Death at Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood

Author:Kerry Greenwood [Greenwood, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Adult, Historical, mystery, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9781590582381
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Published: 1992-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

‘…I am angling now,

Though you perceive me not how I give line.’

William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale

Phryne ran up to her boudoir and shut herself in. She was trembling all over with shock and rage, and she had broken a fingernail and bruised one shin. She flung herself down on her bed and closed her eyes, willing the fury to drain out of her before it shook her to pieces.

So easily caught! If there had been more than one of them I would have been taken, without clothes, without weapons. Not again. I go armed even in the bath and the Lord protect whoever touches me!

It had been an anarchist, she was sure. Perhaps it had been one of the two names she had been given. If so, he would now be mourning seriously twisted testicles. Yourka Rosen was already a little avenged. This thought made her chuckle, and she felt better. Then she ran straight to her bathroom and was luxuriously sick.

This completed her cure. She brushed her teeth, poured a small Laphroaig, took a cool shower, and washed all the sand out of her hair. By the time she was sitting down at her mirror and cutting the affronted nail Dot was tapping at the door.

‘Miss? Miss Phryne? Are you all right?’

‘Come in, Dot. I’m fine. Some son of unmarried parents just tried to kidnap me.’

‘What did you do with the body, Miss?’ Dot was calm. ‘Was this on the beach? Only one of them?’

‘Yes, on the beach, he threw a blanket over my head, but I managed to persuade him to drop me.’ Phryne suppressed any communication on the method used, in deference to her maid’s modesty. ‘And then I let him go, blast it.’

‘Lucky, too.’ Dot took up the scissors and began to trim the nail. ‘What would you do with him? I mean, apart from mulch.’

‘Dot, I believe that I have corrupted you.’

‘Me, Miss? I don’t care what happens to someone who shoots at you!’ Dot replaced the scissors in their case.

‘Are you looking forward to the ballet? What are you going to wear?’

‘Yes, Miss, I’ve never been to the ballet before, though I wish that you were coming too. I’m going to wear the dark-brown figured velvet and the orangey cloche with the velvet flowers.’

‘Yes, that will do very well. And you need a coat. Take the green one, that won’t clash. Your blue will not match at all.’

‘Thank you, Miss. That will look nice. Mr. Peter Smith rang, Miss. He said he’d call back at two.’

‘Good. Now I’m going to sleep, Dot, and I don’t want to be woken except for an emergency. Wake me at half-past one with a light lunch and ask the girls to forgive me for not going to the beach with them. No one is going anywhere, Dot. Tell them what happened and allow them to invite their friends here, if they like. Imagine what would have happened if it had been you, or Ruthie or Jane.’

‘Them two can look after themselves,’ muttered Dot.

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