room. She pulled out a chair and sank onto it. “You really think it was syllabub in that glass?”
“I’d bet real money on it.” Cora Lee bypassed the table and went directly to a n elegant buffet that sat against the same wall that held the French doors. A wine rack and a set of delicate crystal balloon wineglasses sat on top. She opened a drawer, fumbled around for a minute and pulled out a corkscrew. It took only a minute to open the bottle she selected and pour a generous amount of wine into four glasses. She picked up two and headed for the table. “Mary? Ellen?” She nodded her head at the other glasses as she settled into another chair and lifted hers.
Aunt Mary picked up the other two glasses, nodded at me , and joined them at the table. So did I. There was nothing to see outside, anyway. I took a sip. Nice. I tried another then set the glass down. “I have a few questions.” I was getting tired of Wonderland.
“So do I.” Aunt Mary’s tone left no doubt she expected answers.
“Such as?” Cora Lee swirled her wine. The corners of her mouth curved with the tiniest of smiles.
“Such as, what is syllabub?”
Elizabeth and Cora Lee looked at each other, then at me as if I’d just come from outer space. Or California.
“It’s a drink, a sweet dessert drink. The colonials loved it.”
“So does Elizabeth.” Much to my surprise, the smile Cora Lee gave Elizabeth spoke of fondness, but it immediately gave way to one of the sarcastic little digs Cora Lee seemed to favor. “We gave her one the first time she came here and told her how it was made. Just as soon as she figured out she didn’t have to catch the cow, she decided she loved it.”
Wonderland was back. “Catch what cow?” Aunt Mary and I looked at each other in complete bewilderment.
“Cora Lee, will you stop it?” Elizabeth didn’t sound irritated so much as tired. She set her glass down, barely touched, and turned to Mary. “It’s a dessert drink composed of lemon juice, white wine and cream. You can also thicken it and eat it with a tiny spoon. It’s said that when the colonials made it, they milked the cow directly into the wine and lemon juice to make it frothy. I’m not in the least sure if that’s true; now it’s made with whipped cream. It’s really good.”
There was something familiar about th e word, syllabub. Of course. “Didn’t you say something about it to Noah? Right as we left the airport?”
Any trace of amusement disappeared from Elizabeth’s face. “I did. I always make it when we have company. I love it, and it seems so fitting to have a colonial drink in this colonial house. I made a bowl of it and it’s in the refrigerator right now.”
“In this kitchen?”
Elizabeth nodded.
The “oh” that Aunt Mary let out was long and slow. Mine was quieter. The implications were just beginning to sink in when the front door opened. Noah was back. He walked over to the table. Max’s head popped up and he bounded over. Noah pushed him out of the way, pulled a chair from against the wall over to the table and sat down.
“There’s no one in the house. We’ve looked everywhere, including the attic.” He paused, studied Elizabeth ’s face and then stared intently at Cora Lee. “However, someone’s been in there.”
“How do you know that?” There should have been surprise in Cora Lee’s voice. There wasn’t.
“A couple of the upstairs chests of drawers look as if they’ve been searched. Drawers not quite put back, a closet door standing open. If someone didn’t know the house, they’d never notice, but no one around here would ever leave a drawer open.”
“I knew it!” Elizabeth sat a little straighter. There was a steely look in her eyes and her jaw clenched. “Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t imagine that damned ghost, or the person who tipped that crate almost on top of me. Someone’s been all over this place.”
Noah got very still. “What ghost? What crate? Just exactly what
“I’d bet real money on it.” Cora Lee bypassed the table and went directly to a n elegant buffet that sat against the same wall that held the French doors. A wine rack and a set of delicate crystal balloon wineglasses sat on top. She opened a drawer, fumbled around for a minute and pulled out a corkscrew. It took only a minute to open the bottle she selected and pour a generous amount of wine into four glasses. She picked up two and headed for the table. “Mary? Ellen?” She nodded her head at the other glasses as she settled into another chair and lifted hers.
Aunt Mary picked up the other two glasses, nodded at me , and joined them at the table. So did I. There was nothing to see outside, anyway. I took a sip. Nice. I tried another then set the glass down. “I have a few questions.” I was getting tired of Wonderland.
“So do I.” Aunt Mary’s tone left no doubt she expected answers.
“Such as?” Cora Lee swirled her wine. The corners of her mouth curved with the tiniest of smiles.
“Such as, what is syllabub?”
Elizabeth and Cora Lee looked at each other, then at me as if I’d just come from outer space. Or California.
“It’s a drink, a sweet dessert drink. The colonials loved it.”
“So does Elizabeth.” Much to my surprise, the smile Cora Lee gave Elizabeth spoke of fondness, but it immediately gave way to one of the sarcastic little digs Cora Lee seemed to favor. “We gave her one the first time she came here and told her how it was made. Just as soon as she figured out she didn’t have to catch the cow, she decided she loved it.”
Wonderland was back. “Catch what cow?” Aunt Mary and I looked at each other in complete bewilderment.
“Cora Lee, will you stop it?” Elizabeth didn’t sound irritated so much as tired. She set her glass down, barely touched, and turned to Mary. “It’s a dessert drink composed of lemon juice, white wine and cream. You can also thicken it and eat it with a tiny spoon. It’s said that when the colonials made it, they milked the cow directly into the wine and lemon juice to make it frothy. I’m not in the least sure if that’s true; now it’s made with whipped cream. It’s really good.”
There was something familiar about th e word, syllabub. Of course. “Didn’t you say something about it to Noah? Right as we left the airport?”
Any trace of amusement disappeared from Elizabeth’s face. “I did. I always make it when we have company. I love it, and it seems so fitting to have a colonial drink in this colonial house. I made a bowl of it and it’s in the refrigerator right now.”
“In this kitchen?”
Elizabeth nodded.
The “oh” that Aunt Mary let out was long and slow. Mine was quieter. The implications were just beginning to sink in when the front door opened. Noah was back. He walked over to the table. Max’s head popped up and he bounded over. Noah pushed him out of the way, pulled a chair from against the wall over to the table and sat down.
“There’s no one in the house. We’ve looked everywhere, including the attic.” He paused, studied Elizabeth ’s face and then stared intently at Cora Lee. “However, someone’s been in there.”
“How do you know that?” There should have been surprise in Cora Lee’s voice. There wasn’t.
“A couple of the upstairs chests of drawers look as if they’ve been searched. Drawers not quite put back, a closet door standing open. If someone didn’t know the house, they’d never notice, but no one around here would ever leave a drawer open.”
“I knew it!” Elizabeth sat a little straighter. There was a steely look in her eyes and her jaw clenched. “Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t imagine that damned ghost, or the person who tipped that crate almost on top of me. Someone’s been all over this place.”
Noah got very still. “What ghost? What crate? Just exactly what
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