A Romantic Little Murder: A Violet Carlyle Historical Mystery (The Violet Carlyle Mysteries Book 34) by Beth Byers

Author:Beth Byers [Byers, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

The chips were soggy, the stew was too salty, and the roast beef they ordered as an alternative was horribly overcooked. Vi shoved her plate away. “What are the chances that Mrs. Fartherington serves a nice luncheon?”

“Probably good,” Jack said. “Those places tend to put something out.”

“Or maybe tea!” Vi sipped the terrible coffee, considered leaving it behind, and decided to choke it down. If she didn’t get some coffee in her, the tension in her head was going to move into a full headache. “With cucumber sandwiches,” she continued to muse, driving herself crazy, “and lemon cake and…and…I don’t even care. Every item on that woman’s breakfast table was amazing. Even the roasted tomatoes and beans, which are so often ruined.”

“It was,” Jack agreed. He’d gotten through more of his stew than Vi had, but neither of them had made it halfway down the bowl. “At least there will be supper. Even if there isn’t tea.”

Vi considered the little inn. The woman unashamedly did not like them, so they had checked, and she was the only establishment in town. Vi rather felt as though she needed to defend herself the next time she saw the woman, but what she wanted was a quick, hot bath, an excellent cup of tea, and a place by the fire with her book for the rest of the afternoon. She would not object to sharing her chair with Jack or the parlor with anyone who let her read in peace.

They walked slowly back towards the inn, enjoying the quiet day until a drizzle started. In a moment, the drizzle shifted to a downpour, and they were running to keep from being fully soaked, having to pour into the inn’s front hall just as Mrs. Fartherington started down the stairs.

“I say!” the woman snapped. “You’re muddy!”

“Deepest apologies,” Vi called, laughing off the storm and somehow making it seem as though she didn’t regret the footprints in the hall. She tried to apologize again, explaining the storm, but there was no give in the sour woman. Vi’s memory of the food fought with the woman’s behavior, and Vi really wasn’t sure the food outweighed how difficult the proprietress was to deal with. She and Jack were leaving a rather dreadful mess, though, so she couldn’t fault the woman her current outrage.

“Oh, Mrs. Wakefield!” a voice called from the parlor.

Vi turned and found Amelia Webster. “Ah, Mrs. Chester. How lovely to see you.”

“What a terrible mess it is outside. I’m so sorry that you were in that.”

“Oh thank you! Do let me help you,” Vi said to Mrs. Fartherington and got shooed away. She shrugged and faced Amelia. “Mrs. Chester. Let’s have tea. I do want to change after our fishing adventure, but—”

“Tea’s not until 4:00,” Mrs. Fartherington snapped.

“Wonderful,” Vi said as though the woman didn’t inexplicably speak so hatefully to Vi.

“I’ll excuse myself,” Jack said, “and let you two have your chat.”

“Oh—” Vi glanced down at her feet and then turned to Amelia. “I do need to change my clothes.

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