Killer Calories

affair with Kat ?“ she asked.
    “I thought he was an idiot, and I told him so. Of course, it didn’t carry much weight with him. I tell him that at least twice a week.”
    “How long did it last?”
    Phoebe shot her a look of indignation and shock. “Well, that’s a pretty personal question. But, considering my brother s age, I doubt he lasted very long at all. A man of his years has to think of his heart, especially with a younger little tart like Kat Valentina. I—”
    “No, I’m sorry. I meant, the affair in general.”
    “Oh. Three weeks... more or less. I’m not exactly certain.”
    Savannah bet that Phoebe was certain. With the aid of her telescope and acute curiosity, she probably knew when everyone’s affairs began and ended. She would have kept a close account of her brother’s activities.
    “Who terminated it?”
    “My brother, of course. But not before she asked him to marry her. She proposed to him! Can you believe such a thing? What is this world coming to, anyway, when women are on bended knees, offering engagement rings? These times we live in are perverse, I tell you. Perverse.”
    “She offered him an engagement ring...” Savannah just couldn’t picture that. “...on her knees ?”
    Phoebe waved her glove at her. “Oh, pooh, of course not. Don’t take me literally, girl. A flaming strumpet like that? She was probably lying flat on her back at the time.”
    “And he refused?”
    “Her proposal of marriage? Most certainly. He may be foolish, but he isn’t dim-witted.”
    “I see.”
    Savannah didn’t see, but she was afraid to ask for clarification, which she was fairly sure would only confuse her further.
    “How did Kat feel about him turning her down?” Savannah asked, still trying to picture Kat Valentina proposing to Ford Chesterfield, while lying on her back.
    “Oh, I suppose she had a bit of a snit fit about it. But ‘here wasn’t anything she could do. His mind was made up. And anyone who knows my brother is all too aware of how stubborn he can be.”
    “How long ago did all this happen?”
    “Recently.”
    “ Very recently?”
    Phoebe gave her a wary look, as though realizing for the first time that she was speaking to a stranger about private, family matters.
    “Yes, but I’m sure it had nothing to do with what hap pened to her,” Phoebe said. “Nothing at all. As charming as he may be, my brother isn’t the sort of man women kill themselves over.”
    Savannah watched Phoebe carefully, noting every expres sion that crossed her still-handsome face. Age might have traced a crease here and there in the porcelain skin, but her blue eyes still glowed with an enthusiasm for life that gave Savannah hope for her own later years.
    But, as closely as she studied her, Savannah wasn’t sure if Phoebe Chesterfield was telling her the truth or not. She wouldn’t put it past her to embroider the facts to suit her fancy, or even fabricate them altogether.
    In her experience, Savannah had come to believe that most people did one or the other to some degree and from time to time. The trick was figuring out how much and when.
    But the sun was rapidly disappearing behind hills that had changed from a tawny suede to purple velvet, and she needed to return to the spa while she could still see the trail
    “I’d like to drop by again sometime and talk to your brother about Ms. Valentina,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve told me the most important facts, but he might have something to add.”
    “No, he wouldn’t,” was Phoebe’s brusque reply. “He won t even talk to me about her... and me his own sister. He s a private man, Ford is. I’m sure he wouldn’t give you the time of day.”
    “All the same, I’d like to try.”
    Phoebe shrugged. “It’s your time. Waste it if you want. ”
    Savannah bent over to pluck one of the dainty coral blossoms from the azalea bush they had just planted. “May I?” she asked.
    “Of course,” Phoebe replied, seemingly relieved to change the subject. “But why do you want one little flower? If you like, go ahead and cut yourself a bouquet.” She waved her arm, indicating that the entire garden was Savannah ’s.
    “Thank you, but this is all I need. It’s for my potpourri... a very special one.”
    At the mere mention of flowers, Phoebe’s face shone. “Special? Is it a secret blend?”
    “There’s no secret, but it is very personal. It contains flowers from special occasions throughout my life: a petal from my