All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris

Author:Charlaine Harris [Harris, Charlaine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Felicia

We were eating a very plain lunch when Lizbeth raised an issue. “Felix likes you,” she began. “You’re sort of cousins, you told me. And he trained you.”

My mouth was full, so I just nodded.

“You think he’ll be straight with you?”

“There’s nothing Felix loves more than being frank.”

“He doesn’t like to put ruffles on anything,” Lizbeth agreed. “But he doesn’t like me at all. Do you think he’ll tell me the truth about Eli? Or will he lie out of jealousy?”

“I think he’ll tell you the truth if you ask a direct question. Eli may not be here right now, and Eli may have goals that you don’t share.” That was the nicest way I could think of to put it. “But I know Eli would be angry if Felix mistreated or misled you. What dishonors Felix dishonors Lucy.”

As if she couldn’t help herself, Lizbeth burst out, “I will never understand that marriage. Lucy is smart. She knows Felix doesn’t care for women, at least that way. She knows Felix loves Eli. Why did she do it?”

I told Lizbeth something I’d thought I’d never share with anyone. But it would stay in the family. “Lucy doesn’t want to have sex. With anyone. Male or female. So since Felix doesn’t want to have sex with her, on the surface, it seems like a great solution. He gets a helpmate, she gets out of the house and away from her mother, and she doesn’t have to have a man in bed. I have no idea how it’s working on any deeper level.”

Lizbeth was clearly shocked. “I didn’t know there were people like that,” she said, not as if she was horrified by the idea but as if it was a strange bit of information. “Huh. Well. Maybe it will be what they want?” She shook her head doubtfully.

“Pretty much what I thought.”

“But living with Felix.” Lizbeth gave an exaggerated shudder.

I laughed. “He’s not so bad. He’s a good teacher.”

Felix walked up to the house with me after dinner at the Antelope, where Jackson kept a close eye on us. But Felix talked about a lot of nothing during the meal and didn’t mention seeing any other member of the Savarov family besides his wife. I was surprised when he offered to walk me home. In fact, he insisted on it.

When we reached the cabin, he also insisted on coming in to see my sister. She was not best pleased.

“Lizbeth,” Felix began, “you know Eli and I were on the boats together, and also after we landed in California, as it was then.”

Obviously surprised at this opening, Lizbeth gave a cautious nod. I couldn’t remember if Eli had been born during the long sea cruises of Tsar Nicholas and his family and hangers-on as they searched for a place to take them in. After several refusals, they’d landed in California as guests of William Randolph Hearst, the newspaperman, at the castle he was building in the hills.

“I will tell you something we learned, being in such close quarters for so many years.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.