Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay Read Free Book Online Page A

Waltham, adored wife of Earl Ellis of Waltham and beloved by all,” the man beside her said. He put his hand over his chest and gave a mock bow.
    He rose and stared at me in amusement. He licked his overly large lips as if I were a tasty morsel about to be devoured. Ew. I assumed from his mocking tone that he was Earl Ellis and he knew quite well that I had no idea who they were.
    Nuts! The first customers I have to help all by myself and they are members of the peerage. I knew from my training at Mim’s side that the proper address for Lord and Lady Ellis would be to address them first as “Lady Ellis” and “Lord Ellis” and then as “my lady” and “my lord.” I scanned my brain trying to think of a way to save myself.
    A quick glance at the woman, who was a beauty but also immaculately groomed, led me to believe that she logged a lot of time in front of her mirror. Anyone who spent that much time gazing at her reflection was definitely vain. It was easy for me to deduce that the best way to manage this woman was to appeal to her narcissism.
    I inclined my head and said, “Lady Ellis, it is a pleasure to have you in our shop. My cousin mentioned you particularly when we discussed the business during her absence.”
    “Did she?” Lady Ellis’s eyebrow lowered and she looked intrigued.
    Vivian is a wild card, but like Mim, her hats have always been sought after by those who can afford them, because she is a gifted milliner. To have a favored designer like Viv talk about her would do more for Lady Ellis’s vanity than any hollow praise I could offer her.
    “She did,” I said. “She was quite effusive in her praise of how beautifully shaped your head is.”
    I glanced at her through my lashes to see if she was looking mollified by my words. I saw her raise a hand to her head and pat the hair that was scraped back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Then she smiled.
    “Vivian said that? How interesting.” Her eyes met mine and she said, “My garden party is in four days. I’d like to pick up my hat now.”
    “Certainly,” I said. There was no need to ask if it was a special order. Lady Ellis was not the type to buy off-the-rack. Whatever she had requested, I was quite sure it was one of a kind.
    We kept a computer out front that was networked to the computer in the workroom. I opened the file on the desktop where Viv kept all of her accounts. It was a straightforward system that had a special-order file. Within the file the clients were listed alphabetically, then the hat they ordered and the price and whether they had paid or not.
    I scanned the list, looking for Lady Ellis. I checked under the “L’s” and the “E’s” and the “V’s.” There was nothing. I could feel Lady Ellis watching me, and my heart began to pound. There was no help for it, without Fee or Viv to consult, Lady Ellis was just going to have to come back.
    “I am so sorry, my lady,” I said. “But there is no listing for any hat on order for you.”
    She stared at me as if my words were incomprehensible to her. Then her eyes narrowed and she said, “I’m afraid that is completely unacceptable.”

Chapter 9

    Lord Ellis leaned on the counter and smiled. It wasn’t a knee-slapping-that’s-a-funny-joke smile. It was a closed-lipped, wicked smile as if he was taking a twisted delight in her disappointment or my dilemma or both. Either way, it gave me the creeps.
    I turned my attention to Lady Ellis. “I’m sure my assistant will be able to locate your hat for you. If you’d like, I can deliver it to your home personally.”
    “No, I don’t like,” she said. “I want my hat, for which I paid an outrageous sum, and I want it now.”
    “Do you know what it looked like?” I asked. I could feel myself getting flustered. I had assumed having her hat delivered to her home would calm her, but no.
    “No, I don’t,” she said. “Vivian promised me a one-of-a-kind creation, something that would be the envy of all