42
S tone was in bed the following morning with the Sunday
Times when Peter came into the room. “Good morning,
Dad,” he said.
“Good morning, Peter. Did you sleep well?”
Peter looked a little sheepish. “Not all that well.”
“Ah,” Stone said, “thinking about Hattie?”
“Well, yes.”
“Tell you what: Ben is off to Choate tomorrow morning; why don’t you and I and Ben and Dino have dinner at Elaine’s, and you can ask Hattie to join us.”
“Terrific!” Peter said. “She’s never been to Elaine’s, and she wants to go.” He ran out of the room, then quickly returned. “I know that she usually has dinner with her parents on Sunday nights. May I ask them to join us, too?”
“Of course,” Stone said. “Let me know how many to book for.”
Peter ran out and returned in ten minutes. “Everybody’s aboard. There’ll be seven of us. I wish Mom were here.”
“So do I.” As if on cue, the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hey, there,” Arrington said.
“Hang on, I’ll put you on speaker; Peter’s here, too.” He pressed the button and Peter came and sat on the edge of the bed.
“How’s the house coming along?” Stone asked.
“Beautifully,” she replied, “if I do say so. I did a brilliant job of packing at the old house, and everything is going right into place. We’re hanging pictures tomorrow.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Stone said. “Peter has a new friend.”
“Yes, I do,” Peter said, then launched into a monologue about Hattie and how brilliant she was.
“Whew!” Arrington said when he finally paused. “That’s the longest I ever heard anybody talk without taking a breath!”
“She’s quite a girl,” Stone said.
“Well, Peter, why don’t you ask her down for our housewarming? It’s next Saturday night. You can ask her folks’ permission at dinner tonight, and tell them they’re invited, too.”
“That would be wonderful, Mom,” Peter said.
“Come down on Friday, so we’ll have all of Saturday and Sunday together,” Arrington said. “You can fly back on Monday morning. Will the school let you do that?”
“I pretty much make my own schedule,” Peter said.
“Stone, you’d better take Peter to get a new tux. His old one isn’t going to fit. And don’t forget to get some riding clothes for yourself. I’ll have the perfect horse for you.”
“I’ll do that.”
“I can’t wait for you to see the house. It’s going to look like it’s always been here and we’ve always lived here. Architectural Digest is coming on Friday to photograph the place.”
“Who’s doing your PR?” Stone asked.
“I am. Paige Rense, the editor, is an old friend.”
“Are they going to photograph us?” Stone asked.
“No, just the house.”
“When will the piece run?”
“I don’t know; not for some time, I expect. They have a long lead time.”
“Well, I suppose everything will be more settled by then.”
“Mom,” Peter said, “I’ve got a new room upstairs.” He told her about his plans for his suite.
“That sounds perfect for you, Peter. May I speak to Stone alone for a moment?”
“Sure. Good-bye, Mom. I’ll see you on Friday.” He padded back to his own room.
“Is he gone?” Arrington asked.
“Yes, we’re alone.” Stone picked up the phone. “What’s up?”
“There’s something I have to tell you about,” she said.
“All right.”
“Tim Rutledge will be around this weekend for the photo shoot and for the housewarming, of course. He’s from an old family in the county, and everyone here will know him.”
“Okay,” Stone said. “I don’t have a problem with that, as long as he behaves himself.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want any scenes at the party.”
“It’s not a problem for me,” Stone said.
“Well, it’s a problem for him. I’m afraid he didn’t take the news of our marriage very well, and you may not find him exactly friendly.”
“That’s all right. I don’t need to be friends with him.”
“I want you to be nice to him, no matter what he says or does,” Arrington said.
“I try to be nice to everybody,” Stone said.
“Tim can sometimes be difficult,” she said. “He’s quick to anger, and sometimes intemperate in his remarks.”
“So I may have to slug him, if he acts up?”
“Don’t you dare. Remember, he’s in tight with most of the people who’ll be here, who are my neighbors, and I want you to exercise some forbearance. I don’t want him to be able to say an unkind word about you that anyone would believe. Remember, you only have one opportunity to make a first impression, especially with the local gentry. I want you to be not just charming but gallant.”
“All right, I’ll wait until we’re alone to slug him. You know, I think I still have my old cop’s blackjack somewhere. I’ll dig it out.”
“Oh, stop it!”
“All right, all right, I won’t harm a hair on his architectural head, and I’ll charm the locals right out of their socks.”
“That’s better.”
“Does Peter know him?”
“No, Peter was at school when I was seeing him, so they’ve met only once, briefly. Be careful what you say about Tim when you’re around him.”
“Is there anybody else to whom I have to show forbearance?”
“Practically everybody,” she said. “It’s an inbred society down here, and they’re not likely to display any genuine warmth toward a stranger. They’ll be nice, because I’m a local girl, but believe me, they would have been much happier with me if I’d married Tim Rutledge.”
“Well, I’m not going to give you up just to please them.”
“You’d better not give me up for any reason!”
“You, my love, are a keeper,” Stone said with feeling.
“And so are you,” she said.
43
K elli Keane got to work on time and ran into Prunella Wheaton on the elevator.
“Come see me,” Wheaton said. “I may have a little something for you.”
“Certainly,” Kelli replied. She dropped her coat at her desk and walked back to Wheaton’s office, looking forward to her delicious coffee.
“Come on in,” Wheaton said. “Coffee’s on.”
Kelli took her usual seat. “You’re looking lovely today,” Kelli said. “As soon as I can afford it I’m going to start
