"What?"
"She asked if he would permit her to hide from his wife."
Abigail hung her head. "No wonder he sent his wife away. My Claymore would have had her horse whipped."
"I assure you, I thought to do that myself."
"I do hope his wife does not come back."
"So do I." McKenna sipped a little more tea and then set her cup and saucer down on a side table. "Well, I must go home. Do telephone if you think of a way to manage our troubles. We are so very upset and we know not what to do."
"I will let you know the instant I think of something."
McKenna was not yet out the front door when she heard Abigail on the telephone. "Vivian, you will never guess. I have had it from McKenna's very own lips…" McKenna smiled and went home.
*
Everything was set for the garden party, except the weather. Dark clouds threatened rain, so the tables were moved back inside. It was just as well, the garden was far from finished and their guests were eager to see inside the mansion anyway.
The guest list included a select group of twenty people, including the Whitfields, Vivian Mabs, whose husband was a city councilman, Maude Goodwin and her banker husband, Wilma Miller and her husband, and the single ladies from McKenna's sewing circle, Pearl and Loretta. The mayor and his wife came, the sheriff, two gold mine owners who were without wives and of course, Mr. Wells, whom Hannish had completely forgotten he invited.
By then, Blanka and Donnel were tired. They hung a "do not enter" sign on their downstairs door and went to take a nap.
The spread of food on the table included small, round roast beef pies, Jessie's custards, Halen's pear tarts, Jessie's fried apples, and Halen's cherry pies. The footmen filled cups with fruit punch and kept clean dishes handy on one of the sideboards.
Cathleen helped in the kitchen, but Sassy was determined not to look like she had something to hide. She kept busy collecting dirty dishes and setting them on the tray Brookton held. She ignored the guests for the most part, and Sarah stood watching, just in case Sassy was questioned. It soon appeared most of the guests were not quite certain which servant Sassy was anyway. When he was not at the front door, Alistair kept a close eye on Sarah just in case one of the male guests got the wrong idea.
Not a man in the place failed to admire Millie's figure as she showed the ladies where the water closets were, or went to fetch this or that for them. Prescot happily served stronger drinks in the small sitting room, that is, when the men could slip away from their wives, and then pointed the way to the smoking room.