Read When the Cookie Crumbles for Free Online

The bride was a slender young woman with curly, light brown hair and a pleasant, round face. Olivia noticed she had a boyish figure, with slim hips not much wider than her waist. Hermione had been, if not quite a beauty, at least attractive.
    Hearing the sound of teacups clinking on a tray, Olivia hurried to take a seat. Spunky stiffened, as if to bark, but relaxed when he recognized Hermione.
    “What utterly delightful confections,” Hermione Chatterley said as she entered with a tray of tea, milk, sugar, and Olivia’s gingerbread cookies arranged on a plate. Olivia saw another item on the tray, something small, wrapped in white paper.
    “Shall I be Mother?” Hermione poured the tea, adding milk and sugar without asking what Olivia preferred. “I do wish Paine would join us. He can be so charming when he wishes. Unfortunately, this is not one of his good days.” As Hermione leaned forward to deliver a teacup, Olivia noticed her unusual copper-colored eyes.
    “You must both be exhausted.” Olivia sipped her tea. Not bad.
    “Oh, I have the constitution of a horse,” Hermione said with a laugh that verged on a neigh. “But poor Paine…”
    Spunky stood up on Olivia’s lap, his nose twitching. He jumped down and trotted over to Hermione.
    “Hello, little one,” Hermione said. “Yes, I’ve broughtyou something, too.” She opened the folded white paper and placed it on the rug. Olivia got a glimpse of red meat before Spunky devoured it. He’d be impossible to live with now.
    “I hope you don’t mind,” Hermione said. “I went out this morning to buy a nice little steak to cook for Paine’s breakfast—he needs to build his strength, you know—but he refused to eat it. He can be so fussy about food, and he does get the strangest ideas sometimes. Why, can you believe he actually accused me of putting strychnine in it?”
    Olivia’s gaze dropped to the white, bloodstained paper still on the floor, and her mouth went dry. But Spunky settled at her feet, showing no signs of sudden illness, and Olivia told herself that Paine’s erratic behavior did show a touch of paranoia. Still…there was something about Hermione Chatterley that made Olivia uneasy. She’d keep an eye on Spunky just in case.
    “Is your husband very ill?” It was a personal question, but Olivia had the sense that Hermione was eager to discuss Paine’s condition.
    Hermione placed her teacup on a round marble-top table next to her chair. She tilted her head as if pondering how best to answer. Something about the mannerism bothered Olivia, but she told herself she was still on edge about Hermione’s mention of poisoned meat.
    “It’s difficult to explain, you see,” Hermione said. “Paine used to be so vibrant. When we first met—nearly thirty years ago, it was—he was brimming with life. Oh, he was so handsome he fairly took my breath away. But over the years he has become…well, melancholy. He doesn’t seem to enjoy life anymore.”
    “Forgive me, I don’t mean to intrude, but has he seen a doctor?” Olivia didn’t want to use the word “psychiatrist,” though it sounded as if Paine might be suffering fromdepression or worse. She had to wonder why, in this day and age, Hermione was acting as if she couldn’t find a name for her husband’s condition. In fact, Olivia was beginning to feel as if she were in a play set in a previous era.
    “Paine hates doctors,” Hermione said with an exasperated flap of her hands. “He absolutely refuses to even discuss consulting one.”
    “We have some of the finest medical facilities in the world nearby—Johns Hopkins, for a start. I used to live in Baltimore, and I was married to a surgeon. I could call around.…”
Focus, Livie. Remember why you are here.
“But perhaps your husband is simply lonely?” she suggested. “He’s back home now, and at such an exciting time, too. He might perk up if he got involved in the festivities this weekend. In a way, we are celebrating the