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Theodosia looked around to see if anyone else was as shocked as she was by this spectacle. She saw Lamar Lucket watching with glee. His assistant, Clarice, was on her cell phone, completely ignoring the noisy outbursts.
Finally, a silver-haired man in a gray suit walked up to Mignon and Ginny Bell and spoke to them in a soft voice. Everybody leaned forward, trying to hear what was being said, but to no avail.
After a few more snippy back-and-forths between the two women, they finally parted. No hair extensions had been ripped out, no punches were thrown. The man who’d interceded seemed to have cooled down the situation.
“Who is that man who stepped in and calmed things down?” Theodosia asked a woman who was seated at her table.
“That’s Buck Baldwin,” the woman said. “He’s the candidate who’s replacing Osgood Claxton.”
“Interesting,” Theodosia said as she watched Baldwin put an arm around Mignon’s shoulders and gently lead her to the buffet table.
“Theo!”
Theodosia turned to see who was calling her name. It was Delaine, looking wild-eyed and nervous.
“Wasn’t that absolutely cray-cray?” Delaine asked.
“Shocking,” Theodosia said.
“I wanted to come to Mignon’s defense in the worst way, but I was terrified to get caught in the cross fire. I mean, what if someone threw a punch at me?” Delaine waved a hand around her head. “I just had Botox and... well, who needs to ruin nine hundred dollars’ worth of filler, right?”
“Heaven forbid,” Theodosia said.
“You’re still coming to my trunk show this afternoon, aren’t you? Pretty please, Theo, say yes, because I’m counting on you.”
“I’ll be there,” Theodosia said, albeit reluctantly.
***
Back at the tea shop, Theodosia was greeted by an upbeat Drayton.
“There she is,” Drayton said. “A trifle late but hopefully none the worse for wear. How do you feel this morning?”
Theodosia reached up and touched the back of her head. “A little sore.”
“I would imagine you are. Getting glass picked out of my skull, even by a skilled doctor, wouldn’t be my idea of a relaxing evening.”
“Thank goodness it was flying glass and not exploding bullets,” Theodosia said.
“And your car is being repaired?”
“It’s in the shop now,” Theodosia said. “Should be ready tonight.”
“So... when you left a message saying you’d be late because of Claxton’s funeral, I have to tell you I was a little surprised.”
“So was I. Going there was kind of a last-minute decision on my part.”
“And how was the service?”
“Nicely done, rather formal, as expected. But the reception afterward took a sharp turn into crazy town,” Theodosia said.
Drayton lifted his teacup in a semi-salute. “After last night nothing would surprise me.” He took a sip of his tea. “What happened?”
“Mignon and Ginny Bell got into your basic catfight.”
“Screaming and yelling, or did it escalate to hair pulling?”
“Mostly shrieks and hurled accusations,” Theodosia said.
