“Oh, it will only be a few minutes.” Pepper pushed her way inside. “I have the tea already hot right here in the bag.”

“Err … well, okay, but just for a short visit.”

We both followed Pepper into the living room and watched her produce a tea towel, tray, teapot, creamer and bowl with tiny sugar cubes, cups, saucers and shortbread cookies from the bag.

“Shortbread cookies are my favorite.” Ophelia looked at Pepper. “How did you know?”

“Oh, just a lucky guess.” Pepper poured hot water from the tea kettle into a light blue cup, then took out a small tea bag and placed it inside. She repeated the process for two other cups, laid the cookies out on the tray, then sat back with her hands folded in her lap. “The tea needs to steep for a few minutes.”

Ophelia looked as fidgety as I felt. Pepper produced some napkins stamped with her Tea Shoppe logo in gold and passed them out while we listened to the clock tick. Finally, when the silence was just about to become unbearable, Pepper picked up the blue cup and handed it to Ophelia.

“This should be perfect now.” Pepper lifted a miniature silver creamer from the tray and lifted her brow to Ophelia, who nodded and pushed her cup toward Pepper so she could pour in the cream.

Pepper rummaged in the bag again and pulled out silver tongs, the ends in the shape of bird claws. She put the tongs in the sugar bowl and pushed it toward Ophelia who shook her head. Apparently, she didn’t take sugar. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t urge her to take some, as it might make her less bitter.

Ophelia settled back in her seat, eyeing Pepper suspiciously. “So, what brings you by, really?”

“Well, truthfully, I know how down you’ve been since Pete died and I have a new line of herbal teas to soothe the soul. I thought it might help and, well, if it does, I know word of mouth is the best advertisement.”

Ophelia screwed up her face. “I don’t believe in that stuff.”

“What? You mean herbs?” Pepper asked. “There are many medical studies about their effectiveness.”

“Anyway, it’s been a few years since Pete died.” Ophelia sipped the tea and her voice softened. “I don’t get nearly as upset as I used to.”

I almost felt sorry for her until I saw Pepper looking at me pointedly and I remembered the real reason we’d come.

“I’d known Pete since I was a young girl,” Pepper said. “My parents used to take me to his auctions. What are some of your fondest memories of him?”

Ophelia relaxed into her chair and smiled … yes, she actually smiled. She opened her mouth to say something.

“Excuse me,” I said as nicely as I could. “Could I use your bathroom?”