Free Paragon Walk by Anne Perry

Charlotte put in before Emily could speak. “I would not wish to put you to inconvenience.”
    “I assure you it is no inconvenience!” Selena said with a touch of tartness. She reached out and rang a small bell on the table, and its sharp sound was answered by a maid in starched white. Selena gave elaborate orders. Then she turned to Emily again. “Have you seen poor Jessamyn?”
    Emily sat in a white wrought-iron chair, and Charlotte perched on another beside her, carefully, so as not to burst a pin.
    “No,” Emily replied. “I did leave my card, of course, and a small letter to express my condolences.”
    Selena struggled to hide her disappointment and failed.
    “Pour soul,” she murmured. “She must be feeling quite dreadful. One simply cannot imagine it! I hoped perhaps you had seen her and could tell me something.”
    Emily knew immediately that Selena had not seen her either and was consumed with curiosity.
    “One doesn’t even wish to try,” She shivered. “I’m sure she has the sympathy of absolutely everyone. I have no doubt each of us will call upon her in the next weeks, it would be inhuman not to. Even gentlemen will call, I’m sure. It would be the least they could do to comfort her.”
    The nostrils flared on Selena’s sharp little nose.
    “I would not have thought any comfort possible after one’s sister-in-law has been violated practically on one’s doorstep and has staggered in to die literally in one’s arms.” There was an unspecified criticism of Emily in her tone. “I think I should retire altogether if such a thing happened to me. I might even become quite deranged.” She said it very certainly, as if she were in no doubt that such a thing had already happened to Jessamyn.
    “Good gracious!” Emily affected horror. “Surely you don’t imagine it will happen again, do you? I didn’t even know you had a sister-in-law.”
    “I don’t!” Selena snapped. “I was merely saying how I sympathize with poor Jessamyn, and that we must not expect too much of her. We must be understanding if she seems a little odd—at least I am sure I shall be.”
    “I’m sure you will, my dear.” Emily leaned forward, her voice cooing. “I’m sure you would never intentionally be unkind to anyone.”
    Charlotte wondered if Emily were not giving her credit for rather many “accidents.”
    “It must be very difficult to know what to say,” Charlotte suggested. “I should not know whether avoiding the subject might seem as if I were indifferent to her loss, or then on the other hand discussing it might appear like curiosity, which would be so vulgar.”
    Selena’s face hardened, taking the inference perfectly.
    “How very frank of you,” she said with wide-eyed surprise, as if she had discovered something alive in the salad. “Are you always so—candid—about your thoughts, Mrs. Pitt?”
    “I’m afraid so. It is my greatest social disadvantage.” Now let her find a civil answer to that!
    “Oh! Well, I dare say it cannot be too serious,” Selena replied cooly. “Your sister does not appear even to be aware of it.”
    “I am inured to it.” Emily smiled dazzlingly at her. “I have suffered disaster upon disaster. Now I only bring her to call upon friends I know I can trust.” She met Selena’s brown eyes squarely.
    Charlotte nearly choked, trying to maintain a sober face. Selena was outmaneuvered, and she knew it.
    “How kind,” she murmured pointlessly. She took the tray from the maid. “Do have some sherbet.”
    There was a natural silence after this for a little while, as they dipped their spoons into the cool delicacy. Charlotte wanted to use the opportunity to learn something more about the people, perhaps something that Pitt, as an obvious policeman, could not observe, but all the questions in her head were too clumsy. And she had not decided precisely what she needed to know. She sat with the sherbet dish in her hand and stared at the roses on the far wall. It