Page 23 of Murder on the Upper East Side

‘HAH!’ Ethan pumped his arm in the air, disturbing the fruit platter and sending the pomegranate seeds flying.

Madison laughed, unbothered. ‘Just leave it. Inez will get in here with the vacuum later.’

‘Ding-dong, the bitch is dead,’ Bruno deadpanned.

Elle flopped back on the modular sofa, her head landing on a stack of vinyl: Talking Heads, Joni Mitchell, The Mountain Goats. ‘We fucking did it,’ she growled.

Madison shot to her feet. ‘This calls for a celebration. Inez!’

In a moment, the DuPonts’ housekeeper appeared in the doorway. She was in her early thirties, her hair swept up in a no-nonsense bun. She’d been with the family for a decade now and was fluent in her native Portuguese and English – as well as in Madison’s tastes and the vagaries of her friends. Inez could tell you who was newly vegan, who was pretending to be gluten-free this week, and who needed to eat more than a handful of almonds for dinner if they were going to make it through tomorrow’s physics exam.

‘Miss Madison?’

‘We’re celebrating. Can you bring up two bottles of the Krug Grande Cuvée from the cellar?’

The DuPonts’ wine cellar was atemperature-controlled annex beneath their co-op, housing a carefully curated collection from their travels, as well as a variety of high-end standbys.

Inez’s mouth dipped into a frown. ‘It is a Thursday. You have school tomorrow.’

‘Inez.’

‘Your parents would not approve.’

Madison rolled her eyes. ‘What my father doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and you know better than anyone that if my mother were here, she’d be pouring. But either way, as you so kindly pointed out, it’s Thursday. Daddy will be at the office for several hours yet, and Mummy is at another interminable charity luncheon. Or is it tennis this afternoon?’

‘It is the Philharmonic luncheon.’ Inez’s voice was flat.

‘Fantastic. Now, are you going to get the bubbly, or do I have to do it myself?’

Silently, Inez turned and exited Madison’s wing.

Hannah sucked her lips between her teeth.That was awkward.

‘Now, let’s discuss the weekend.’ Madison brushed aside a crinkled stack ofNew Yorkersto join Elle on the sofa.

‘I’m thinking Southampton,’ Ethan spoke up. ‘My family’s place is four-seasons. I can host.’

Madison’s mouth opened and closed, the wind sucked from her sails.

‘That’s… precisely what I was thinking,’ she said after a moment. ‘A little weekend getaway to get Elle’s mind off things.’

‘Ugh, I can’t.’ Elle shoved herself to a sitting position. ‘Aunt Amelia has a gallery opening tomorrow night. Attendance is mandatory.’

Madison shrugged. ‘So we’ll go out Saturday morning. No big.’

Elle gave a thin smile. ‘I’ll check my calendar.’

Saturday marked the first day of a six-week business course in which Elle had enrolled at Stern, but her extracurriculars were need-to-know.

Just then, Inez reappeared in Madison’s doorway with the two bottles of champagne in a chilled silver bucket and a tray of mismatched coupes.

‘Oh,perfection.’ In a flash, Madison was up from the sofa and showering the housekeeper in a flurry of kisses while Inez giggled and expertly placed the refreshments on the side table. This was the Madison of Hannah’s first few days at Prescott, warm and generous with her affection. For a moment, Hannah saw herself reflected in the housekeeper’s eyes.

‘You must join us.’ Madison plucked a tall glass from beside the untouched pitcher of herbal iced tea Inez had served with the snacks.

‘I couldn’t.’ Inez stopped giggling and straightened up, her face resuming its former lines of concern.

‘Oh,please,’ Madison begged. She selected the first bottle of champagne and uncorked it. ‘Elle needs a bit of fun, and frankly, so do you.’ She filled the glass with a generous pour and handed it to a reluctant Inez. Then she proceeded to fill the coupes.