A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

her to be sorry for that! Claudine did not like the cold and was always afraid of slipping on the ice, but the snow was like a soft mantle, hiding the ugliness of so much,allowing one to be willfully blind to it for a season. For a little while the world could be as one wished it to be, reality painted over.
    They were inside the crowded foyer, trying not to be jostled. She stayed close to Wallace. She would be most embarrassed to lose him, since he had the tickets. After a moment or two, in desperation, she took his arm.
    She passed people she knew, at least by sight. She smiled at them and inclined her head. They smiled back. Wallace bowed. Once or twice they made polite conversation regarding the weather or some uncontroversial subject everyone could express opinions about without fear of contradiction. It seemed unwittingly meaningless, and yet it had some social value.
    They took their seats, which were in one of the better boxes, and Claudine thanked Wallace for his generosity.
    The lights dimmed, and the buzz of conversation ceased. The curtains were drawn open to gasps of pleasure as the scenery was revealed, and the drama began immediately.
    Claudine found her interest in the romance fading after only a few minutes. It seemed clear from the casting exactly who was going to fall in love with whom.And since the Christmas season was traditionally one of happy endings, the result also was predictable.
    Instead she looked across at the people in the boxes opposite and, as discreetly as possible, began to watch them. She held her enameled opera glasses to her eyes, as if studying the stage, but actually looked to the side.
    The first people she recognized were Martin and Eppy Crostwick. At this distance, Eppy looked as delicate as a bone-china figurine, with her flawless complexion and dainty features. Her pale yellow hair was piled up precariously. Claudine noticed a few other opera glasses trained in her direction, which would no doubt please her. Eppy loved to cut a dash, and her ambition knew no bounds.
    Martin was sitting next to her proprietorially, looking self-satisfied and nodding his head now and then.
    A little farther along, at the same level, were Lambert and Verena Foxley. They were speaking to each other and not even affecting to look at the stage.
    Claudine was irritated with them for their ill manners. Then, aware of her own hypocrisy, she turned to watch the performance.
    Half an hour later, when the plot was proceeding exactlyas she had foreseen, she looked along the boxes again. This time she saw something she had not expected: Alphonsine Gifford was staring at the stage as if captivated by the actors. Her face was less beautiful than that of her stepmother, but there was a warmth and a charm in it that was easily as attractive. Her hair had a touch of auburn, which some people might not have cared for but which Claudine thought was particularly pleasing. Alphonsine had dressed in soft colors, which made her vitality even more apparent.
    Next to her was Ernest Halversgate. He was a total contrast to her. There was nothing unpredictable in him. Some might have considered him good-looking, but Claudine found him insipid. Watching him now as he stared not at the stage but at Alphonsine, it was difficult to re-create in her mind the horrified expression that had been on his face as he stood on the terrace near Winnie’s unconscious body. There seemed to be a faint smugness in him now. Could he possibly have dismissed it from his mind so soon?
    Or was Claudine being totally unfair, judging him for what was nothing more than a masterful effort to behave with consideration toward the young woman he was accompanying now? From everything Claudineknew, it would be an eminently suitable match. Both sets of parents would approve it. For the Halversgates, it would be something of a catch. Alphonsine was an heiress of substance. For the Giffords, well, Ernest had a reputation for diligence and sobriety. He might bore