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“I think I see what you mean,” Annalisa replied

“But she’ll be nice to you—at first,” Enid said “She’s always nice, as long as she’s getting what she wants”

“And what does she want?” Annalisa asked

Enid laughed Her laugh was unexpected, a great joyous whoop “That’s a good question,” she said “She wants power, I suppose, but other than power, I don’t think she has a clue And that’s the problem with Mindy She doesn’t knohat she wants You never knohat you’re going to get with her” Enid poured more tea “On the other hand, the husband, James Gooch, is as mild as toast And their boy, Sam, is brilliant He’s some kind of cohtening, don’t you think?”

“My husband’s what one ht call a computer whiz as well”

“Naturally” Enid nodded “He’s in finance, isn’t he? And they do all that wheeling and dealing on computers these days”

“Actually, he’s a mathematician”

“Ah, nulaze over But I’ in school They didn’t used to teach girls mathematics, other than addition and subtraction, so one could e, if necessary But your husband appears to have done well I heard he works for a hedge fund”

“Yes, he’s a new partner,” Annalisa said “But please don’t ask orithms And the stock market”

Enid stood up “Let’s stop kidding ourselves,” she said

“Excuse me?” Annalisa said

“It’s four o’clock in the afternoon I’ve been working all day, and you’ve been unpacking boxes And it’s ninety-six degrees What we both need is a nice gin and tonic”

SeveralAnnalisa about the forhton didn’t like her husband at all,” she said “Randolf H

oughton was a bastard But he was her third husband, and that’s why they moved don in the first place Louise assumed correctly that a twice-divorced woman wouldn’t be completely accepted in Upper East Side society She convinced Randolf to inal and et that Randolf was her third husband”

“Why was he a bastard?” Annalisa asked politely