Death at the Boston Tea Party by Deryn Lake

Author:Deryn Lake
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780107790
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2016-03-17T04:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

Dusk was falling by the time he walked beside the steep wooden escarpments down which water cascaded to join Mill Creek by means of a tunnel under the road, the stream eventually pouring back into the sea. Furthermore, the Apothecary felt freezing cold and realized that it was only a few days to Christmas. Rose would soon be returning home from school for the celebration of the festival.

Inside the Orange Tree Irish Tom loomed large behind the bar while little Suzanne ran round like a gnat, serving customers, clearing tables and grinning at everybody as if they were more than welcome. Big Matthew was in there and, wonder of wonders, Lady Eawiss attempting to look the height of respectability, drinking a cup of milky tea and smiling at her current cicisbeo, who was different since John’s last viewing and now appeared to be a very tall, very bland, very young English officer who was, presumably, willing to sleep with anything provided it had money.

‘Of course, I’ve always admired a military man,’ she was saying in a loud and terribly affected English voice. ‘My late husband, you know, Sir Bevis Eawiss, was a colonel, of course.’

‘Really?’ replied the other with a desperate show of interest.

‘Oh, yes. I was a mere child bride at the time.’ This remark was made very deep and loud. John and Irish Tom exchanged a wide-eyed look. ‘But then my poor spouse was called to Jesus and I have been alone ever since.’

‘For a long time?’ asked her gormless escort.

‘Oh, three or four years at the most,’ she whispered plummily.

‘Gracious,’ replied the youthful officer, and stared fixedly into his glass of cognac.

The door opened and in walked Sir Julian Wychwood, plucking his hat from his head and standing for a moment in order to gain the maximum amount of attention. Lady Eawiss fluttered where she sat and Sir Julian, noticing this, dashed over and raised one of her fat, over-ringed hands to his lips.

‘Ah, my dear Madam, how are you, pray? ’Tis an age since I’ve seen you. Tell me, how is that delightful little thing you employ as a maid?’

Lady Eawiss simpered alarmingly. ‘Well, of course, I know I gave her employment when the poor wee soul was utterly stranded, but now I regard her as more of a daughter. She calls me Mama, don’t you know.’

The Apothecary raised an eyebrow at Tom, who choked back a laugh, while the young lieutenant raised his eyes to Sir Julian’s elegant frame and looked exquisitely miserable.

‘How touching,’ Julian chattered on. ‘How one loves to hear a tale so full of enchantment.’

He turned and pulled a face at the other customers and there was a subdued laugh. ‘I am always full of pensees de assassiner when I think of my dam.’

Lady Eawiss made a moue as the rest of the customers, many of whom were descended directly from the French, fell about in a loud roar of mirth. The young lieutenant drew out his watch and said, ‘Heavens, I must report for duty,’ bowed, clicked his heels and disappeared rapidly.

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.