The Family Fortune

“Not for me. Good night.”

I extricated myself and went upstairs without saying another word. There was no way I was going to wait for Guy to say his goodbyes, which usually started in one century and ended in the next.

Upstairs, I sat at my desk, opened the book, and ran my hand over the inscription. All it said was “Without you…” That was it—cryptic.

What could I do but write the end of the sentence myself. It was time I did something on my own behalf. I’d have to make sure that those words held a world of possibility rather than a lifetime of disappointment. If given the opportunity, I’d tell Max how I felt, how I’d always felt. I’d wasted so much time trying to protect myself, and where had it gotten me? I was plagued by a dull ache that never went away, a tumor of regret, not exactly benign but not terminal either.

In the morning when I went downstairs, Winnie and Charlie were already there. Someone had gone to Isabelle’s for muffins and croissants. Winnie had chocolate on her chin.

“Win, you’ve got chocolate…” I pointed to her chin and handed her a napkin.

“Thanks,” she said, and wiped it off.

“Our sister was the star of the evening last night,” Miranda said. She licked some strawberry jam from her lips. She was, apparently, no longer off sugar. “Jane is a patroness of literature.”

“I knew that,” Winnie said in a matter-of-fact voice. “Everyone knows that. I’m surprised you didn’t. You’ve got to look past your own nose once in a while, Miranda. What on earth do you think Jane’s been doing all these years?”

Miranda stared at her. “Piddling about,” she said.

“Hardly,” Winnie said.

“Let me get you a coffee, Jane,” Charlie said.

“I’ll get it.”

“No, sit down. Let someone do something for you for a change.”

He brought it over. He remembered how I liked it, with cream and sugar.

I sat at the table and picked out a cranberry muffin.

“We’re having a party,” Miranda announced.

“We are?” I asked.

“We are?” Teddy echoed.

“We absolutely must. Winnie and Charlie are here and we must have a party for them. We’ll have it on Saturday night—just something casual, a few friends. We haven’t had a party this summer and it’s high time.”

“In honor of us,” Winnie said. “That’s fabulous, Miranda. What a great idea.”

“It’s the least I can do,” she said, leaning back. “You know it is the thing I do best.” She paused, looked up toward the ceiling as if pretending that she wasn’t thinking of anything in particular. “That Max Wellman, he’s very attractive.”

“You’ve mentioned that before,” I said.

“And rich,” Dolores said.

“We should invite him,” Miranda said. “Do you think he’d come if I asked him?”

I didn’t see how an invitation from Miranda Fortune would mean anything to him, but Miranda was sure that her invitations were special and would be accepted by anyone who received one. All Max knew about Miranda was that she was my rather dismissive sister who didn’t even remember having met him once years ago. He’d been a nobody then, just a struggling writer without money or reputation. She hadn’t noticed him.

“We’ll invite the Buffingtons,” Miranda said. “I’ll even suffer Glenda-the-Good-Witch for the sake of the party. She’d better not bring one of her battered women, though. She doesn’t ask if she can bring them; she just drags them along as if they’re her date. Do you think Sylvia Piorello, the opera star, wanted a woman with a whopping black eye at her beach soirée. I think not.”

“It might be nice for those women to have a chance to go to a party,” Dolores said.

“Well, you should know,” Miranda said.

“Dolores never fails to see the good side of things.” Teddy patted her on the shoulder.

“I think the idea of the party is delicious—battered women or no battered women,” Winnie said. “And we appreciate the gesture, don’t we, Charlie?”

He nodded. Charlie and Winnie seemed to be getting along much better than when I’d last seen them. I’d been worried, but I was sure Winnie was right—I didn’t know anything about the way long-term relationships worked; it was inevitable that they ebbed and flowed.

“That’s Miranda all over. She’s always so thoughtful,” Dolores said. We all looked at her. We were not completely unaware of our faults, both as a family and individually. Dolores usually managed complete sincerity with her compliments—it was her gift—but this one was so patently ridiculous that it flew up like a balloon, popped, and emitted an unpleasant gas.

“Thank you, Dolores,” Miranda said, pulling herself up straight.

Charlie said that he and Winnie had an announcement.

Oh no, it was what I feared. They were getting a divorce. This romantic vacation was a ruse. But Winnie was beaming. If something was wrong, she didn’t know about it.

“I got a job,” she said.

“A what?” Teddy asked.

“A job.” Her voice was full of excitement. “I really did.”

Miranda slumped back on her chair, Cleopatra among her attendants. “What kind of job?” she asked.

Winnie stood and looked to Charlie to provide her with fanfare. He drummed on the table with a spoon.

“You are looking at the next…” Charlie paused and drummed on the table some more.

“Personal shopper at Barneys,” Winnie said.

“What?” Miranda asked.

“I didn’t even know they had a Barneys in Boston,” Dolores said.

“It’s a small one. And I already have a few private clients as well. I’m a natural.” Winnie had managed to get chocolate on her chin again, and this time Charlie reached over to wipe it off.

“Congratulations, Winnie,” I said. “It’s perfect.”

“I don’t see why you have to do something like that,” Teddy said. “Are you having trouble with finances?” He said it as if he would be willing and able to help her if she were.

“Not at all,” Charlie said. “Winnie needed a purpose.”

“And buying stuff for other people is a purpose?” Miranda asked.

“It’s my purpose,” Winnie said. “And Charlie’s been so supportive.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“Well, dear, if you’re happy, I’m happy,” Teddy said. Teddy was mellowing.

“Anyway, I’m going shopping this morning to look for things for my private clients. Would anyone like to go with me?”

I think she was expecting Miranda, or even Dolores, to volunteer, but I offered to go. I was restless and wanted to get out of the house. I went upstairs and put on a sundress and sandals.

Winnie was alone in the kitchen when I came down. She said that everyone else had dispersed to do their own things. Teddy was reading the paper. Miranda had gone off on party business. Dolores was upstairs doing whatever it was Dolores did, and Charlie had gone for a walk.

We strolled toward Main Street. A soft breeze tickled my bare arms. The flowers along the front walk sparkled with drops from the previous night’s rain and everything smelled fresh, earthy, and new.

Chapter 34 Five for lunch

On Main Street, groups of people gathered outside corner coffee shops to enjoy the good weather. Winnie wanted to go into a certain boutique she liked to visit every year.