asked.
“Sure.” The cat trotted after Brooks, then remained in the dining room sitting on the fireplace mantel so she could see everything.
Back out on the dance floor, Diego inadvertently bumped Fair as the dark man danced yet another dance with Harry.
“Watch it, buddy, and while you're at it you could move away from my wife.”
“I am not your wife.” Harry was appalled.
Fair then tapped Diego on the shoulder. Diego quizzically looked to Harry, who indicated she'd dance with Fair. They didn't dance so much as they quietly moved back and forth. Neither one said a word.
Diego joined BoomBoom, Thomas, and Susan, who gave the men a two-sentence description of the marriage and its unraveling.
“They were high-school sweethearts. They got married and, well, it didn't work.”
“Ah, I see,” Diego said with some feeling. “He seems still to care.”
“He does,” Susan flatly stated. “He wants her back. She was the best thing that ever happened to him and he lost her. Those things happen.”
“To lose Harry would be quite a loss,” Diego murmured.
“Everyone grows at their own rate.” BoomBoom had no desire to remain on this topic.
Susan understood, of course. Their attention was diverted by Sean propelling his brother back into the house.
“She's not interested,” Sean said with the little group overhearing.
“She is, too. You don't get women, Sean,” Roger said.
The music ended and Diego walked out, taking Harry's hand. Fair stood there a moment.
“M-m-m, I can see steam coming out of those ears,” Aunt Tally noticed, but then she noticed everything, most especially that Miranda Hogendobber was happier than she'd seen her since girlhood and Tracy Raz looked twenty years younger. They were obviously in love.
Sean sat Roger down and got him a cup of coffee. Many people crowded around the table for coffee and tea. The desserts had been brought out.
Mrs. Murphy thought about waking up Pewter and Tucker but they were sound asleep. She noted from her high position how many of the men had bald spots.
Roger was loaded, but not as loaded as Sean made out. After all, he could still recognize people, he could still speak. He drank his cup of coffee in silence.
Sean bent over, whispering to Lottie now at the desserts. She glanced at Roger, then sighed.
“It would mean so much,” Sean said. “And he could use a second cup.”
Mrs. Murphy watched as Lottie picked up a piece of Black Forest cake, then moved over to the samovar, poured a cup of coffee. She reached for the cubed sugar in a silver bowl. She paused for a second, and Thomas just behind her handed her the china bowl with raw sugar. He had just dipped a spoon into it but being a gentleman he handed it to Lottie first. She dumped three heaping spoonfuls of sugar into the cup and turned to hand it back to Thomas just as he reached for it. She lost her grip and the bowl clattered to the floor, breaking and spilling sugar all over the random-width heart-pine flooring.
“I am sorry,” Lottie said.
“I'm the clumsy one. This gives me the opportunity to ask you for a dance when you're finished with dessert.” He smoothed over the incident.
“I won't be long.” Lottie smiled and hoped it would upset BoomBoom.
People noticed and approved as she walked over to Roger, handing him the coffee and the cake. “Roger, I'm sorry I was cross but sometimes you're a pest. Try to think of less blunt ways to approach women, all right?”
He liked the idea of being served and said in a low voice, “I'm like a bull in a china shop. But really, Lottie, we'd have a good time if you'd go with me to the ball. I promise not to drink. I'll buy you a corsage and, well—it took me a long time to work up my nerve.”
“It did?”
“Yes, you scare me half to death.” He sipped the coffee. “Just because I'm a pest doesn't mean I'm not scared.”
“Well—let me think about it while I dance with Thomas Steinmetz.”
“I'll sit right here. I won't move.” He smiled genuinely for the first time that afternoon.
“Some men really don't get it,” Mrs. Murphy thought to herself. “It's one thing to show a woman you like her. It's another thing to push her. Men need to be a little mysterious. They ought to study cats.”
The party rolled on and a few more men asked Lottie to dance. Aunt Tally danced every dance.
When Lottie returned to Roger he was fast asleep, his head resting on his chest.
“Roger. Roger.” She shook him. “Roger, you lazy sod, wake up,” she said lightheartedly. “Roger.” Lottie stepped back. “Oh, my God.”
Little Mim came over and without thinking said, “What'd you put in his coffee? He's out cold.”
“He's either passed out or—dead.” Lottie's face registered horror.
“Oh, Lottie, don't be a drama queen. He's been drinking since the parade.” Little Mim grabbed his arm to pull him up. “He's warm. Really.” With a touch of disgust and determination she gave him a yank and he pitched forward, falling flat on his face.
Little Mim looked at Roger and back at Lottie. “Roger!”
Mrs. Murphy jumped off the mantel, ran under the table, and woke up Pewter and Tucker. Tucker hurried over to Roger, sniffed, then backed away.
Cynthia Cooper was brought in from the dance floor. She walked into the room thinking he was out cold. She felt for a pulse in his neck. Nothing. She tried again. By now other guests were gathering around. She pressed her forefinger and middle finger on his neck again. Nothing. “He's dead.”
10
Why does everything happen to me?” Tally grumbled as she watched her guests struggle with the situation.
Then again, what does a hostess do when someone dies at her party? Dispose of the corpse after the festivities? Haul him out and dump him on the lawn so no one has to look at him? Comfort the family members? But years of cotillion plus years of running Crozet before stepping aside for her niece had given Tally a sure touch.
She listened as the ambulance wailed about a mile away. In the quiet of the country sounds carried.