Damsel in Distress by Carola Dunn

Author:Carola Dunn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2011-04-25T16:00:00+00:00

12

“Miss Arbuckle, I presume?” said Daisy gloomily as the bar thudded into place on the outside of the door behind her.

The grimy girl huddled on the lumpy mattress on the floor stared up at her wide-eyed. The room was too dark to make out the colour of her eyes, but her limp, unkempt hair was fair. No doubt gold and curly when shampooed, Daisy thought charitably.

Feeling rather limp herself, she stepped forward, saying, “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Gee, sure, please do.” Miss Arbuckle moved over. “Excuse me, I wasn’t expecting …” And she burst into tears.

The straw-filled palliasse crackled as Daisy flopped down beside her and put an arm around her shaking shoulders. With the other hand she absently rubbed a particularly painful patch of nettle-rash on her leg.

When the sobs showed signs of giving way to sniffs, she offered her handkerchief.

“Here, take this. My name’s Daisy Dalrymple.”

“I am Gloria Arbuckle. How did you know? Oh, I guess those guys downstairs told you.”

“Actually,” Daisy said in a low voice, “I was looking for you, and there can’t be many girls locked up in tumbledown cottages in woods in this area. At least, I hope not!”

“Looking for me?” Gloria said in wonder, following Daisy’s example in speaking softly. “You? Wait a minute, though! Dalrymple? You must be Phillip’s deceased friend’s sister. Have they … have they found his body?”

As she started to dissolve in tears again, Daisy deduced that she was talking about Phillip’s body, not Gervaise’s. The last Gloria had seen of Phil, he was being dragged off to be murdered, Daisy recalled.

“He was so b-brave, trying to escape, and the one he hit was raising Cain, shouting about k-killing him.”

“He’s alive,” Daisy said hastily. “He’s perfectly all right.”

The tears came anyway, but they were tears of relief. “And Poppa?” Gloria sniffled a few minutes later. “Phillip said they wouldn’t harm him.”

“I met Mr. Arbuckle last night. He’s right as rain except for worrying about you, and being a bit tired from running round collecting ransom money. He’ll have it by tomorrow.”

“So they’ll let me go soon, and you, too.” Gloria heaved a shuddering sigh. “It’s been horrible, but the worst was thinking Phillip was dead. Miss Dalrymple, I’m real sorry you’ve gotten mixed up in this.”

“Daisy, please. Formality seems too, too idiotic in the circs. Phillip involved me in the first place, but it was my own fault I was caught. I’m never going to hear the last of it.”

“Well, I can’t help being glad you’re here. You start imagining all sorts of dreadful things when you’re alone.”

“They haven’t mistreated you?” Daisy asked. “I mean, apart from all this.” She waved her hand at the squalid room, noting a covered chamberpot in one corner; noting also that it was already darker than when she arrived. The sun wouldn’t set for hours yet, so the clouds must be growing thicker. “They haven’t beaten you, or starved you, or anything like that?”

“No. They’ve even apologised for the food all being cold.

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