A Pattern of Death (The Dickinson Sisters Mysteries Book 2) by Blythe Baker

Author:Blythe Baker [Baker, Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

7

Iris and I made our way back home after that, and I struggled to hide the yawns that continued to appear.

“Sister, you need to rest,” Iris said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder as The Golden Spool came into sight after we rounded the corner in the street. “You can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” I said, shaking my head. “I just need to sit for a moment. And perhaps a hot cup of tea.”

“I think we can manage that,” Iris said with a small laugh.

As we entered the shop, a weight lifted from my shoulders. Home had a way of settling me that no other place could, like a balm for my soul. I happily carried myself toward the staircase and up to our rooms.

I had not even set my foot down on the bottom step before there was a knock on our shop’s door.

Dread encircled me like a storm cloud and I had to close my eyes to prevent myself from losing all control. I couldn’t remember the last time that my patience had been worn so thin.

“Don’t worry. You go on upstairs,” Iris said, gently pushing me up the stairs. She must have seen the look on my face. “I can see to whoever is at the door. Besides, I should reopen the shop for the day.”

Of course. Our business cannot close for the day just because I have seen and experienced what I have…

“Very well,” I said. “Though if I had seen anything short of a man’s corpse today, I would certainly be staying downstairs to help you.”

“It’s all right,” Iris said, waving me along. “Go up and rest.”

I trudged up the stairs, the excitement I had felt only moments before fading away. Even as I walked, I strained to hear who it might be that had chosen such an inconvenient time to interrupt us.

“Oh, Constable Brown,” I heard Iris say. “Is everything all right?”

I stopped, halfway up the stairs. My heart thundered in my ears.

“Yes, as well as can be, I suppose,” I heard him say, along with the sound of a carriage rolling past. “Is your sister home, by any chance? I should like to speak with her.”

“Oh, Constable, you see – ” Iris said.

“Here I am,” I said, having flown back down the stairs. “I’m available, Constable.”

“Lily,” Iris said. “You really should be – ”

“It’s quite all right,” I said, fixing a poised expression on my face. It would not do for the Constable to see how weary I was.

“Constable, you must give my sister the afternoon, at the very least,” Iris said.

“No, no,” I said. “I insist.”

I looked her in the eye, raising my eyebrows slightly.

Iris might have once cowered beneath a stare like that, but this time, she merely pursed her lips together briefly before looking away.

“You were saying, Constable?” I asked, turning back to him as Iris went and busied herself with adjusting a display of silk scarves in the window.

He cleared his throat, glancing between the two of us.

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