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admire the painting by herself. It was a true gem, beautiful, but how in tarnation did anything get to a value of $100 million? She understood how it could happen with diamonds and precious stones, but art? Wasn’t that subjective?
    “So what do you think?” Sandra asked as she came up beside her.
    “I think it’s gorgeous, and did you know that it was a ‘charming and irreverent portrayal of the hedonistic life and subtlety of lust in the late 1800s’?”
    Sandra looked at Popsy, arching her eyebrows. “I never would have guessed.”
    Popsy nodded. “I also heard that Eddie Lennox paid $100 million for it.”
    “In fact, I had heard a rumor, but I wasn’t sure that it was true. Nice round figure. You know, in all likelihood it’ll be worth double that in twelve months. Do you get taxed on fine art appreciation?”
    Popsy pulled her friend closer and glanced around to ensure that nobody was within earshot. “Yes, but did you hear why he bought it? I heard Jenny discovered he was having an affair. This is the peace offering, his ‘get out of jail free card,’ if you will. A frigging Renoir.”
    Sandra said nothing and studied the painting.
    “Did you hear me, Sandy? Did you know about this? Was Eddie Lennox offside? Evidently he had a mistress. Well, I assume it’s had and not has if he’s bought the painting and the Lennoxs are all happy family again.
    At last, Sandra tore herself away from the painting and looked at her friend. “Who told you this?”
    “That woman over there. The tall, striking strawberry-blonde.” Popsy gestured discreetly.
    “Figures.” Sandra sighed.
    “Why?”
    “Because she’s the mistress.”

 
    Chapter 4 
    Sisters with Secrets
     
    It was late Saturday afternoon before Rosie got up the nerve to visit her sister. She’d accepted the fact that there was no way Lily would babysit for her at this stage, but of bigger concern now was the consideration that her sister might try to get their mother involved. The last thing Rosie wanted was Popsy getting wind of her vacation plans.
        This time she had the good sense to bring her daughter with her. Lily adored little Natasha and spent a fortune on pretty dresses for her. Rosie again wondered why her sister didn’t make a bigger effort to find a man and have a few kids.
    Lily lived in one of Boston’s most exclusive waterfront developments in the heart of the city. There were humungous gates and a security guard at the entrance, but Rosie knew the code number, as well as most of the security guys. Tonight the guard on duty seemed to recognize her, or perhaps her red BMW, because he gave her a cursory nod and opened the gate. This was a relief because the weather had turned bad as the day progressed and the rain was now relentless.
    Some weeks earlier, Lily had given Natasha a beautiful little canary-yellow rain coat. The hood was in the shape of a duck’s head, and the rim at the top jutted out like its bill. There were little brown boots to match, the tops of which were the same bright yellow, and they were painted to look like webbed feet. Natasha loved the ensemble, and at the first sign of rain, she would put it on and wear it all day, even indoors. When Rosie suggested they go visit Aunt Lily to show her how pretty she looked in it, Natasha didn’t have to be asked twice.
    Again and again, Rosie went over what she might say. The truth was she knew she would have to do a complete U-turn with her sister. Somehow she would have to convince Lily that she’d seen the error of her ways. She would say that Lily was right, and she and Marcus were going away alone to focus on each other. She might even say that it was a direct result of their fight, but that might be going a bit too far.
    All of this, of course, was complete nonsense. The truth was Marcus was determined to have an “alternative” getaway. He was dying to try something new and a little risky, but Rosie had been having serious second thoughts. It was correct