Death of a Mad Hatter (A Hat Shop Mystery) Page 4

  “This won’t take very long,” Viv said. “I really just need to get measurements and make sure you each approve of the hat we’ll be creating for you.”

  “I can help,” I volunteered. “I’ve no talent at millinery, but I wield a mean measuring tape.”

  “Excellent,” Viv said, and she handed me a tape. I wondered if any of the other Grisbys were as germ-phobic as Geoffrey, but no one darted away at the tape, so I assumed not.

  “I’ll go first,” Liam volunteered, and he sat down right in front of Viv and gave her a charming smile.

  When I had first arrived in London, I had thought that maybe Viv and Harrison had a thing going. Having spent an awful lot of time with them over the past few months, I could see that they shared a deep affection, but that was about it.

  I realized now that I hadn’t seen Viv show an interest in any man. Come to think of it, in all the years I’d known her, she had never really had a real relationship. She dated, but it was always kept casual. She said she was caught up in her art and the business, but I wondered, was she pining for someone she couldn’t have?

  I didn’t like that. Viv was a beautiful woman with long, curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She had a ripe figure with long legs and a laugh that was deep and throaty. A man would be damn lucky to have Viv. So why was she single?

  A glance at the look on Liam’s face and I could tell he was halfway to smitten. Viv was nothing but professional as she took his measurements. I heard her say something about being above average, and Liam made a few teasing remarks that made her smile.

  “My head awaits you, my lady,” George said to me and executed a fabulous bow.

  I shifted my gaze to him and smiled. I lifted up my tape measure and said, “Please sit.”

  George sat on the small blue chair beside me. I gently put the tape around his head. He, too, was slightly above average.

  “So, go on, tell me the bad news,” he said.

  “Excuse me?” I asked.

  “Will I live, doctor?” he asked. He gave me a pitifully earnest look.

  “Well, that depends,” I said. I glanced at Viv’s sketchbook. “How do you feel about being dressed as a caterpillar?”

  He frowned. “What part did Liam get?”

  I glanced back at the pad. “He’s the knave of hearts.”

  “Which would you say is the bigger part?” George asked.

  “Are you in competition?” I asked.

  “Always,” he said, drily. “He is the heir apparent, after Uncle Geoffrey, of course, so I must keep my wits about me lest I get shafted.”

  I glanced over to where Liam was teasing his grandmother Dotty while Viv measured her head.

  “I doubt your brother would leave you penniless,” I said. “He seems the caring sort.”

  “Ack, then he has you good and truly fooled,” George said. “My brother is as greedy and avaricious a bastard as ever lived. Why, he’d sell out Gram for a new pair of shoelaces.” His face was set in severe lines and I wondered if I had wandered into a conversation that was going to be awkward at best.

  “Fine weather out there today,” I said. “Warm sun, cool breeze, quite nice.”

  George’s serious face split into a wide grin and he laughed.

  “Got you, didn’t I?” he asked.

  “You were teasing me!” I cried.

  “Of course,” he said. “And you brought up the weather just to keep it cordial. Are you really American?”

  “Half,” I said. “My mother is British.”

  “No wonder you were so shocked at my candor,” he said.

  “Dear brother, what are you playing at now?” Liam asked as he joined us.

  “I was teasing Ms. Scarlett by telling her you’re a selfish git,” George admitted. “I couldn’t resist.”

  “Please forgive him,” Liam said to me. “I’m quite sure he’s adopted.”

  I laughed. “I believe he called you a greedy, avaricious bastard.”

  “Oh, so you were bragging about me again, eh, little brother?” Liam asked, and the two laughed. “Don’t believe a word he says. He exaggerates.”

  “Only the good qualities,” George remarked.

  “Hmm,” Liam hummed. He smiled at me and said, “I imagine Vivian’s husband must be quite proud of her achievements in the fashion world.”

  “Of all the ham-fisted, clumsy attempts to find out if a woman is available, that has to be the worst I’ve ever seen,” George cried. “Good grief, I think it left an odor behind.”

  George looked so affronted at his brother that I had to laugh.

  “I suppose you could have finagled the information more gracefully?” Liam asked.

  “I could perform ballet in combat boots more gracefully than that,” George said. “But then, so could an elephant, so that’s not really saying much, now, is it?”

  I took pity on Liam and said, “Vivian is single, but—”

  “But what?” Liam asked. “Is she pining for someone?”

  “No—at least, I don’t think so,” I said. I wasn’t really sure how to say what I had to without offending him, and given that he was a customer, it went against my nature to be less than helpful. Still, it had to be said. “She’s a bit older than you.”

  George burst out laughing but Liam just shrugged and said, “Age is merely a number and the heart won’t be denied.”

  At this, George rolled his eyes and made a gagging noise. I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

  I liked the brothers. They were funny and charming and I suspected took after their father.

  “I can’t really argue with that, now, can I?” I asked George.

  “No, like me, you’ll just have to grab a bucket of water and prepare to put the poor bugger out when he crashes and burns,” George said.

  “Perhaps,” Liam said. “Or maybe she’ll shock you right out of your knickers by saying yes to a night on the town with me.”

  “Scarlett,” Viv called me. “Could you get the swatches I left in the workroom?”

  “On it,” I said. “Excuse me.”

  Both George and Liam inclined their heads as I left. I wondered what Viv would make of Liam’s interest in her. My guess was that he was in his early twenties, maybe twenty-two or -three. That would make him six years younger than her, which would be the equivalent of me dating his younger brother George, who, while charming, still had the scent of his college years about him, making him entirely too immature for me. I supposed Viv might feel differently, but I couldn’t imagine it.

  Then again, she hadn’t dated anyone in so long, at least no one she’d told me about, that maybe she’d just be happy to have a date.

  Back in the workroom, Fee was fastening a fat pink ribbon onto the crown of a wide-brimmed white hat. The ribbon was shaped into a large flower in the back, and it made me think of the taste of sun-ripened raspberries and sand between my toes.

  “That says summer to me,” I said.

  “It does?” Fee asked. She looked nervous. “It’s one of the hats I’m designing for the bride for the Butler-Coates wedding. She wanted casual but elegant, something that said an afternoon picnic in the park, because that’s what they’re doing for their wedding.”

  “Oh, that should be lovely,” I said. “I like the pink ribbon. It’s very feminine.”

  “It’s to match her gown,” Fee said. “She’s wearing a pink gown by Sarah Burton.”

  “The designer of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress?”

  “That’s the one,” Fee said.

  “And you’re nervous about being in charge of the hat?” I asked.

  “Terrified,” Fee said.

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “It looks amazing. She’ll love it.”

  Fee gave me a half smile and I picked up the stack of fabric Viv had left on the table. I
turned to head back to the shop when I stopped. Fee had been working with Viv very closely over the past year; maybe she knew if there was someone special in Viv’s life.

  “Fee, when was the last time Viv had a boyfriend?” I asked.

  Fee glanced up from the hat. She frowned at me. “As far as I know she hasn’t had one, at least not since I’ve been working here. Unless she’s really keeping it hush-hush.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I went back into the front of the shop to find Liam orbiting around Viv while his brother watched with a smile.

  I handed Viv the swatches and moved to stand beside George.

  “Has he made his move yet?” I asked.

  “Hard to do under the watchful eye of Mama Hen,” George said as he gestured toward Daphne. “No one is good enough for her darling firstborn.”

  “You should help him out with a distraction,” I suggested.

  “But then I’d miss the show,” he protested. “You do it.”

  “Well, I don’t want to miss it either,” I said. “Besides, I thought I was supposed to man the bucket if he went down in flames.”

  “Would she be that cruel?” George asked.

  I shrugged. I had no idea how Viv would handle the request for a date.

  “All right, you two, whatever are you up to?” Lily asked from behind us, causing both George and me to jump. “Because I have to tell you that your whispering looks very suspicious.”

  Chapter 5

  “We’re watching Liam stalk his prey like a mighty hunter,” George said. “Scarlett, here, thinks I should offer myself up as bait to draw off the protective mama, but I don’t want to miss Ms. Vivian sending the boy down in a blaze of humiliation.”

  Lily gazed past us to where Viv was showing Dotty, Daphne and Rose the different sorts of fabric that could be used for their hats. Liam glanced up at the three of us watching and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I know just the ticket,” Lily said. She joined the group on the sofa and as Viv worked her way through the samples, Lily pointed to a pretty rose-colored shade and said, “That one. Oh, I simply must have that one.”

  “What?” Daphne squawked. “You can’t just sashay forward and take the best one. What if Mum or Rose had their eye on it?”

  “Oh, I didn’t, dear,” Dotty said. “That color makes me look peaky.”

  Rose nodded in agreement. “I like a quieter color.”

  I glanced over to see Liam taking advantage of the kerfuffle and whispering something in Viv’s ear. She turned and gave him an amused smile and then she laughed.

  He flashed the rest of us a triumphant grin.

  “Well, he’s certainly not letting any grass grow under his feet,” I said to George.

  “Good thing, too,” George hissed. “I think Aunt Lily’s distraction might work too well and if I’m right, Mum is about to throw a wobbler.”

  I knew from my years on vacation over here that he meant she was about pitch a hissy fit. He was right.

  “Oh, of course, the ever-favored Lily gets to pick her fabric first,” Daphne snapped. “I am the oldest. Did it never occur to anyone that maybe I should get to pick first? Oh, no. Why would it when being born a man, even the fourth born in a family, means he gets to inherit it all?”

  “Oh goodness, not again, Daphne,” Dotty said. “Your father’s will is what it is. There is no changing it and pouting about it certainly isn’t going to make a bit of difference.”

  “No, but Geoffrey could make a difference if he wanted to,” Daphne snapped. Two bright spots of red blazed on her cheeks and her nostrils flared in and out with every breath.

  “Uh-oh,” George said. “She’s winding up.”

  “Is there something I can do?” I asked.

  “No, she’s not been right since the reading of the will,” he said. “Given Gram’s eccentricities, Mum assumed that as the oldest she would be the executor of our father’s estate and would take care of Gram and parcel out a quarter of the family fortune among the four siblings. Well, when we discovered Uncle Geoffrey was the sole heir, it didn’t sit well, and when he refused to parcel out the estate, it sat even less well.”

  “I’ve met Geoffrey,” I said.

  “Lovely chap, isn’t he?” George asked.

  “Is there any way I can answer that respectfully?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “I don’t believe there is.”

  “I do like his wife,” I said. “Tina seems very nice.”

  “Awfully young for him, though, wouldn’t you say?” George asked.

  “I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might concur with your observation and make it appear that I am gossiping about a client, which would be very wrong,” I said.

  “You know, I’ve always been partial to redheads, but you’re more than that. There’s much more to you than a fiery mane, isn’t there?” George smiled at me. “I like you.”

  I inclined my head. “The feeling is mutual.”

  “Would you go out with me?” he asked.

  “No, but I appreciate the offer,” I said.

  “I’m too young for you,” he said.

  “By a year or five,” I said. “Plus I’ve taken a year off from dating.”

  “Oh, I definitely want to hear the story behind that, but first let’s see if your cousin is as stodgy as you,” he said. He smiled so I knew he was teasing. We glanced back at Viv to find Liam still hovering and whispering.

  “Daphne, you have to give Geoffrey some time,” Lily said. “Dad only passed away a month ago, and he’s still figuring it all out.”

  “Oh, you think so? Is that why he’s transferring all of the family fortune into new accounts with just his name on them?” Daphne asked. Her voice cracked like a whip and Rose looked as if she’d like to cower under the furniture to get away from her sister, while Lily appeared completely unruffled.

  “Daphne, can we not speak of this now?” Rose asked. She cast Dotty a worried glance as if afraid Daphne’s outburst would upset their mother.

  “Do you really think our brother isn’t out to take everything that is rightfully ours?” Daphne asked.

  “What do you care?” Lily asked. “You’re married to Tom Mercer, a wealthy man in his own right.”

  “Yes, he is, and he’s worked for every penny,” Daphne said. “Why if he were here instead of in the States, working on a merger for his company, he would agree with me completely.”

  “Oh, come off it,” Lily said. “You and Tom aren’t hurting for money; what do you care if Geoffrey is in charge of the estate?”

  “It’s the principle of the thing,” Daphne snapped. “It wasn’t just Mum that he le—”

  “No!” Rose jumped up and shoved into Daphne, cutting off her words. “Do not say it!”

  “Smooth move, Aunt Rose,” George said. “That could have gotten nasty. Gram always goes a bit sideways when there’s any talk of Gramps leaving her for his mistress. Still, Aunt Lily is my favorite.”

  “Girls, this unacceptable behavior,” Dotty said. She frowned at Viv. “Ginny, I am so sorry about this. Liam, stop pestering my friend in her place of business.”

  George and I turned away together to hide our grins.

  “You know the fact that your grandmother thinks that Viv is her age adds quite a twist to Liam asking Viv out, doesn’t it?” I giggled.

  “Can you imagine her at Sunday dinner with Gram thinking she’s shagging her grandson?” George chortled.

  “Awkward,” I said out of the side of my mouth.

  “Fine, if we can’t discuss the brass tacks of what’s happening in our own family, then I suggest we don’t speak at all. George, Liam, we’re leaving,” Daphne announced.

  “And that’s that,” George said. “It’s been a pleasure, Scarlett.”

  “Likewise,” I said. He gave me a half bow and wal
ked over to his mother. She still looked angry enough to spit nails, primarily at her sister.

  Liam seemed more reluctant to leave Viv, which made me think he had not yet sealed the deal on a date.

  Daphne, oblivious to her son’s reluctance to depart, stomped toward the door.

  “Daphne, what are we to do with your hat?” Lily called after her.

  “I don’t care,” she said. “I’m sick to the back teeth of the whole bloody situation.”

  With that she shoved out the door. George paused to kiss Dotty on the cheek and wink at his aunts, while Liam heaved a sigh and did the same. He waved at Viv, looking like a lovesick schoolboy as he exited the shop after his brother.

  Viv glanced at the three remaining ladies. “Don’t worry. I have her measurements and will manage a perfect hat for her.”

  “Oh, thank you, Ginny. Whatever would we do without you?” Dotty asked. “Now, you and Scarlett will be coming to the tea, won’t you?”

  “Uh,” I stammered. I really couldn’t imagine willingly spending any more time with this family.

  “Oh, do say you’ll come,” Lily chimed in. “It will be such fun. I promise we’ll all be on our best behavior.”

  Dotty reached over and patted Viv’s hand. “For me?” she asked.

  Suddenly, the scent of lily of the valley tickled my nose. I frowned and looked at Viv. I saw her nose twitch and then she glanced at Mim’s old wardrobe in the corner, the one with the carved bird on top, a bird I had nicknamed Ferd.

  I knew what she was thinking. Lily of the valley was Mim’s scent, and it wafted through the shop with no discernible point of origin. We had not discussed it, but I was pretty sure Viv believed that Mim, or the essence of Mim, appeared in the shop at moments of great importance.

  Viv patted Dotty’s hand and said, “Of course, we’d love to come.”

  It took me a moment to identify the feeling that swirled in the pit of my stomach, but there it was—dread. Where Viv had taken Mim’s scent as a sign of encouragement, I had taken it as a warning. I supposed only time would tell which of us had been right.