about Eve.
Eve was doing beautifully. The episode with her grandmother had bruised her ego so badly that for a short time she had forgotten something very important: She had forgotten how attractive she was to men. At the first party she was invited to after she moved into her own apartment, she gave her telephone number to six men—four of them married—and within twenty-four hours she had heard from all six of them. From that day on, Eve knew she would no longer have to worry about money. She was showered with gifts: expensive jewelry, paintings and, more often, cash.
'I've just ordered a new credenza, and my allowance check hasn't come. Would you mind, darling?'
And they never minded.
When Eve went out in public, she made sure she was escorted by men who were single. Married men she saw afternoons at her apartment. Eve was very discreet. She was careful to see that her name was kept out of gossip columns, not because she was any longer concerned about her allowance being stopped, but because she was determined that one day her grandmother was going to come crawling to her. Kate Blackwell needed an heir to take over Kruger-Brent. Alexandra is not equipped to be anything but a stupid housewife, Eve gloated.
One afternoon, leafing through a new issue of Town and Country, Eve came across a photograph of Alexandra dancing with an attractive man. Eve was not looking at Alexandra, she was looking at the man. And realizing that if Alexandra married and had a son, it would be a disaster for Eve and her plans.
She stared at the picture a long time.
Over a period of a year, Alexandra had called Eve regularly, for lunch or dinner, and Eve had always put her off with excuses. Now Eve decided it was time to have a talk with her sister. She invited Alexandra to her apartment.
Alexandra had not seen the apartment before, and Eve braced herself for pity. But all Alexandra said was, 'It's charming, Eve. It's very cozy, isn't it?'
Eve smiled. 'It suits me. I wanted something intime.' She had pawned enough jewelry and paintings so that she could have moved into a beautiful apartment, but Kate would have learned of it and would have demanded to know where the money had come from. For the moment, the watchword was discretion.
'How is Gran?' Eve asked.
'She's fine.' Alexandra hesitated. 'Eve, I don't know what
happened between you two, but you know if there's anything I can do to help, I'll—'
Eve sighed. 'She didn't tell you?'
'No. She won't discuss it.'
'I don't blame her. The poor dear probably feels as guilty as hell. I met a wonderful young doctor. We were going to be married. We went to bed together. Gran found out about it. She told me to get out of the house, that she never wanted to see me again. I'm afraid our grandmother is very old-fashioned, Alex.'
She watched the look of dismay on Alexandra's face. 'That's terrible! The two of you must go to Gran. I'm sure she would—'
'He was killed in an airplane accident.'
'Oh, Eve! Why didn't you tell me this before?'
'1 was too ashamed to tell anyone, even you.' She squeezed her sister's hand. 'And you know I tell you everything.'
'Let me talk to Gran. I'll explain—'
'No! I have too much pride. Promise me you'll never discuss this with her. Ever!'
'But I'm sure she would—'
'Promise!'
Alexandra sighed. 'All right.'
'Believe me, I'm very happy here. I come and go as I please. It's great!'
Alexandra looked at her sister and thought how much she had missed Eve.
Eve put her arm around Alexandra and began to tease. 'Now, enough about me. Tell me what's going on in your life. Have you met Prince Charming yet? I'll bet you have!'
'No.'
Eve studied her sister. It was a mirror image of herself, and she was determined to destroy it. 'You will, darling.'
'I'm in no hurry. I decided it's time I started earning a living. I talked to Gran about it. Next week I'm going to meet with the head of an advertising agency about a job.'
They had lunch at a little bistro near Eve's apartment, and Eve insisted on paying. She wanted nothing from her sister.
When they were bidding each other good-bye, Alexandra said, 'Eve, if you need any money—'
'Don't be silly, darling. I have more than enough.'
Alexandra persisted. 'Still, if you run short, you can have anything I've got.'
Eve looked into Alexandra's eyes and said, 'I'm counting on that.' She smiled. 'But I really don't need a thing, Alex.' She did not need crumbs. She intended to have the whole cake. The question was: How was she going to get it?
There was a weekend party in Nassau.
'It wouldn't be the same without you, Eve. All your friends will be here.'
The caller was Nita Ludwig, a girl whom Eve had known at school in Switzerland.
She would meet some new men. The present crop was tiresome.
'It sounds like fun,' Eve said. 'I'll be there.'
That afternoon she pawned an emerald bracelet she had been given a week earlier by an infatuated insurance executive with a wife and three children, and bought some new summer outfits at Lord & Taylor and a round-trip ticket to Nassau. She was on the plane the following morning.
The Ludwig estate was a large, sprawling mansion on the beach. The main house had thirty rooms, and the smallest was larger than Eve's entire apartment. Eve was escorted to her room by a uniformed maid, who unpacked for her while Eve freshened up. Then she went down to meet her fellow guests.
There were sixteen people in the drawing room, and they had one thing in common: They were wealthy. Nita Ludwig was a firm believer in the 'birds of a feather' philosophy. These people felt the same way about the same things; they were comfortable with one another because they spoke the same language. They shared the commonality of the best boarding schools and colleges, luxurious estates, yachts, private jets and tax problems.
A columnist had dubbed them the 'jet set,' an appellation they derided publicly and enjoyed privately. They were the privileged, the chosen few, set apart from all others by a discriminating god. Let the rest of the world believe that money could not buy everything. These people knew better. Money bought them beauty and love and luxury and a place in heaven. And it was from all this that Eve had been excluded by the whim of a narrow-minded old lady. But not for long, Eve thought.
She entered the drawing room and the conversation dropped as Eve walked in. In a room full of beautiful women, she was the most beautiful of all. Nita took Eve around to greet her friends, and to introduce her to the people she did not know. Eve was charming and pleasant, and she studied each man with a knowing eye, expertly selecting her targets. Most of the older men were married, but that only made it easier.
A bald-headed man dressed in plaid slacks and Hawaiian sport shirt came up to her. 'I'll bet you get tired of people telling you you're beautiful, honey.'
Eve rewarded him with a warm smile. 'I never get tired of that, Mr.—?'
'Peterson. Call me Dan. You should be a Hollywood star.'
'I'm afraid I have no talent for acting.'
'I'll bet you've got a lot of other talents, though.'
Eve smiled enigmatically. 'You never know until you try, do you, Dan?'
He wet his lips. 'You down here alone?'
'Yes.'
'I've got my yacht anchored in the bay. Maybe you and I could take a little cruise tomorrow?'
'That sounds lovely,' Eve said.
He grinned. 'I don't know why we've never met before. I've known your grandmother, Kate, for years.'
