Page 98 of Windlass

“She is nothing if not thorough,” said Angie.

“Hi.” Ivy arrived with Lilian, beaming at them. They’d changed. Ivy wore a loose white shirt over striped, blue shorts, both of which brought out the healthy tan to her skin and the gold of her hair. Lilian, dark-haired and dark-eyed, wore an elegant blue sundress, which Angie noted matched the blue of Ivy’s shorts. She would have teased them about coordinating if they didn’t make it look so damn good. Lilian’s hand hovered protectively at Ivy’s back, however, and the cover-up beneath Ivy’s eyes did not quite mask the purple tint to her skin. But if Ivy wasn’t feeling well, she didn’t let it show in any obvious way. “Thank you all so much for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting us, goof,” said Stormy. “I missed the dress code. Should I change?”

“You can wear whatever you want,” said Ivy casually, but her tone sharpened in a way Angie thought was mostly teasing as she added, “except for cocktail hour and dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“The itinerary is mostly to prevent anyone from feeling lost,” continued Ivy. “You may all do whatever you’d like, of course. You’re my guests.”

“Do you get the sense that by ‘whatever we want’ she means ‘do exactly what this paper says’?” Stevie whispered to Angie.

Angie smirked. “Imagine what she’d do if we skipped croquet.”

“The horrors.”

“What’d we miss?” Morgan and Emilia arrived with their dogs in tow.

“Please retrieve your itinerary from the table,” Angie said in her best flight attendant voice. “Follow along and be aware that the nearest exit may be located behind you.”

“Lil,” said Morgan, opening the itinerary, “was this you?”

Lilian did not blush, but her lips pressed together defensively.

Angie laughed aloud. She should have guessed that of the two of them Lilian was the one committed to a timetable. Ivy met her eyes and winked. It was annoying, how natural she made winking look. Most people just looked like creeps.

“I brought extra sunblock,” said Emilia, “in case anyone needs some tomorrow.”

“I thought I’d give you a tour of the house first, then have drinks and watch the sunset before dinner. I don’t have a scheduled game for tonight—”

“Strip poker,” said Stormy.

“—but thought we could probably come up with a few ideas,” Ivy finished. “Stevie?”

“As long as it isn’t night swimming—” Angie began.

“I wouldloveto go night swimming,” said Emilia, who was a freak like that.

“I’ll watch from the shore.” Angie’s heart leapt a little at the prospect of watching moonlight spill over Stevie’s body as she emerged from the water,Baywatchstyle.

“And I refuse to play strip poker,” Stevie said.

Stormy chuckled evilly. Angie contemplated the merits of strip poker and decided there was no way in hell she could keep a neutral expression. More importantly, she was in her thirties and trying to be less sleazy.

“Excellent.” Ivy clapped her hands together. “Cocktails?”

“Please,” said Morgan.

“Not in that shirt. Shoo.” Ivy turned to Angie, Stevie, and Stormy. “You, too. I see most of you only in scrubs. Make yourselves pretty for me?”

“I like to think I’m always gorgeous,” Stevie said with a flounce that contradicted her entire personality. “But you said fancy dress and I only brought one outfit.”

“So, wear it twice!”

“Is that allowed? Aren’t there rules against the peasantry?”

“Shush and go change.”

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