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She shook her head bemusedly. It was an unanswerable question to
her, just as the very emotion that she was experiencing was
incomprehensible to her. She did not know where it came from or
why. All that she knew or cared to know was that she loved.
She checked her watch again and sighed. Aimlessly she travelled
from room to room in her huge, spacious, beautiful home as she
waited. The darkness that had been her depression was gone. The
house was home again. She could look and remember the happiness
and the love that she had shared with her family with nostalgia and a
misty smile, and yet the keen edge of grief was gone, along with the
unhappiness.
So much had happened in the past month and a half! Her mind still
spun with the whirlwind events that had crowded her life lately. At
least Judith and Howard and their accomplices had been taken care
of. Certainly she would never have to see them again, and that was a
huge relief.Mr Whittaker, her solicitor and legal guardian for the past
several weeks, had been wonderfully kind. He had graciously
allowed her the respect and consideration she had craved, and though
he went out of his way to see her several times a week, dining over at
the house more often than not and spending long hours with her on
the subject of her money management, he had not insisted that she
move in with him and had not questioned her authority in running the
house. She was given the right to act on her own discretion and
judgment, like any other adult, and she had responded accordingly,
growing fond of the man.
A pang of uncertainty and apprehension quivered through her and her
palms were so damp that she wiped them down her skirt, grimacing.
Then, running down the stairs with her silken black skirt swirling
around her slim legs, she checked in the large, elegant dining room to
see if the room was ready. It was, with plates set on the antique
sideboard for refreshments and on the other side of the room a table
set up with various drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Then
she slipped into the kitchen to keep Mary company.
One of the things that Dee had done right away after coming home
was to look up the housekeeper who had been with the Jansons ever
since she could remember. She'd been in luck; Mary hadn't taken
another position but instead had spent the time staying with her sister
and 'taking a rest'. It had been a joyous reunion and Mary, plump and
greying, had eagerly agreed to come back to her former position. It
was, she had said, what she'd always wanted. And so she lived with
Dee and was more of a friend and companion than paid servant. It
was wonderful having her back.
Hands moving quickly over the trays of refreshments that she was
finishing, Mary glanced up quickly and nodded her approval to Dee.
'You look just beautiful, sweetie, but do you really think black is quite
the thing to wear to your own birthday party?'
Dee threw back her head and laughed. 'I hadn't even thought of it! I
just picked the dress because I liked it best .of -all the clothes I bought
last week. Do you think it's inappropriate?' She looked down at
herself, slightly crestfallen. She didn't want to change.
'Oh, no! It's simply gorgeous on you and you know it!' Masy plunked
down a tray noisily and threw some utensils into the large sink.
Whenever she was particularly happy, she made quite a lot of noise,
happily throwing pots and pans around and usually singing at the top
of her tone-deaf voice. She'd been quite noisy, of late. 'It makes you
look real elegant, and it slims your figure down nice, too. That wide
belt makes your waist look so tiny, I bet I could span my hands
around it! You don't eat enough, my girl. I'm planning on fixing that
right away. Just wait until you see what's for supper!'
Dee cowered obligingly in the face of the huge carving knife that
Mary brandished cheerfully. 'But do you think I should put up my
hair?' she asked uncertainly. 'Or does it look all right down?'
'You look just fine, except you're too pale. Why don't you put some
blusher on, for heaven's sake?' Mary scrutinised Dee's face with an
easiness born of familiarity.
'I did,' Dee grumbled goodnaturedly, putting up an involuntary hand
to one cheek. 'Should I put more on, do you think?'
'Well, it certainly couldn't hurt.' The older woman paused as she eyed
the younger girl in front of her and continued musingly, 'Strange sort
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