They foregathered at Macho’s for a preliminary drink to brace themselves for the house-warming party. “House-warming!” Freddie snorted. “Danegeld is what it amounts to.” “I’d like to geld him,” Macho muttered. “Anyway,” Freddie went on cheerfully, “I found the perfect present for him at the antique shop. On the principle of sweets for the sweet ...” “An antique pendant?” Macho murmured hopefully. “Better than that. An old gargoyle beer mug! Not only is it hideous, but we all know he wouldn’t be caught dead drinking beer. And, since it’s an antique and cost quite a bit, he’ll never be sure whether I was getting at him or not.” “Oh, well played!” Lorinda applauded. “I wasn’t nearly so adventurous. I got him an eighteenth-century ship’s decanter.” Unimaginative but safe, she hoped. “The antique shop has been doing a rushing business.”
