A Fatal Slip Read Online Free Page A

finally arrived. Brian had once taken her to a friend’s wedding at the Beauchamp Hotel and Spa, or the “Beau” as the locals called it, and it had been a spectacular event with elegant décor and delicious food.
    The question of what to wear immediately reared its head. As a stylist in New York Emma had amassed a decent wardrobe, although here in Paris she found herself reaching for the same basic garments over and over again. The back of her closet had become unexplored territory. Emma plunged into the mass of skirts, dresses, pants and blouses and managed to unearth a dress she’d once worn to a charity ball in New York with her then-boyfriend, photographer Guy Richard. She’d scored it at a sample sale, and it hadn’t been out of her closet since.
    It was no longer the height of fashion but considering that she was in Tennessee and not New York, she was certain it would do. Besides, Arabella had loaned her some magnificent jewelry to go with it.
    Emma stood in front of her bathroom mirror and fastened the clasp on the exquisite ruby-and-diamond necklace. It felt heavy and cold against her bare skin. She slipped on the matching chandelier earrings and turned this way and that, admiring the sparkle of the gems in the overhead light. Had the set been a gift from Hugh Granger, she wondered? Or had there been someone else as well, and Arabella was keeping more than one secret from them?
    Brian’s eyes lit up when he arrived an hour and a half later to pick Emma up. He looked her up and down and gave a long, low whistle. “Wow, am I going to have to hire a Brinks guard to protect you?” he said, indicating her necklace and matching earrings.
    “I’m sure I’m not going to be the only one at the party resplendent in fine jewels. From what Arabella has said, this Hugh runs with a pretty rich crowd.”
    “I’m certain that no one there will be wearing them nearly as well as you do.” Brian took Emma in his arms and kissed her in a way that left her breathless and nearly made her toes curl up. “Do we really have to go to this party tonight?” he asked, his voice husky in her ear.
    Emma laughed and pulled away. “We promised Aunt Arabella, remember?”
    Brian made a comically sad face, and Emma laughed.
    She had never seen him in dinner clothes before. Jeans and work shirts were more his usual attire. He managed to look as if he wore black tie every day. He’d slicked his hair down just a bit, and Emma caught the faintest whiff of cologne.
    “Shall we go?” he asked.
    Emma picked up her gown with both hands to keep it from trailing on the stairs as they headed to the ground floor. She glanced at the dust in the corners and made a mental note to sweep the very next day.
    “The way you look tonight, I feel like you deserve a limousine and not my sister’s station wagon,” Brian said indicating the car parked outside the back door to Emma’s apartment.
    “At least it’s not a pumpkin.”
    Brian laughed as he slid behind the wheel. “Yes, and let’s hope it doesn’t turn into one at midnight, or we’ll be riding brooms back to your place.” He laughed again. “I think I’m mixing up my fairy tales.”
    The Beau was located about fifteen minutes out of town, and the drive went quickly. They passed miles of dark and shadowy open fields, prickly with matted, frozen vegetation. Suddenly they rounded the corner and Emma gasped as the Beau came into view. It glowed from stem to stern, like a great ship ablaze against the inky darkness of the night. Several sleek, black cars were pulled up to the entrance where white-jacketed valets quickly whisked them away. Men in dinner jackets and women in fur coats and elegant gowns mingled around the entrance.
    Emma felt the stirrings of excitement. This was going to be a very glamorous evening indeed.
    Brian pulled up to the curb with a flourish, put the car in park and went around to help Emma out. She made what she hoped was a reasonably graceful exit considering the