Free Murder in Style by Veronica Heley Page A

anyone can be driven to kill.’
    Ellie inspected her fingernails. They were pretty clean at the moment, considering the amount of time she spent in the garden, but they could do with some attention. ‘Lesley, to change the subject, at least partly … what I’m about to say could be taken as blackmail—’
    â€˜What?’ Lesley burst into laughter. ‘You!’
    â€˜Yes. Hear me out. I know a way to find out more about the family—’
    â€˜Then take it. You don’t need my permission.’
    â€˜Well, I do, really. You see, I’m very fond of Susan.’
    â€˜So am I.’ Impatient. ‘So what?’
    â€˜You very kindly asked her to be a bridesmaid with your future sister-in-law, who has, I understand, a beautifully slim figure.’
    â€˜Angelica, yes. She’s something of a brat but it’s family, you know how it is.’
    â€˜Indeed I do. Angelica told Susan she was asked to choose the bridesmaids’ dresses and she has done so. Now I’m sure she was only thinking of how well she’d look in the dress she’s chosen, but the style doesn’t exactly flatter Susan …’
    Lesley frowned, but didn’t interrupt.
    â€˜So I said to Susan that perhaps we could find something in the same colour but a more suitable style for her at The Magpie boutique tomorrow morning, when they reopen. Susan refused, because she doesn’t want to upset you.’
    Lesley’s face was a study.
    Ellie stiffened her back. ‘Neither of us wants to cause you any aggro.’
    Lesley laughed. ‘Liar! You are going to take her, anyway, aren’t you?’
    â€˜No, no! Not unless you feel you can tell her to choose her own dress, which might cause some problem for you with Angelica, who is, after all, going to be family from now on.’
    Lesley looked annoyed. ‘Angelica is accustomed to having her own way. She’s been spoilt from the word go. She is a brat and I suspect she may well have thought it amusing to choose a style which would make Susan look a fright in comparison with her. She’s a size eight, isn’t she? And Susan is probably a twenty-four.’ A shrug. ‘So, all right. Let Susan choose something for herself.’
    Ellie shook her head. ‘It’s not that easily fixed, Lesley, and you know it. Yes, it’s tempting to say that Susan should go ahead and find something to suit her, but if Angelica has always been indulged and her brother is fond of her, then perhaps it’s not a good idea. For a start, it’s the bride’s family who usually pay for the bridesmaids’ dresses, isn’t it? So did your fiancé ask your permission to let Angelica make her own choice?’
    Silence. Lesley grimaced. ‘He’s very fond of her.’
    â€˜That’s not really an excuse, is it? Angelica chose a dress which you will have to pay for, right? She didn’t ask you what you wanted her to wear, did she?’
    â€˜Well, in general terms no, I suppose she didn’t. I was supposed to go with her to see a dress she’d found, but then I got swept up in this last case so—’
    â€˜So she got the dress by herself, and told Susan to go to the same shop and get the same dress in a larger size, right? An expensive shop?’
    Lesley fiddled with a button on her jacket, not meeting Ellie’s eye.
    Ellie said, ‘Which means you’re presented with a
fait accompli
. Your fiancé is probably relieved that he doesn’t even have to think about it. He certainly wouldn’t worry about the dress being suitable for Susan, and neither would his family. Your parents are no longer with us, and your sister has her own problems. She won’t stand up for Susan. And it might be best for you not to raise any objections, either. Because, if you question Angelica’s taste, I fear that her family will come down on you like a ton of bricks. And the last thing you