Opulence and Ashes by Kate Belli

Author:Kate Belli
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

CHAPTER 19

“I tried to get Suzanne to cancel this party, given your recent ordeal, but she simply wouldn’t hear of it,” Esmie whispered to Genevieve as soon as she stepped into the foyer.

“There is no need to cancel on my account; this has been planned for weeks,” Genevieve assured her. “Suzanne would be devastated.” Her friend and fellow reporter, Suzanne Anwyll, had organized the tea in honor of Esmie’s impending status as a mother. It was a small gathering of female friends, including Genevieve’s mother and a few other acquaintances. She wished Suzanne could have waited until Callie and Eliza were in town, as they would have loved to be present, but they wouldn’t be arriving for another week, and by then there would only be time for the spate of planned wedding-related activities: final dress fittings, another ladies’ luncheon with all the bridesmaids, plus a formal prewedding dinner party.

“Besides, it is more helpful to engage in regular activities, keep my mind off events of the last week,” Genevieve added. She wasn’t reassuring Esmie with empty platitudes; she really did feel better when she was busy. It had been a terribly difficult week: the fire itself, recovering from her smoke inhalation, grappling with Pearl Martin’s death, the sad event of Pearl’s funeral.

The contentious meeting with Detective Longstreet and the two fire chiefs that morning had only compounded her misery.

That, and the way she had left things with Daniel.

Genevieve understood why he had done it, why he had asked Billy to keep an eye on her. But that didn’t change the fact that she felt betrayed and disappointed and angry about it.

“Genevieve,” Suzanne said. Her lovely gray eyes were lit up behind her spectacles, and a pleased flush graced her cheeks. She seemed happy with her duties as hostess. She was pressing a plate of rhubarb cake with cream into Genevieve’s hands. Genevieve took the plate automatically but, for once, didn’t want any cake. She looked around the sitting room, taking in the well-dressed women making polite small talk.

Pregnancy was finally agreeing with Esmie, it seemed. She truly did glow, and her face had softened and rounded. She was wearing a center-smocked blouse and boxy jacket in a pretty, smoky shade of blue, one that complimented her fair skin and hair. Genevieve was, in fact, supposed to be writing about the tea party for the paper. It wasn’t a major social event, but spring was a quiet season in society until the weddings started, and Esmie’s status as a countess made the event of interest to readers.

Genevieve had attended many such parties over the years, and while she was truly happy to be in attendance, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was this all Daniel wanted for her? And her father, her brothers?

Genevieve set the untouched plate of cake on a small side table, an unfamiliar emotion rising in her throat. All the men in her life gave lip service to the idea of her boldness, her desire to make her mark on the world in a way that defied conventional expectations.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.