“At last, we’ve found something to agree on,” he said in a low voice. He took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes glittering.
Her blood heated.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said quickly, “I have an appointment,” and disappeared into the ladies’ room.
She entered the sitting area, which had been decorated with sprays of white orchids and wallpaper patterned with birds.
“Lillie!” Grace exclaimed. Earnest had done his part to pass on the message.
Lillie stood to embrace her. “My mother told me you’d gone home early! I was devastated when I thought you’d left. And now part of me wants to throttle you and Oliver,” she said, her cheeks flushing. “Youknew about Harriet. How could you have kept it a secret from me?”
“I’m sorry, Lillie,” Grace said, her frustration surging. “But you aren’t telling Oliver important things either. You’ve both put me in the middle. And frankly, I’ve grown tired of it.”
Lillie looked exasperated. “But I thought you’d choose me. Even over him. I thought we told each othereverything.” She gritted her teeth, her earrings dangling. “At least I did.”
“I do tell you everything,” Grace said. “This wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“Still. I’d do anything for either one of you. It hurts that you both kept it from me.”
“I begged him to tell you.”
Lillie opened the door and Grace followed her back out to the party.
Oliver was standing at the bar, holding one of the glasses that had been flashed ruby red. He gave it to Harriet.
Her face was still drawn, but she offered him a pinched smile, and they toasted.
Then Harriet knocked back the entire drink in one go. She grimaced.
“Is this your Dubonnet?” she asked. “It tastes more awful than usual.”
“She’s going to have to work on that if she wants to be a Carter,” Lillie said darkly.
“Oliver looks miserable,” Grace said. “This whole thing could be over just as quickly as it began.”
“Well, good! You and I have looked forward to this week for so long and Oliver’s made a right mess of everything. I came home last night and you were gone. It felt so awful, to see your room empty. And Mother is watching me like a hawk now. I think she’s catching on about the Dispensary, and I’m going to have to be doubly careful—”
There was a loud noise behind them, an unnatural sound. Grace jumped. It had been glass, shattering. The orchestra stopped playing.
And then someone screamed.
They turned and saw Harriet fall to the floor.
She was frothing at the mouth.
“Help!” Oliver yelled. He bent over, and when he looked up again, his face was gray. “Help!”
Lillie gathered her dress in her hand and sprinted toward them.
Harriet was seizing on the floor, and Grace’s head started to cloud with panic. The red glass was in shrapnel across the dance floor, glittering like rubies.
“What’s happening?” Earnest asked, appearing at Grace’s side. He looked horrified.
“Someone do something!” Frannie cried.
“Is there a doctor here?” Copper asked.
“I can help,” a gentleman said. He swiftly parted the crowd and knelt beside Lillie. Lillie checked for a pulse in Harriet’s wrist and neck, and the gentleman began to move Harriet from lying face up to her side, then back again, putting pressure on her thorax to resuscitate her.
