The Distinguished Guest
“Sat by, sat in—whatever. Once it had been another divorced minister’s wife. She’d begun a memoir too, and, it turned out, wanted to read some of it aloud to Lily, wanted to “pick her brains” about how to get a book contract. Lily’s disease had suddenly become much worse, she’d actually managed to seem a bit non compos mentis before the afternoon was over, and the woman left, clearly disappointed, but full of a satisfying pity she signaled to Linnett with long, pointed glances when Lily began to... circumnavigate a subject peculiarly.
The other had been a pair of feminist scholars working on a book they were going to title Redefining Heroism: The Female Mode. With them, Lily was prickly, a bit Red Queenish. Which Linnett had pointed out to her afterward. Lily had laughed.
This was different. It was different because Linnett felt differently about Lily at this point. Certainly not so allied with her. Much more critical. She’d decided to delay her own arrival to avoid the prolonged settling in, with Noreen offering things per Lily’s instructions and Lily playing hostess, pouring things interminably, unsteadily passing the agitated plate of cheese and crackers, or cookies, with what seemed a deliberated mischief.MoreLess
The other had been a pair of feminist scholars working on a book they were going to title Redefining Heroism: The Female Mode. With them, Lily was prickly, a bit Red Queenish. Which Linnett had pointed out to her afterward. Lily had laughed.
This was different. It was different because Linnett felt differently about Lily at this point. Certainly not so allied with her. Much more critical. She’d decided to delay her own arrival to avoid the prolonged settling in, with Noreen offering things per Lily’s instructions and Lily playing hostess, pouring things interminably, unsteadily passing the agitated plate of cheese and crackers, or cookies, with what seemed a deliberated mischief.MoreLess
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