Sam had claimed the east corner of the Pemberton Estate at sixteen and never given it back. The corner came with two rooms and tall windows facing the back gardens. Early spring pushed up through the cold soil with wet green and bare branches and bulbs that did not care the ground was still frozen.
She handed Arianne a glass of wine, and Arianne took it without drinking.
"Relax." Sam settled into her chair and tucked one leg under herself. She wore pale gold silk that hung loose at the shoulders, and she had no shoes on. "It is a party. A small one. It barely qualifies." She waved her hand. "I know you do not like fuss. This is not fuss. This is three women drinking wine on a Tuesday because one of them had a birthday last week and nobody made enough of it."
