‘What is it? Did she say something?’ I asked. Roberta shook her head. ‘It’s just seeing Fiona in a place like this … it takes some getting used to, that’s all.’ I understood. Poor lady, she really looked upset. ‘Let’s go somewhere for, ah, coffee?’ ‘I’d rather have a drink.’ I took her to a place on Fifth that was fairly quiet. When she started looking steady again, I said, ‘There’s something I’d like to ask you about. This isn’t official, it’s only to satisfy my own curiosity. Dr. Benedict was carrying a Times review of her book with her. Do you know about that?’ She smiled sadly. ‘The infamous Times review. Yes, indeed, I know about it. It was probably what tipped her over.’ ‘But why? I read it. The reviewer said a lot of nice things about her book.’ ‘He said even nicer things about Ormsby’s. That’s the trouble with these double reviews—one book always ends up looking inferior. The reviewer acknowledged Fiona’s book as the more scholarly piece of work, but it was Lord Look-on that got the nod of approval in the final analysis.
