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Mindy was flattered but did her best not to show it “Can she afford a twenty-million-dollar apartment?”
“Naturally, she comes with a husband He’s in finance My dear,” Billy said quickly, “we both know One Fifth has a great tradition of being home to creative types But we also knohat’s happened to the real estate market No one in the arts can afford an apartree to split it up”
“I’ll never let that happen,” Mindy said, folding her arms
“Good girl,” Billy said approvingly “In any case, you canover Mindy’s shoulder, he saw Annalisa getting out of a cab “Here she comes now”
Mindy turned around A tall young woman with auburn hair pulled back into aShe had a serious yet interesting face, the kind of face that other women appreciate as beautiful, possibly because it was the kind of beauty that appeared to be attached to a personality
“This is Mindy Gooch,” Billy said to Annalisa “Mindy lives in One Fifth She was also a friend of Mrs Houghton’s”
“Nice to meet you,” Annalisa said Her handshake was firm, and Mindy appreciated the fact that Annalisa didn’t try to kiss her on the cheek in the faux European manner, and that Billy had referred to her as a friend of Mrs Houghton’s Billy, Mindy thought, was a perfect exaht to behave toward each other
Inside the church, they took seats in a nized the back of Enid’s coiffed and bleached blond hair (she had once been a brunette, but gray hair had eventually gotten the better of her) next to Philip’s shiny brown bob What kind of ? They were a ridiculous pair, Mindy decided—the aging spinster and her silly nepheith their attitudes and arrogance It was too ht a lesson
The church bell chian, and two priests in white robes, swinging balls of incense, caown and ation stood Mindy bowed her head Billy leaned toward her “Who wants to break up the apartment?” he whispered
“Enid Merle And her nephew Philip”
Billy nodded The bishop reached the altar, and the congregation sat down The traditional Catholic cerehton had wanted, continued in Latin and English Billy let the words flow over him On the surface, he found it hard to believe that Enid Merle would want to break up Mrs Houghton’s apartossip columnist for nearly fifty years She wasn’t as kindly as she appeared, and while it was generally understood that Enid and Louise Houghton had been bosom buddies, Billy suspected that wasn’t the whole story He recalled so Enid’s stepht have been resolved when the stepmother ive a daacy
Still, the situation presented a ht be dangerous, as Enid still controlled a segh her syndicated coluhton’s pride and joy She had ruled over all of Manhattan society frohties, when don lost its luster and the Upper East Side ruled, Mrs Houghton wouldn’t considerWhen she relayed this information to Billy, she would tap on the floor with her marble-topped cane “This is the center of New York Society,” she would insist in her grand low voice “Not up there in the provinces,” she’d say, referring to the Upper East and West Sides of Manhattan “Did you know it used to take an entire day to reach the Dakota? And then one was forced to spend the night in that Gothic an here, and it will end here Never forget your origins, Billy”
A significant portion of society would end if Enid Merle had her ith the apartht His mission was clear: As much as he adhton’s wishes
There was ation knelt Mindy folded her hands in front of her face “I was thinking,” Billy whispered behind his closed pal after this? Perhaps we could nip over to One Fifth and take a peek at the apartment”
Mindy looked at Billy in surprise She’d suspected a motive behind his sudden kindness, but she hadn’t expected hio so far as to wheel and deal in the house of the Lord But this was New York, where nothing was sacred She peeked through her fingers at the back of her neighbors’ heads, and her resentn of the cross “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” Mindy said She sat back in the pew and, staring straight ahead, whispered to Billy, “I think it can be arranged”