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just about taste. It’s
about purpose. For example, I think it’s really important to drink Russian
water when recovering from a vodka hangover. I believe in committing to a theme.”
    “Exceedingly admirable,” he said.
    “I love placing the round little bottles
by those with elongated shapes. I know everyone raves about metal canisters
being more ecological, but I find that metal tastes metallic.”
    Nancy showed Derek her intricate system for
party planning. She was impressed when he caught on quickly to her
spreadsheets.
    “See, when everything balances at the
end of the column, it gets highlighted in hyacinth, because the color is like a
special treat. My father always says that if you take care of your pennies,
your dollars will take care of themselves. Or, as you would say, if you take
care of your pences, your pounds will take care of themselves.”
    “Thank you for the translation, Mrs.
Carrington-Chambers. You make me feel so welcome in your country.”
    And though he looked solemn, she thought
she detected some humor in his voice, so she smiled and said, “Enough hard work
for now. I’ve got a stack of all the latest bridal magazines and I want you to
go through them page by page and give me your overall impressions on critical trends
for lace and veils.”
    Derek had a look on his face that Nancy could only describe
as abject gratitude. “Certainly, Madame.”
    “I’ve got to work on the final details
for a birth-, a party I’m organizing for Gigi Barton. It’s not a birthday
party, because Gigi claims she doesn’t age. Have you heard of her?”
    “Is she from the Bartons of Dalek Park
in Scaro?”
    Nancy wondered if she should have heard of Dalek Park .
“She’s one of the tissue paper Bartons. ‘It’s not worth sneezing at if it’s not
Barton’s tissue!’ Of course, their real fortune was made in toilet paper. This
will be a giant, grown-up slumber party. It’s this Saturday night and I hope
you’re available to help.”
    “Certainly, Madame.”
    She put a stack of wedding magazines in
front of Derek and said, “Derek, I think it would be great if you did a collage
of wedding trends, don’t you? I like to be able to see things. But don’t
restrict yourself to just veils. If you see something else that looks fabulous,
include it!” She gave him a poster board, scissors and a glue stick and set him
to work.
    He took a different approach than Nancy would have, cutting
out pictures in semi-circles and laying them edge to edge. But when he was
done, he’d created a mosaic of whites, ivories, creams, and blush colors.
    Nancy propped the board up on the bookshelves
and inspected it. “You have incredible instincts, Derek. One suggestion, though.
Don’t be quite so safe. After all, good taste is not style.”
    “I shall bear that in mind, Madame.”
    As soon as Derek left, Nancy admired the collage again and felt a
thrill. It had been a test to make sure she could trust his sense of
aesthetics, and he’d passed superbly. She even sensed that he’d been holding
back on his own artistic style.
    Nancy called her freshman roommate, Milagro,
and asked her to dinner, saying, “I have news for you, but you must promise not
to get gloaty.”
    “That is so unfair, because I rarely get
to gloat over you. However, I promise. Tell me now.”
    “Patience is the virtue of the artist
formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince.”
    “I thought it was promptness.”
    “Be on time then.”

Chapter 4: Matching the Outfit to the Occasion
     
    Nancy thought it was exciting to be friends
with someone completely outside her set, because she could say things she never
would say to her sorority sisters. Milagro was from some godforsaken suburb
called El or La or San something and had intriguingly appalling opinions,
including a pathological hatred of Todd.
    They met at a Japanese restaurant and jazz
club in the Fillmore. Milagro, a stunning, curvaceous Latina , was wearing a snug black