Free The Widow and the Wastrel by Janet Dailey Page A

minute!"
    "Well, please hurry," her mother-in-law returned impatiently. "I don't want to be the first to arrive, but neither do I want to be the last."
    Sighing ruefully, Elizabeth looked into the mirror, wishing for the umpteenth time that she hadn't allowed Rebecca to persuade her to arrive at the dinner with Rebecca and Jed. She had thought she had the perfect excuse, the supervision of the pre-dinner arrangements. But Rebecca had adamantly insisted that as chairman, Elizabeth should appoint someone else to the task. Now she realized that she had given in because of the subconscious re-echoing of Jed's words concerning compromise and making peace. So she had compromised her own judgment by agreeing to Rebecca's demands.
    The silk underlining of her white lace dress rustled as she walked toward the hallway door. Turning the doorknob, she remembered her matching shawl and evening bag were lying on the bed. She retrieved them quickly from the blue satin coverlet. Her pulse was behaving erratically and her nerves were so jittery that she was certain she hadn't been this disturbed by her first date. But her outward composure revealed none of her inner agitation.
    Amy was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Her brown eyes widened and her mouth rounded into a sighing, complimentary "Oh!" A smile of genuine pleasure eased the tense muscles around Elizabeth's mouth.
    "Do I look all right?" She turned slowly for her daughter's benefit.
    "Oh yes, Mom, you look scrumptious!" Amy assured her in a breathy voice.
    "Hello, Cindy," Elizabeth greeted the schoolgirl standing in the hall.
    "Hello, Mrs. Carrel. That's a lovely gown." The young girl gazed almost enviously at the gently moulding long lace gown. There was a telltale glimmer of braces as she barely moved her lips to speak. Elizabeth remembered her own schoolgirl dreams of enchantment whenever she had seen adults dressed in formal attire and smiled.
    "Thank you," she nodded, wishing she could cast aside her misgivings toward the evening and catch some of the stardust that was in Cindy's eyes. "Did my mother-in-law give you the telephone number where we can be reached if you have any problems?"
    "Yes, she did, but I'm sure everything will be all right," the girl added hastily.
    "Elizabeth, Jed is waiting in the car," Rebecca stepped into the archway of the front hallway.
    Bending to kiss her daughter's cheek, Elizabeth teased, "Be good for a change, Amy."
    Brown eyes twinkled back at her. "I'll try," she said as she wrinkled her nose impishly.
    Following her mother-in-law to the car, Elizabeth took her place in the back seat, murmuring a polite thanks when Jed held the door open for her. The country club and adjoining golf course was only a mile or so from the which made the journey short. But Elizabeth was conscious of Jed's faint air of preoccupation. She was almost certain his silence couldn't be blamed on the evening before them.
    Silently she acknowledged that his dark evening clothes suited him. It wasn't until they had arrived at the club that she noticed it was not the suit she had picked out for him. The entrance lights fully illuminated the expertly tailored suit as he opened the car door for her, offering a hand out. Elizabeth frowned her bewilderment. The material of his suit and the white silk shirt were much more expensive than any she had seen locally.
    "What's the matter?" One corner of his mouth lifted as he tossed the car keys to the parking attendant. He touched the dark lapel with his finger. "Don't you like the suit?"
    "Yes," she answered quickly, avoiding the roguish light glittering in his eyes. She made a pretense of adjusting her rectangular shawl. "It's just that you didn’t mention that you'd bought anything when you went to Cleveland last week."
    "I wasn't aware that I needed to," he replied, lightly touching her elbow to guide her around the car to where Rebecca waited.
    Pressing her lips tightly together, Elizabeth didn't comment. Jed had been