Four Red Diamonds (A Lady Marmalade Mystery Short Story Collection Book 1) by Blacker Jason

Author:Blacker, Jason [Blacker, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2014-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

Misery's Company

Lady Marmalade came in from the garden carrying a large bouquet of yellow daffodils. Ginny Johnson, her housekeeper, was checking in on the lamb roast when Lady Marmalade entered the kitchen.

“Would you like me to get those for you, mum?” asked Ginny, looking up.

“No, thank you, dear,” replied Lady Marmalade. “I’m going to cut them and put them in a vase with fresh water for the dinner table.”

“They will brighten things up marvelously, mum,” said Ginny, smiling.

Ginny was in her late forties and had been with Lady Marmalade, and Lord Marmalade before his passing, since she was in her early twenties. She had a very pleasant disposition considering she was a spinster. It was what many kindly considered her horse’s face that perhaps had kept her from finding a husband. In any event, she didn’t seem to mind and everyone loved her just the same for her warmth. Ginny was a slim redhead, pale of complexion with many freckles.

Lady Marmalade looked up after putting the freshly cut flowers into a vase. She put the scissors down and laid her gardening gloves next to them on a side table. She went over to the sink and poured cold water into the vase.

“How is the lamb coming along, Ginny?” asked Marmalade.

“Perfectly, mum, shouldn’t be more than another half hour at the most.”

Lady Marmalade smiled at her.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ginny. You’re such a good cook, really.”

“Thank you, mum, it is a pleasure to be able to offer my services to you,” said Ginny.

Lady Marmalade looked up at the clock on the far kitchen wall. It was five o’clock.

“Perfect,” said Marmalade, “I expect Sir Tony will be here at six p.m. just like his punctual self, with the others not long behind.”

“Everything will be ready, mum,” said Ginny.

“Thank you, Ginny. I’m going to put these flowers out and then take a moment to freshen myself up.”

“Very good, mum.”

Lady Marmalade left the kitchen and entered the hall of her home, an estate really, but she wasn’t pretentious that way. As she walked down the hallway towards the dining room she bumped into Alfred Donahue, her butler.

He was an impeccable gentleman of a man, upon whom black suits and tuxedos seemed tailor-made. He was of similar age to Lady Marmalade, and in his late sixties he was the epitome of sanguine health. Children adored him like a favorite grandfather and young ladies loved him as if he were their own father. He was kindly, sincere and always pleasant.

“Good day, M’lady,” said Alfred, bowing with his hands clasped behind his back.

He had stepped aside to allow Lady Marmalade to pass, though the hallways were wide enough for the both of them.

Lady Marmalade paused for a moment and smiled at Alfred. Alfred had been with her late husband before they were married. Eric, Marmalade’s late husband, had been a loyal chap and Alfred had first entered Marmalade’s service when Alfred was twenty-one.

Though Eric had left both Alfred and Ginny an endowment on

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