Cruel as the Grave
Henry,” she chided him fondly. “You’ve been talking to somebody or another all afternoon, and it’s time you took a nap. You’ll have plenty of time to visit with Maggie tomorrow.”
    “I’ll take a nap if you’ll hush fussing at me,” Henry grumbled. “If you had your way I’d never talk to anybody. I’d just sleep all the time!”
    Sylvia laughed as she guided Maggie toward the door. “Don’t pay any attention to him—he’ll talk the horns off a billy goat if you give him the chance.” She lowered her voice as they reached the door. “But all this talking really does wear him out, and he’s had practically the whole family up here this afternoon, along with you and Gerard. I’m afraid he’s overdone it a little.”
    Maggie nodded. “You’re right, I know, but this has been a pretty big day for us all.”
    Sylvia patted her on the shoulder. “I’m really glad you’ve come home, especially for his sake.” She bobbed her head backwards in Henry’s direction.
    Squeezing Sylvia’s hand briefly, Maggie slipped out the door with a smile. “See you later.”
    Maggie went once again to her bathroom to bathe her face in cold water. Staring in the mirror, she said, “This is ridiculous. No more crying today.” Her head ached slightly, and she wished for some aspirin. She checked the medicine cabinet and, sure enough, there was a new bottle of aspirin, its seal still intact. She opened it and filled a glass with water, then downed two tablets.
    Back in the bedroom, reclining on the bed, she contemplated what she should do next. Before she could give it much thought, a knock sounded at her door. Startled, she got off the bed and called out, “Come in.”
    Briskly the door swung open, and Adrian Worthington stepped into the room. He flashed a brief smile at Maggie. “Harold asked me to let you know he’d see you at dinner. Your father told him Mr. McLendon had asked to speak with you, so Harold thought you’d probably rather wait until later for a tour of the house.”
    An attractive butler in khakis and polo shirt was outside the realm of Maggie’s experience, so she stood there not knowing quite what to say to the man, even how she should address him. “Thank you for letting me know,” she finally stammered. “I was thinking about my uncle and how to find him when you knocked on my door.”
    He smiled again, which did nothing to ease the onslaught of her jitters. “That’s pretty easy, actually, Miss McLendon.” He moved to the telephone beside her bed.
    “Please, call me Maggie,” she said hurriedly, uncomfortable at being called “Miss” by someone only a few years older than she.
    “Maggie,” he repeated, and she swallowed convulsively as she stepped closer in answer to his motioning hand. She rather liked the way he said her name, the way he lingered slightly over the first syllable. Better watch it, she admonished herself silently. Why? herself asked back.
    Quickly and concisely Adrian explained to Maggie the in-house phone system. Each phone had two lines, one an outside line and the other for in-house calls only. Under the phone lay a handy list of all the house extension numbers.
    “And if you can’t catch up with the person you want to talk to,” he said, “you can always dial the extension in the butler’s pantry. It rings in the kitchen also, so during the day, anyway, someone will always answer that line and get a message to me.”
    “Thank you,” Maggie responded. “I think I can handle this. It certainly makes sense to have a system like this in a house this size.” She shook her head wonderingly. “Otherwise I don’t know how you’d ever find anybody.”
    He nodded. “Yes, it is handy. Now,” he said as he turned toward the door, “is there anything else I can help you with?”
    “Yes, there are two things, actually. The first is: When is dinner, and how should I dress?”
    “Dinner’s at six-thirty, and dress around here is always pretty casual. What

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