Free Dorothy Eden by Sinister Weddings Page B

planning the renovations for her own home.
    “Are you planning to stay here?” she asked politely.
    The hostility flashed back into Nita’s eyes.
    “It was Harry’s place as well as Paul’s,” she said.
    Before Julia could absorb the thought of having Nita as a constant companion there was a tap at the door, and Lily came in carrying a morning tea tray.
    “Good morning, miss,” she murmured demurely, her long eyes moving from Julia to Nita. Her lovely young body was held very erect. She contrived to wear her blue cotton overall like a mannequin. One could imagine her in a filmy negligée reclining gracefully on a divan, Julia thought, and she had the certainty that a similar thought must often come into Lily’s head. Especially after Paul’s joking about lilies of the field.
    “Shall I bring another cup, miss?” she asked.
    Nita answered. “No, I’ll come downstairs. I must heat Timmy’s milk. He’s starving.”
    As Lily opened the door to go out the wind swooped in through the open balcony windows, billowing the curtains out and making Julia shiver. It was going to be amusing, she told herself firmly, finding out who was playing those childish tricks. There was nothing to be frightened about. Nothing at all.
    She sat down to enjoy her tea. But her enjoyment was short-lived. The tea tasted vilely. What on earth was the matter with it? She sipped it again, then hastily set the cup down and shuddered violently. Someone, she thought in sheer astonishment, was trying to poison her!
    For a moment she sat quite still, trying to absorb this , shocking suspicion. It couldn’t be true! The letters—they proved that she had an enemy—but they were harmless enough. This dreadful tea was different. Perhaps already she was dying. She had only taken a sip, but if the poison were deadly enough—
    “What on earth are you doing, darling?” came Paul’s exuberant voice from the door. “You look petrified.”
    Julia turned her head. “Paul!” she whispered. She tried to indicate the cup of tea set on her bedside table. Her hand was trembling, uncontrollably.
    Paul, walking with his stick, came across to her.
    “Good lord, you look sick. What can you see? The only other time I saw a girl look as scared as that was when a spider had run up her arm.”
    “Paul, don’t joke! I may be dying! The tea—”
    “What’s wrong with it? I know Lily slips at times, but she can’t be that bad.” Before Julia could stop him he had picked up the cup and taken a mouthful of the hot liquid.
    “Paul!” Julia screamed. “Spit it out. Quickly! It’s poisoned.”
    Paul went rapidly out on to the balcony and spat with thoroughness.
    “Pah!” he said in disgust. Then surprisingly he began to hoot with laughter. “Darling, if only you could see your face! You look at death’s door. It’s only a mistake of Lily’s. She’s put salt in instead of sugar.”
    Julia licked her lips. Of course, that was all it was. She could taste the salt now. How silly to have got so panicky.
    “The careless little devil. I’ll speak to her,” Paul said. “I’ll go down now and get you a fresh cup.”
    “Was your tea all right?” Julia asked slowly.
    “Yes, but I don’t take sugar. Neither does Mother. What about Nita, I wonder.”
    “Nita didn’t stay up here for hers,” Julia said. Suddenly she said, “Mrs. Robinson did your ankle awfully early this morning.”
    “She hasn’t done it. I’m only just up.”
    “Then why was she over here? I saw her going home not ten minutes ago.”
    “Probably come to borrow something,” Paul said lightly. “She’s always doing that. Anyway, what on earth has Dove got to do with it? Oh, I see. You mean she was talking to Lily and distracting her attention, so that the salt went in instead of the sugar.”
    “I didn’t mean that, either.” Julia put her hand in her pocket and felt the creased scrap of paper. Any of the three women could have been in the kitchen and slipped the salt in her