Death of a Mad Hatter (A Hat Shop Mystery) (3 page)

“Is that so?” Geoffrey Grisby asked. He glanced quickly down at his phone, making it clear he couldn’t care less.

“Yes that’s so,” Viv said. Her voice was shrill, enough so that even Grisby picked up on it.

He blinked at her. “Still, you are an odd lot, aren’t you?”

“Geoffrey!” Tina chastised.

“What? It’s true,” he protested. “Have you seen some of the hats my sisters have worn over the years? They look ridiculous, and they don’t come cheap, now, do they? Nothing like paying a fortune to let someone make you look like an idiot.”

“Some people could use a hat to make them look more attractive—a very large hat,” Viv said.

I didn’t like the way that was going.

“Why don’t you see if you have some plush materials that Mr. Grisby might like for the hat?” I asked.

Viv rose from her seat. She was wearing a pretty floral dress that reached almost to the floor. Her long blonde curls were loose and she tossed them over her shoulder as she left the room. Even though she was my cousin and I loved her, when I observed her out of the Grisbys’ eyes, I had to acknowledge, she did seem a bit different.

The front door opened and another customer strolled in. It was just me in the shop now, so I excused myself and went to greet the woman. She went straight to the rack of wide-brimmed sun hats, so I figured this would be a quick sale. It was.

A tourist from Belgium, she was spending the next day in the Kew Gardens and wanted to purchase a hat to shield her eyes and prevent a sunburn while outside. She chose the lavender hat I had admired, and I tried not to sigh as I rang it up for her. It occurred to me that we probably needed to move this rack closer to the door for upcoming summer purchases.

I waved her out and went to return to the Grisbys. They had moved into a corner of the shop and were having a heated conversation. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but their hissing voices carried across the empty room.

“Why aren’t you pregnant yet?” Geoffrey asked. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’ve told you the doctor says I’m fine,” Tina responded. Her voice sounded weary, as if this was an argument she knew by heart. “Maybe if you would go in and get checked—”

“There is nothing wrong with me,” Geoffrey interrupted. His voice sounded menacing. “You’re the defective one. I thought if I married someone young, she would be sure to produce an heir, but instead you’ve proven useless to me.”

“I’m not useless,” Tina said. Again, her voice sounded exhausted.

“I’m sure your lover has many uses for you,” he said. His tone was nasty.

“I’ve told you I do not have a lover,” she said. “Not like you and your secretary, at any rate. Tell me, have you called things off with the tart?”

Geoffrey raised his hand, looking as if he’d strike her.

“Hey, there!” I cried as I shot forward across the room. “How about some tea and biscuits?”

Tina glanced at me with relief while Geoffrey turned his raised hand into an awkward stretch. I decided right then and there that I loathed him. Any man who would strike his wife was no man to me.

“Sadly, I can’t stay,” Geoffrey said. “I have an engagement.”

He snarled the last few words at his wife and I suspected this was code for saying he was going to go visit his secretary. If I were Tina, I’d send the poor woman flowers and a thank-you note, but that’s just me.

He grabbed Tina’s chin between his thumb and index finger and held her still while he pressed his fleshy lips to hers. I glanced away and suppressed a shudder.

“Oversee the details of my hat,” he said. “And try not to muck it up.”

Tina waited until he was gone before she pressed her fingers to her mouth as if to check for bruises.

Fee came out from the workroom with a tray of tea and I could have kissed her. I knew I needed a bracing cup of something and I was pretty sure Tina could use one as well.

“Here are some plush samples,” Viv said. She was carrying several rolls of fabric, which she dumped on the seat Geoffrey had vacated.

“Don’t trouble yourself,” Tina said as she dropped some sugar into her tea. “Unless, of course, you have something in a hideous pink with orange polka dots.”

Viv blinked at her, but I laughed. Tina Grisby had style.

“Do you think Tina’s having an affair?” Viv asked.

“No idea,” I said. “But I don’t blame her if she is. Geoffrey Grisby is an awful man.”

“Agreed,” Viv said. “A right tosser, in fact.”

It was early the next morning and we were bracing ourselves for more of the Grisby family to arrive to be measured.

Dotty Grisby was coming with all three daughters as well as Daphne’s sons. Given Daphne’s sour nature, I was really looking forward to the appointment. Really.

I wondered if Tina and Geoffrey had purposefully made their appointment when the others weren’t there so they could avoid any unpleasantness. Of course, Geoffrey seemed to bring his own brand of unpleasantness, so really, how much worse could it be?

Despite Daphne’s volunteering to be Tweedledum at their last visit to the shop, Viv had pointed out that those characters don’t appear until Lewis Carroll’s second book,
Through the Looking Glass
. Dotty was a bit put out by that, but Viv had promised to come up with a suitable character for Daphne.

It was just before midday when the Grisbys arrived. I had already made up a tea tray and signaled to Fee to put the kettle on. Dotty came in on the arm of a woman I didn’t recognize, but judging by her resemblance to Daphne and Rose, who walked behind her, I figured this had to be Lily, the artist sister who lived in Paris.

Rose looked as meek as ever while Daphne seemed resigned. Bringing up the tail end of the group were two handsome men who looked to be in their early twenties. Viv and I exchanged a glance. They had to be Daphne’s sons, and one thing was for certain: they did not get their good looks from their mother.

“Ginny.” Dotty greeted Viv with a warm hug. I glanced over their heads to see a bemused look on Dotty’s grandsons’ faces.

The older one had jet-black hair and bright-blue eyes, and when he met my gaze there was a decided twinkle in his eye.

“Ginny,” Dotty said. “I am just never going to get used to calling you Viv. This is my daughter Lily and my grandsons, Liam and George. And you’ve already met Daphne and Rose.”

“How do you do?” Viv said and she shook their hands. She gestured to me and said, “This is my cousin Scarlett Parker.”

I stepped forward and shook hands with everyone as well.

Lily was definitely the looker of the three sisters. Where Daphne’s face was sallow and wrinkled and looked tight with tension and Rose’s face was pasty and pinched with worry, Lily had a square jaw, flawless skin and warm brown eyes. When she smiled, deep dimples appeared on either side of her full lips, and she had a serenity about her that soothed.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Viv,” she said. “And I do think the name Viv suits you much more than Ginny.”

Viv grinned at her and Lily turned to me. “Scarlett, I hear you hail from the States. It’s so nice not to be the only one from afar.”

“Paris is only three hundred and forty kilometers away,” Daphne said. “Hardly far at all.”

“And yet you never come to visit,” Lily countered. “Why is that?”

“I am busy raising my sons,” Daphne said. “Of course, an unmarried woman like you would never understand the sacrifice.”

“I’m quite certain I’m no longer in nappies,” Liam, the older brother, said with a mischievous grin. “So, it must be you, George, who is keeping Mum tied up in her apron strings.”

“Don’t be a prat,” George said. “Everyone knows you still need your nightly tuck-in. If it’s anyone, it’s you holding her back.”

George was smirking at his brother good-naturedly and Liam laughed at his joke. I decided that I liked these Grisbys. Unlike Liam, George had light-brown hair and hazel eyes, but they shared the same strong features of a high forehead, blunt nose and rough-hewn jaw. They were both tall and seemed to fill the shop with their broad shoulders.

“Boys, that’s enough,” Daphne said but there was affection in her tone. It was the first time I had seen her face soften, and it transformed her look into one of faded beauty. So maybe Lily wasn’t the only looker.

“This won’t take very long,” Viv said. “I really just need to get measurements and make sure you each approve of the hat we’ll be creating for you.”

“I can help,” I volunteered. “I’ve no talent at millinery, but I wield a mean measuring tape.”

“Excellent,” Viv said, and she handed me a tape. I wondered if any of the other Grisbys were as germ-phobic as Geoffrey, but no one darted away at the tape, so I assumed not.

“I’ll go first,” Liam volunteered, and he sat down right in front of Viv and gave her a charming smile.

When I had first arrived in London, I had thought that maybe Viv and Harrison had a thing going. Having spent an awful lot of time with them over the past few months, I could see that they shared a deep affection, but that was about it.

I realized now that I hadn’t seen Viv show an interest in any man. Come to think of it, in all the years I’d known her, she had never really had a real relationship. She dated, but it was always kept casual. She said she was caught up in her art and the business, but I wondered, was she pining for someone she couldn’t have?

I didn’t like that. Viv was a beautiful woman with long, curly blonde hair and big blue eyes. She had a ripe figure with long legs and a laugh that was deep and throaty. A man would be damn lucky to have Viv. So why was she single?

A glance at the look on Liam’s face and I could tell he was halfway to smitten. Viv was nothing but professional as she took his measurements. I heard her say something about being above average, and Liam made a few teasing remarks that made her smile.

“My head awaits you, my lady,” George said to me and executed a fabulous bow.

I shifted my gaze to him and smiled. I lifted up my tape measure and said, “Please sit.”

George sat on the small blue chair beside me. I gently put the tape around his head. He, too, was slightly above average.

“So, go on, tell me the bad news,” he said.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Will I live, doctor?” he asked. He gave me a pitifully earnest look.

“Well, that depends,” I said. I glanced at Viv’s sketchbook. “How do you feel about being dressed as a caterpillar?”

He frowned. “What part did Liam get?”

I glanced back at the pad. “He’s the knave of hearts.”

“Which would you say is the bigger part?” George asked.

“Are you in competition?” I asked.

“Always,” he said, drily. “He is the heir apparent, after Uncle Geoffrey, of course, so I must keep my wits about me lest I get shafted.”

I glanced over to where Liam was teasing his grandmother Dotty while Viv measured her head.

“I doubt your brother would leave you penniless,” I said. “He seems the caring sort.”

“Ack, then he has you good and truly fooled,” George said. “My brother is as greedy and avaricious a bastard as ever lived. Why, he’d sell out Gram for a new pair of shoelaces.” His face was set in severe lines and I wondered if I had wandered into a conversation that was going to be awkward at best.

“Fine weather out there today,” I said. “Warm sun, cool breeze, quite nice.”

George’s serious face split into a wide grin and he laughed.

“Got you, didn’t I?” he asked.

“You were teasing me!” I cried.

“Of course,” he said. “And you brought up the weather just to keep it cordial. Are you really American?”

“Half,” I said. “My mother is British.”

“No wonder you were so shocked at my candor,” he said.

“Dear brother, what are you playing at now?” Liam asked as he joined us.

“I was teasing Ms. Scarlett by telling her you’re a selfish git,” George admitted. “I couldn’t resist.”

“Please forgive him,” Liam said to me. “I’m quite sure he’s adopted.”

I laughed. “I believe he called you a greedy, avaricious bastard.”

“Oh, so you were bragging about me again, eh, little brother?” Liam asked, and the two laughed. “Don’t believe a word he says. He exaggerates.”

“Only the good qualities,” George remarked.

“Hmm,” Liam hummed. He smiled at me and said, “I imagine Vivian’s husband must be quite proud of her achievements in the fashion world.”

“Of all the ham-fisted, clumsy attempts to find out if a woman is available, that has to be the worst I’ve ever seen,” George cried. “Good grief, I think it left an odor behind.”

George looked so affronted at his brother that I had to laugh.

“I suppose
you
could have finagled the information more gracefully?” Liam asked.

“I could perform ballet in combat boots more gracefully than that,” George said. “But then, so could an elephant, so that’s not really saying much, now, is it?”

I took pity on Liam and said, “Vivian is single, but—”

“But what?” Liam asked. “Is she pining for someone?”

“No—at least, I don’t think so,” I said. I wasn’t really sure how to say what I had to without offending him, and given that he was a customer, it went against my nature to be less than helpful. Still, it had to be said. “She’s a bit older than you.”

George burst out laughing but Liam just shrugged and said, “Age is merely a number and the heart won’t be denied.”

At this, George rolled his eyes and made a gagging noise. I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

I liked the brothers. They were funny and charming and I suspected took after their father.

“I can’t really argue with that, now, can I?” I asked George.

“No, like me, you’ll just have to grab a bucket of water and prepare to put the poor bugger out when he crashes and burns,” George said.

“Perhaps,” Liam said. “Or maybe she’ll shock you right out of your knickers by saying yes to a night on the town with me.”

“Scarlett,” Viv called me. “Could you get the swatches I left in the workroom?”

“On it,” I said. “Excuse me.”

Both George and Liam inclined their heads as I left. I wondered what Viv would make of Liam’s interest in her. My guess was that he was in his early twenties, maybe twenty-two or -three. That would make him six years younger than her, which would be the equivalent of me dating his younger brother George, who, while charming, still had the scent of his college years about him, making him entirely too immature for me. I supposed Viv might feel differently, but I couldn’t imagine it.

Then again, she hadn’t dated anyone in so long, at least no one she’d told me about, that maybe she’d just be happy to have a date.

Back in the workroom, Fee was fastening a fat pink ribbon onto the crown of a wide-brimmed white hat. The ribbon was shaped into a large flower in the back, and it made me think of the taste of sun-ripened raspberries and sand between my toes.

“That says summer to me,” I said.

“It does?” Fee asked. She looked nervous. “It’s one of the hats I’m designing for the bride for the Butler-Coates wedding. She wanted casual but elegant, something that said an afternoon picnic in the park, because that’s what they’re doing for their wedding.”

“Oh, that should be lovely,” I said. “I like the pink ribbon. It’s very feminine.”

“It’s to match her gown,” Fee said. “She’s wearing a pink gown by Sarah Burton.”

“The designer of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress?”

“That’s the one,” Fee said.

“And you’re nervous about being in charge of the hat?” I asked.

“Terrified,” Fee said.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “It looks amazing. She’ll love it.”

Fee gave me a half smile and I picked up the stack of fabric Viv had left on the table. I turned to head back to the shop when I stopped. Fee had been working with Viv very closely over the past year; maybe she knew if there was someone special in Viv’s life.

“Fee, when was the last time Viv had a boyfriend?” I asked.

Fee glanced up from the hat. She frowned at me. “As far as I know she hasn’t had one, at least not since I’ve been working here. Unless she’s really keeping it hush-hush.”

“Thanks,” I said. I went back into the front of the shop to find Liam orbiting around Viv while his brother watched with a smile.

I handed Viv the swatches and moved to stand beside George.

“Has he made his move yet?” I asked.

“Hard to do under the watchful eye of Mama Hen,” George said as he gestured toward Daphne. “No one is good enough for her darling firstborn.”