Ghoul Interrupted: A Lady of the Lake School for Girls Cozy Mystery by Sarina Dorie

Author:Sarina Dorie [Dorie, Sarina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amazon.com
Published: 2024-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Past: Engaged in Improper Conduct

Yarden perused Vega’s closet, spreading dresses out on the bed. She instructed Vega in how to dress conservatively for a dinner party in a Turkish household.

She held up a dark green dress overlaid with black beads. “You can’t show shoulders or cleavage or else my father will think you’re a loose woman, and he will disapprove.”

“What if I am a loose woman?” Vega asked.

Yarden rolled her eyes. “You aren’t. My mother would approve of your attention to studies and say you were a good influence on me for not allowing yourself to get distracted by boys. But my father is unapologetically old-fashioned. He will not allow me to casually date someone with loose morals by his standards—or someone below my social standing.”

“What would he say about Apples?” Vega asked.

“He’ll never know about Apples.” Yarden shrugged, setting the dress aside and selecting another. “In any case, he wouldn’t have anything to say, considering Apples is just a friend. He treats me like a little sister.”

“And what would your mother say about Apples?” Vega asked. “If you ever decide to ask him out?”

Yarden giggled. “I’m waiting for him to ask me out.”

Vega grinned. “You are a modern woman, aren’t you? Why does he have to do the asking?”

Yarden blushed. “Well, my mother wouldn’t care about social status. She’s never had any problem associating with people of lower standing. I’m afraid it’s the high society parties and charity luncheons she would rather avoid.”

“Ah, the catty gossipers.” With Yarden’s family history, Vega could understand why Mrs. Iltutmish would want to avoid women like Vega’s own mother.

She couldn’t blame anyone for wanting to avoid her mother.

The night of the dinner party, Vega wore a sheer black gown with long sleeves and a high collar over a dark burgundy underdress. The style could have been in fashion in the late Edwardian era, with beadwork that had cost a small fortune. Despite Yarden’s protests, Vega wore red lipstick and nails that matched.

Yarden dyed her blonde curls black and tied her hair back into a severe ponytail behind her head. Without makeup, her complexion was several shades darker. She went without the glamour that made her eyes blue. Even without all her beauty tricks, she still possessed an angelic face.

She waved a flamboyant hand over her suit. “How do I look?”

“You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Vega said.

Yarden groaned. “Hmm. I’m certain my father will say the same, but it won’t be a compliment from him.”

Yarden had a prissy way of walking, unlike the swaggers of confident men. Vega tried to tutor Yarden in how she thought men moved, though she doubted she succeeded.

Yarden’s voice went up an octave. “I feel like a complete barbarian when I dress as a man.”

“Try talking deeper,” Vega said. “I know you can. When you’re talking to men, you purr out your words. Pretend you’re talking to Apples.”

A little smile curled Yarden’s lips upward. “Oh, Vega. I love the way you pour drinks and slice wedges of lemon.

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