Bethlehem by Karen Kelly

Author:Karen Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

* * *

Susannah reentered the ballroom to the strains of the orchestra—back on the bandstand again—playing “I Cried for You.” She had no idea what would happen next. She had a fleeting memory of being at a carnival fun house when she was four years old, nervous and a little dizzied by the distorted images in the wavy mirror. It was exactly how she felt now.

Chap was dancing with India. Susannah’s eyes landed on him without even trying, as if there were a lighthouse on the dance floor. At the exact moment she found him, he found her, too, his eyes settling into hers with a certitude—sure and unwavering—that steadied the reeling yaw.

“There she is! We thought maybe the girl of the hour had decided this motley crew wasn’t worth the bother!” It was her uncle Ronald, her mother’s brother from Boston, standing nearby with a clutch of aunts and cousins.

“Dear Susannah—you’re as glamorous as a movie star!” Aunt Tabitha was clearly feeling the effusive effects of the Pol Roger. “I just have to compliment that dress—it’s simply stunning. Where on earth did you find something like that? I’ve always said, Helen Avery Parrish sets the bar high, but my goodness, I think she has broken it tonight! What an affair!”

“Hello, Sassafras.” Hollins walked up and gave his daughter a light kiss on the cheek. Taking a sip of scotch, he put a fraternal arm around Ronald’s shoulders. “Are these people bothering you? I told Hedy we should have a special section for the Bostonians. They’re a sordid bunch.” Although he addressed Susannah, his smile was cast teasingly around the circle of his wife’s family.

En masse, the clan burst into a spirited defense of the superior qualities of Beantown, while over their clamor a gong sounded. Alvin was standing in the wide center archway, holding a brass cymbal. Hollins glanced over his shoulder at the butler, and then checked his watch. “I believe that’s our signal—dinner shall be served.”

The band had taken the cue and started in on “Goodnight, Ladies” as people moved toward the stairway, fanning out to the sides to wait for the host to lead the way. Helen appeared at her husband’s side, and Susannah looked around hesitantly—hovering in a brief, nervous limbo. Hollins waved his arm high as he spotted Chap across the room. “If Itty will relinquish her hold on your escort’s arm,” he murmured, “we can proceed.”

Chap made his way over and Susannah hoped she was the only one to notice the slight tremor of strain in his upper lip as he smiled amicably at her parents. He bowed his head slightly as he held his arm out to Susannah.

She clasped a gloved hand to his forearm and they fell into step behind her mother and father. The pressure of her hand was light, and there were several layers of fabric separating skin from skin, but there was no mistaking the surge of twin pulses beating in rapid, reverberant accord.

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