Death in Fancy Dress (British Library Crime Classics Book 74) by Anthony Gilbert

Author:Anthony Gilbert [Gilbert, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: detective, Golden Age, Country house, Murder, secret service, inter-war, 1930s
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2019-11-09T22:00:00+00:00

4

I had someone rather more restful as my partner at midnight, when we went down to supper. Hilary had reappeared, and went down with Dennis. She seemed now in the wildest of spirits, bandying words with everyone.

“When are you going to be married?” I heard someone ask.

“I don’t know,” she returned. “I had an idea that was for the bridegroom to settle. The fact is, this is my first engagement, and I’m feeling hopelessly unsophisticated. Next time I shall have experienced all the ropes.”

Dennis, smiling, said, “I’m in the s-same quandary as Kipps. I can’t find an elegant turn of ph-phrase for the question, ‘Didn’t you ought to name the day?’”

But the supper was not to pass without incident. I knew Hilary better, I chose to think, than Dennis did, and there was that in her expression that warned me she had some madness in her mind. Her partner didn’t get much of my attention, I am afraid. Fortunately, her next-door neighbour and her own plate seemed to satisfy her, and I kept my eyes on Hilary. Presently I saw her deliberately tip some mayonnaise over her pyjamas. She jumped up, “I must change,” she cried. “The wretched stuff’s soaked right through.” But to my amazement Dennis stopped her. I don’t know what arguments he used, but he wouldn’t let her out of the room. A new look came over her face. From anger she changed to a kind of withering fear, and when I saw that I was convinced that somehow, even without being present among us, Ralph was exercising his influence.

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.