Chapter 17

Savannah opened the second bottle of Boizel Brut R¨¨serve and poured a generous slug into her Baccarat wine glass.She slopped a bit on the marble surface of the kitchen counter but simply employed a sponge to whisk the spilled champagne into the sink.At fifty bucks a bottle, she should be more careful.No matter.She could afford to spill it, to water the plants with it, and to bathe in it if she so desired.

Taking her glass, she wandered from the kitchen to the living room.Why did everything look and feel so gritty?Life had become a chore even though Savannah had everything she ever wanted out of it, a handsome and successful husband, a beautiful home, and two adorable children, Jameson and Annalee.Yet, she felt as if something was missing in her life, some nebulous, intangible thing that defied definition.

She wanted to blame her funk on her father-in-law's murder, but her depressed state had started at least a few months before the doctor's sudden death.Her own doctor had prescribed anti-depressants to perk up her spirits while her therapist, a licensed psychiatrist, prescribed Valium to help her relax.But Savannah would never admit to taking drugs, at least not to her parents.As a good southern girl, she had to suffer silently as she pretended to be perky and vibrant, always on call, ready to play hostess at a moment's notice, able to work tirelessly for her husband and the many committees she belonged to that provided wonderful charity services, like Daniel's clinic and shelter.

Now as Savannah plopped down on the sofa, she spilled a little wine on the cream brocade fabric.She should have been appalled, and worried that the stain would set, but now she felt indifferent, almost relieved that she could just unwind and be normal, like any other woman, able to place her family above material possessions, to disregard the work she had put into their home in prestigious Kemp Mill Estates, all the blood, sweat and tears that went into the elegant, two-story colonial, a sure contender for the pages of House Beautiful and Architectural Digest.

As Savannah often quotedor even lectured to her husband and the childreneverything had a place and there was always a place for everything, each room designated for a particular purpose.In fact, she shouldn't even be sitting here in the living room, reserved for company.She should have taken her wine into the den where the stains would blend in with the dusky rose pattern of the sofa and loveseat there, or better yet the cranberry cushions of the Shaker rocking chair.

The den possessed a comfortable feel, a place where one could kick off her heels and put her feet up on the pine coffee table, enjoy a cozy fire in the fieldstone fireplace, watch a movie on the flat-screen TV, and open the mahogany panels of the large cabinet to reveal a well-stocked bar.The kids could play on the braided rug with Cuddles, their Jack Russell Terrier.Then, when they all went to bed, Rhett could settle in his suede easy chair and smoke an occasional pipe, his tobacco redolent of cherry and spice.

But in this formal room, the furniture refused to be tarnished by tobacco smoke and human touch, only a soft cloth with Murphy's oil polish would do, applied with loving care by Fairuza, the family housekeeper.

Not to mention the care taken with the Limoges figurines and vases, the crystal chandeliers, and the original artwork...just a small part of the overall ambiance.Fixtures included gilt faucets and agate marble sink bowls in the six bathrooms, Italian palazzo bricks and tiles in the large, well-equipped country kitchen, carved sideboards of Australian teak in the dining room, and Scandinavian cedar planking in the steam bath and spa.The children had their own playroom over the three-car garage, with an ice-cream bar, a popcorn stand and a magical light show that turned the room into a fantasy land.Savannah couldn't even begin to count the number of hours and the dollars spent into transforming her home into a showpiece, something her husband could be proud to call his castle.

Her husbandthe handsome and debonair Rhett Baumgard.The first few years of their marriage had been wonderful, Rhett so loving and attentive.He still maintained a real affection for his wife and family, although his new venture into politics took him away from home far too often.Like tonight.Rhett was a guest speaker at the Rockville Chamber of Commerce.Speaking engagements, fundraisers, and of course, the whirlwind of parties, took up his time of late.More than once he barely gave her a week's notice when he had to have a party or a dinner at the house for his politico friends.

One time Rhett called to ask Savannah to put together a cocktail party and dinner for the governor, of all people, and do so by the next evening!She had run around like a mad womanplanning a sophisticated menu with their family cook, Pamela; ordering the best brandy, scotch and whiskey; scheduling her hair and nail appointments; and buying a new gown with matching heels.She also ordered centerpieces of Black-eyed Susans, the Maryland state flower.Of course, the evening with the governor came off without a hitch.Savannah reigned supreme as the hostess with panache and perfect etiquette, the owner of an eighty-piece silverware set with spoons for all courses and occasions.

And Savannah knew she was the envy of all her friends.Yet, little did they know how she suffered beneath that perfect fa?ade.She even endured Botox injections to keep her sanguine and beauty-pageant smile intact.She made thrice-weekly visits to the health club to maintain her slim figure, and twice-monthly salon visits to keep her skin soft and supple and her blonde hair shiny and luxurious.

Now as she slipped off her Manolo Blahnik flats and tucked her bare feet beneath her, she had another disturbing thought.What had she really accomplished in life?She had no discernible and marketable skills, nothing really going for her except that perfect fa?ade as a hostess and socialite.Who would hire her?She couldn't keep serving canapés at board meetings and expect to be taken seriously.Then again, would it really come to that, trying to survive on her own, struggling with the little things that she normally took for granted like paying the electric bill?An unknown entity lurked just below the surface, waiting for the time to snatch Savannah away from her protected lifestyle and crush her down, a malevolent, shadowy force that would snuff out her normally bright, warm world and leave her in the cold darkness of despair.

But only if she allowed it...