“Yes, thank you,” Hannah replied, and then she turned to Norman. “I’m just going to run a currycomb through my hair.”

Norman chuckled at her reference to the tool that was used to groom horses. “I like your hair, Hannah.”

“Ma’am?” The maid touched Hannah’s arm. “If you’ll just follow me, please.”

Hannah made arrangements to meet Norman at the bar and went off with the maid. She was an attractive brunette that Hannah didn’t recognize, though she thought she’d seen her at last year’s party. The Woodleys always hired outside help for their parties. Judith complained that the local girls simply weren’t capable of being trained for such a special event. Hannah turned to the maid and asked, “You’re not from Lake Eden, are you?”

“Minneapolis, ma’am. I work for Parties Plus, the service that Mrs. Woodley uses.”

“That’s a long way to drive for one party,” Hannah commented, giving her a friendly smile.

“Oh, that’s no problem. Mrs. Woodley arranges for our transportation, and this is one party I wouldn’t want to miss. I’ve been here for three years in a row.”

“I thought I recognized you from last year. What makes this party better than other parties?”

“It’s a five-day assignment and we have the use of the indoor pool and spa. Mrs. Woodley even caters our meals while we’re here. It’s almost like a party for us.”

Hannah was fishing, but she never knew when information like this might come in handy. “I guess your regular assignments aren’t this nice?”

“No way. Usually we’re in and out in less than six hours and we work like dogs while we’re there. Mrs. Woodley always allows plenty of time for us to set up.”

Hannah was curious. “How long have you been here?”

“Since Tuesday morning. We spent two days cleaning, and yesterday we set up the tables and made sure that all the glassware and dishes were ready. Today we just helped the caterer.”

“When do you go back?”

“Right after we do the cleanup tomorrow morning. We’re usually on the road by noon. I’ll be back home by two at the latest, but Mrs. Woodley pays us for the whole day.”

They had arrived at the ladies’ powder room and Hannah went in to take stock of the damage. Her hair looked all right and she just patted down a few loose curls. Then she refreshed the lipstick that Luanne Hanks had decided was just perfect for her and went back out to find Norman.

Norman was standing by the bar, almost lost in a sea of taller faces. As Hannah moved toward him, she was glad her heels were only three inches high. “Hi, Norman. I’m back.”

“And just in time.” Norman took her arm and moved her away from the crowd. “Our mothers are headed this way. Let’s go over and pay our respects to the Woodleys.”

The reception line wasn’t long, and Hannah and Norman took their places at the end. As they approached their host and hostess, Hannah admired Judith Woodley’s dress. It was made of lilac silk and the bodice was beaded with tiny pearls. Her light brown hair was caught up in an elaborate twist on the top of her head and she looked lovely, as always. She was smiling and chattering with her guests and she appeared quite animated. Del, on the other hand, looked surprisingly glum, and Hannah noticed that there were dark circles under his eyes.