seventy-year-old.’
Lucy whistled. That’s the kind of weapon that might backfire on me. I guess I won’t use it. You, too?’
‘What? Oh, yes. I was barely pubescent though.’
‘Hardly got a rise out of you?’ Lucy poked wickedly.
‘You’re cute tonight.’ Nick paused. ‘Funny thing. She stopped it all of a sudden, just like that. Went all demure schoolgirl. I suppose Mother must have stepped on her.’
‘But I thought you said your mother wouldn’t have noticed.’ ‘Oh, she always notices. She just doesn’t recognize the idea of sin, or a person who’s deliberately bad. No, it’s all a matter of
manners to her. I don’t doubt she thought Dolly had been badly raised and that it was only good manners on her part to straighten the little beast out. She tried anyway.’
Lucy shuddered. ‘Dolly has gorgeous manners. When I first met her, I thought, how marvelous. A real lady, in this day and age. Then I found out she uses her manners to suit herself.’ Then she jumped to another subject. ‘Did you know Harrison?’
‘Your Harrison?’
Lucy nodded, almost shyly, as if she had never claimed possession of her dead husband before.
Nick shook his head. ‘I remember him, barely, as a small boy. I was not an age to be interested in other people’s offspring. I’m sorry. I can’t say I ever knew him as a grown-up.’
‘He didn’t ever grow up.’ Lucy’s tone was flippant but bitter. ‘Lived and died a boy. He really wasn’t much like Dolly, except he wanted his own way no matter what the cost. We’re all that way, a little, aren’t we?’
She was obviously pained. As much as Nick wanted her to talk about the things that were important to her, it was obviously too much for her at this instant. He didn’t answer her, pretending to concentrate on changing lanes, leaving the interstate highway.
‘How much work do you have to do for Dolly now?’ he asked at last.
‘The end is in sight.’ There was a calm satisfaction in her voice. She had recovered herself. ‘There’s some accessories to do, china and whatnot, and I’m trying to locate some French scenic wallpaper so that I can do over the Diplomatic Reception room the way she wants it. And she told me today she thought the model of the grounds that your people at the Dalton worked up was wretched-looking.’ Lucy cast an apologetic glance his way.
‘I admit it was a slap-up job.’
‘She wants me to do that, the grounds.’
‘Do you really want to? It sounds like a hell of a lot of work.’ ‘No. I’d like to do something else with my life besides work for Dolly. It’s bad enough being tied to her through the kids. I’ve got other customers if I want them, that I’ve put off to do her dollhouse. I’ll probably never have another project this big, that’s all.’
It was soothing to talk about the work itself, Nick thought. And foolish to venture away from that narrow path. He was going to do it anyway.
‘Has Dolly expressed her anxiety that you’re going to run off
and marry me and then retire before she has what she wants from you?’ he asked genially.
‘No. But she shouldn’t worry.’ Lucy looked straight at him, her face expressionless.
‘I can’t imagine you not working,’ Nick plunged ahead, willfully ignoring the sense of Lucy’s answer.
They were in city streets now, where the light and dark fanned over Lucy’s features.
‘She thinks I’m going to steal you away, or that someone is going to steal her dollhouse. Little does she know,’ Nick continued distantly, ‘the Dalton is tighter than a tick right now. Besides, I’ve never heard of anyone ever stealing a dollhouse.’
He didn’t have to add: And you’re locked up tight too. An uncomfortable silence fell between them that was only eased by the wine at dinner. They left the restaurant in a mildly tiddly state.
He stopped the car on the comer of a quiet tree-lined Georgetown street. Lucy, curled up on the seat beside him and loose from the
Lucy whistled. That’s the kind of weapon that might backfire on me. I guess I won’t use it. You, too?’
‘What? Oh, yes. I was barely pubescent though.’
‘Hardly got a rise out of you?’ Lucy poked wickedly.
‘You’re cute tonight.’ Nick paused. ‘Funny thing. She stopped it all of a sudden, just like that. Went all demure schoolgirl. I suppose Mother must have stepped on her.’
‘But I thought you said your mother wouldn’t have noticed.’ ‘Oh, she always notices. She just doesn’t recognize the idea of sin, or a person who’s deliberately bad. No, it’s all a matter of
manners to her. I don’t doubt she thought Dolly had been badly raised and that it was only good manners on her part to straighten the little beast out. She tried anyway.’
Lucy shuddered. ‘Dolly has gorgeous manners. When I first met her, I thought, how marvelous. A real lady, in this day and age. Then I found out she uses her manners to suit herself.’ Then she jumped to another subject. ‘Did you know Harrison?’
‘Your Harrison?’
Lucy nodded, almost shyly, as if she had never claimed possession of her dead husband before.
Nick shook his head. ‘I remember him, barely, as a small boy. I was not an age to be interested in other people’s offspring. I’m sorry. I can’t say I ever knew him as a grown-up.’
‘He didn’t ever grow up.’ Lucy’s tone was flippant but bitter. ‘Lived and died a boy. He really wasn’t much like Dolly, except he wanted his own way no matter what the cost. We’re all that way, a little, aren’t we?’
She was obviously pained. As much as Nick wanted her to talk about the things that were important to her, it was obviously too much for her at this instant. He didn’t answer her, pretending to concentrate on changing lanes, leaving the interstate highway.
‘How much work do you have to do for Dolly now?’ he asked at last.
‘The end is in sight.’ There was a calm satisfaction in her voice. She had recovered herself. ‘There’s some accessories to do, china and whatnot, and I’m trying to locate some French scenic wallpaper so that I can do over the Diplomatic Reception room the way she wants it. And she told me today she thought the model of the grounds that your people at the Dalton worked up was wretched-looking.’ Lucy cast an apologetic glance his way.
‘I admit it was a slap-up job.’
‘She wants me to do that, the grounds.’
‘Do you really want to? It sounds like a hell of a lot of work.’ ‘No. I’d like to do something else with my life besides work for Dolly. It’s bad enough being tied to her through the kids. I’ve got other customers if I want them, that I’ve put off to do her dollhouse. I’ll probably never have another project this big, that’s all.’
It was soothing to talk about the work itself, Nick thought. And foolish to venture away from that narrow path. He was going to do it anyway.
‘Has Dolly expressed her anxiety that you’re going to run off
and marry me and then retire before she has what she wants from you?’ he asked genially.
‘No. But she shouldn’t worry.’ Lucy looked straight at him, her face expressionless.
‘I can’t imagine you not working,’ Nick plunged ahead, willfully ignoring the sense of Lucy’s answer.
They were in city streets now, where the light and dark fanned over Lucy’s features.
‘She thinks I’m going to steal you away, or that someone is going to steal her dollhouse. Little does she know,’ Nick continued distantly, ‘the Dalton is tighter than a tick right now. Besides, I’ve never heard of anyone ever stealing a dollhouse.’
He didn’t have to add: And you’re locked up tight too. An uncomfortable silence fell between them that was only eased by the wine at dinner. They left the restaurant in a mildly tiddly state.
He stopped the car on the comer of a quiet tree-lined Georgetown street. Lucy, curled up on the seat beside him and loose from the
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