“Good evening, Whit.”

The object of his newly formed suspicions had appeared at his side. “Evening,” he muttered.

“Beautiful party, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Edward, it is. Dear Cassie Sergeant is going out in style.”

“You make her sound like a ship. Though I must say the allusion is not entirely inept” Edward looked virtuous as their gazes fell on the more than slightly rotund form of the soon-to-be bride, poured like cement into pink satin.

“Mrs. FitzMatthew is certainly doing her best.” Edward smiled vaguely at the crowd around them. The dinner had been superb. Bongo Bongo Soup, Nova Scotia salmon, crayfish flown in from the Rockies, Beluga caviar smuggled in from France in appalling quantities (“You know, darling, France doesn’t have those absurd regulations about putting all that nasty salty stuff in it. Such a frightful thing to do to good caviar!”). The fish course had been followed by rack of lamb and an almost depressing number of vegetables, salade d’endives, and soufflé Grand Marnier—after the Brie, an enormous wheel of it from Fraser Morris on Madison, the only place in town to buy it “And only Carla FitzMatthew could possibly have a staff equal to organizing the task of ***souffié for fifty.”

“Hell of a dinner, wasn’t it, Whit?”

Whit nodded grimly. He’d had more than a bit too much to drink, and he didn’t like the new thoughts his mind had turned up.

“Where’s Kezia, by the way?”

“You ought to know.”

“I’m flattered that you think so, Whit. Matter of fact, I haven’t talked to her all evening.”

“Then save it for bed tonight.” Whitney spoke into his drink, but the words were not lost upon Edward.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Sorry … I suppose she’s here somewhere. Flitting about. Looks rather handsome tonight.”

“I’d say you could do better than ‘handsome,’ Whitney.” Edward smiled into the last of his wine, musing about Whit’s comment. He didn’t like the tone of Whit’s voice, and he couldn’t have meant what it sounded like. Besides, he was obviously plastered. “The child looks quite extraordinary. I saw you two come in together.”

“And you won’t see us going out together. How’s that for a surprise?” Whitney was suddenly ugly as he leered a smile at Edward, turned on his heel and then stopped. “Or does that please rather than surprise you?”

“If you’re planning to leave without Kezia, I think you might tell her. Is anything wrong?”

“Is anything right? Good night, sir. I leave her to you. You can bid her good evening for me.”

He was instantly gone in the crowd, depositing his empty glass in Tiffany Benjamin’s hand as he left. She was conveniently standing in his path to the door, and gazed rapturously into the empty glass, waving it instantly for a refill, never noticing that she now had two in her hands.

Edward watched him go, and wondered what Kezia was up to. Whatever it was, it was clear that Whit didn’t like it, though why, he couldn’t imagine. Polite inquiries had confirmed years of suspicion. Whitney Hayworth III was determinedly gay, though not publicly. Bit of a shabby setup for Kezia, even if she did have that boy in the Village, not that that was a comforting thought. But Whitney … why did he have to … you just couldn’t tell with people anymore. Of course those things had gone on in his youth too, especially among the prep school boys. But it was never taken as seriously then. It was a stopgap measure, so to speak; no one thought of it as a way of life. Just a passing stage before everyone settled down, found a wife, and got married. But not anymore … not anymore….

“Hello, love. Why so gloomy?”

“Gloomy? Not gloomy, just thinking.” Edward roused a smile for Kezia’s benefit, and she was easy to smile for.

“And by the way, your escort just left. In his cups.”

“He’s been in a bad mood all day. Practically lost his temper with me on the phone this morning. He’s been in a pout because he hasn’t been able to reach me. He’ll get over it. Probably very quickly.” They both knew that Mrs. FitzMatthews’s home was within a few short blocks of Whit’s lover’s. Edward chose to ignore the suggestion.

“And what have you been up to?”

“Nothing much. Catching up with a few people here. Cassie’s wedding certainly dragged us all out of hiding. There are people here I haven’t seen in ten years. It’s really a beautiful night, and a very nice party.” She swirled around him, patted his arm, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“I thought you didn’t like these gala events.”

“Once in a great while I do.” He looked at her sternly, and then felt irresistibly pulled into laughter. She was impossible, and so incredibly pretty. No, more than pretty. She was extravagantly beautiful tonight Whitney’s feeble “handsome” had been hopelessly inadequate as praise.

“Kezia…”

“Yes, Edward?” She looked angelic, artlessly keeping her eyes on his, and he tried to resist the urge to smile back.

“Where have you been lately? Whitney’s not the only one who hasn’t been able to reach you. I was a little bit worried.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“The artist? The young man in the Village?”

Poor thing, he actually looked worried. Visions of money fleeing from her frail little hands…. “Not the Village. SoHo. And no, it wasn’t that.”

“Something else? Or someone else, should I say?”

Kezia could almost feel her back begin to bristle. “Darling, you worry too much.”

“Perhaps I have reason to.”

“Not at my age, you don’t.” She tucked his hand into her arm, and walked him into a circle of his friends, curtailing the conversation, but not allaying his fears. He knew her too well. Something had happened. Something that had never happened before, and she was already subtly altered. He felt it. Knew it. She looked much too happy and much too calm, and as though she had finally flown free from his reach. She was gone now. She wasn’t even at Carla FitzMatthews’s elaborate party. And only Edward knew that. The only thing he didn’t know was where she really was. Or with whom.

It was half an hour later before Edward noticed that Kezia had left the party. An inquiry here and there told him that she had left alone. It disturbed him. She was not dressed to go gallivanting around the city alone, and he wasn’t sure that Whit had left her the car. Rotten little faggot, he could at least have done that much for her.

He said his goodnights and hailed a cab to take him to his own apartment on East Eighty-third but somehow he found himself giving the driver Kezia’s address. He was horrified. He had never done that before. Such foolishness … at his age … she was a grown woman … and perhaps she wasn’t alone … but … he simply had to.

“Kezia?” She answered on the first ring of the house-phone, as Edward stood in embarrassment next to the doorman.

“Edward? Is something wrong?”

“No. And I’m sorry to do this, but may I come up?”

“Of course.” She hung up and he was upstairs a moment later.

She was waiting for him in the open doorway, as he emerged from the elevator. She looked suddenly worried as she stood barefoot in her evening gown, her hair loose, and her jewelry put away. And Edward found himself feeling like a fool.

“Edward, are you all right?” He nodded and she let him into the apartment.

“Kezia … I … I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come, but I had to make sure you’d gotten home all right. I don’t like to think of you dripping in diamonds and going home unescorted.”

“Darling, darling worrywart, is that all?” She laughed softly and her face broke into a smile. “Good God, Edward, I thought something dreadful had happened.”

“Maybe it did.”

“Oh?” Her face grew serious again for a moment.

“I think I finally became senile tonight. I suppose I should have called instead of dropping by.”

“Well, now that you’re here, how about a drink?” She didn’t deny that he should have called, but she was always gracious. “Some poire, or framboise?” She waved him into a chair and went to the Chinese inlaid chest where she kept the liquor. Edward remembered it well; he had been with her mother when she had bought it at Sotheby’s.

“Poire, thank you, dear.” He sank tiredly into one of the familiar blue velvet chairs, and watched her pour the potent transparent liqueur into a tiny glass. “You really are a good sport about your old Uncle Edward.”

“Don’t be silly.” She handed him the drink with a smile and sank to the floor near his feet.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” She waved the compliment away and lit a cigarette, as he sipped at his poire. She was beginning to wonder if he’d already had too much to drink. He seemed a bit doleful as the moments ticked on. And she was waiting for a phone call from Luke.

“I’m glad you’re all right” he began. And then he couldn’t stop himself anymore. “Kezia, what are you up to?” He simply had to know.

“Absolutely nothing. I’m sitting here next to you and I had been about to get undressed and do some work on the column. I want to phone it in in the morning…. I don’t think Carla’s going to like me when I do. She’s too easy to poke fun at. I couldn’t resist.”

Kezia was trying to keep things light but Edward looked older and more tired than she had ever seen him.

“Can’t you be serious for a moment? I didn’t mean what you were doing right now. I meant … well, you look different lately.”

“How lately?”

“Tonight.”

“Do I look worried, sick, unhappy, undernourished? What kind of different?” She didn’t like his questioning and now she was going to turn it around on him quickly. It was high time to stop this kind of nonsense. And she didn’t want any more unannounced late night visits.

“No, no, nothing like that. You look extremely well.”