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"What do you mean?"
"Cant you guess? He probably told you hed have you divorce Ethridge once hed come into enough money to make it worthwhile. "
"How did you know?"
"I told you. Just a guess. But I dont think hed have done it that way. He would have wanted the whole thing. Hed have waited until your husband inherited his money, and then he would have taken his time setting it up right, and all of a sudden youd turn out to be a very rich widow. "
"Oh, God. "
"Then youd remarry and your name would be Beverly Lundgren. How long do you suppose it would have taken him to put another notch on his knife. "
"God!"
"Of course, its just a guess. "
"No. " She shivered, and all of a sudden her face lost a lot of its polish and she looked like the girl she had stopped being a long time ago. "Hed have done it just that way," she said. "Its more than a guess. Thats just the way he would have done it. "
"Another glass of wine?"
"No. " She put her hand on mine. "I was all primed to be mad at you for turning my life around. Maybe thats not all you did. Maybe you saved it. "
"Well never know, will we?"
"No. " She crushed out her cigarette. She said, "Well, where do I go from here? I was beginning to get used to a life of leisure, Matt. I thought I carried it off with a certain flair. "
"That you did. "
"Now all of a sudden Ive got to find a way to make a living. "
"Youll think of something, Beverly. "
Her eyes focused on mine. She said, "Thats the first time you used my name, do you know that?"
"I know. "
We sat there for a while looking at each other. She reached for a cigarette, changed her mind, and pushed it back in the pack. "Well, what do you know," she said.
I didnt say anything.
"I thought I didnt do a thing for you. I was beginning to worry that I was losing my touch. Is there some place we can go? Im afraid my place isnt my place any more. "
"Theres my hotel. "
"You take me to all the class joints," she said. She got to her feet and picked up her bag. "Lets go. Right now, huh?"
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