Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman

Author:Ned Beauman [Beauman, Ned]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Fantasy, Contemporary, Humour
ISBN: 9781608196807
Amazon: 1608196801
Barnesnoble: 1608196801
Goodreads: 7988426
Publisher: Sceptre
Published: 2010-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

11

APRIL 1936

Philip Erskine put down his pen and looked over what he’d written. He couldn’t send any of this to his father. He would have to start again tomorrow, perhaps go back to the United Universities Club and take a second look at the papers in their library. His boxer was snoring in the spare bedroom. He got up and went into his laboratory. Although he’d been busy with the biographical essay, he had still found half an hour a day to supervise the breeding of his beetles and he was making excellent progress. Their germ plasm was improving faster than he’d dared hope. For the first time in his life he realised the contentment a project like this could bring.

But as he bent down to examine the case containing one of the most promising strains, he saw that in one place the glass was badly cracked. Angry, he went into Sinner’s room and woke him up. They’d been living together now for nearly a month. The boy still slept all day like an old cat, but he seemed to be recovering from his illness. The pink was seeping back into his skin, and he wasn’t dragging his feet so much as he walked – once or twice Erskine had even noticed him bouncing on his toes as if he were back in training. Also, the undershirts that Sinner borrowed from Erskine no longer came back smelling so acrid, which was fortunate, since Erskine sometimes wore them himself for a day or two before passing them on to Mrs Minton to be washed.

‘Why did you do that to my equipment?’ demanded Erskine.

‘What?’

‘You have attacked one of my glass cases. Why?’

‘I ain’t been in there for ages.’

‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘Fuck off.’

‘The damage is obvious. You’ve made threats on the subject before.’

‘Yeah, I have, so do you think I’ll be afraid to tell you when I smash up your fucking things? I ain’t touched them.’

‘We shall see.’ Erskine walked to the door and then turned back. ‘By the way, as I’m here: quite soon I must go down to my family home in Hampshire for two weeks. My father is holding an important conference.’ He waited, hoping that the boy might ask if he could go too. The boy did not, so he said, ‘Obviously I cannot leave you alone here for that long. If you wish, you may come with me to Claramore.’

‘Come with you?’

‘Yes. I can’t force you.’

‘Expect it’s a bit posh for me.’

‘You could come as my manservant.’

‘Manservant? Think I’m going to dress you every morning?’

‘Good God, do you really think I would want you to? No. Nothing of the sort. You would have no actual responsibilities in private. You would just have to play the part in public. And I think you could do a plausible enough job. Of course, you would be fed and watered as part of the bargain. And you would be witness to history. Albeit witness through the keyhole.’

‘Supposed to be a treat for me, is it?’

‘I’m merely extending an opportunity.

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