Mona of the Manor by Armistead Maupin

Author:Armistead Maupin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2024-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

The Jury, as they called them, were a dozen brown long-eared bats that roosted in the rafters at Easley House. Mona sometimes ended her day by telling them good-night, a ritual she kept strictly to herself, since it would creep out most of her guests, including, she felt sure, Rhonda Blaylock. The Jury was her little secret. She drew a curious comfort from them, from the constellation of bright eyes that turned to greet her when she entered the cavernous attic. They weren’t afraid of her, and she wasn’t afraid of them.

Tonight their upside-down bodies were illuminated by the moon in the window at the far end of the attic. Their huge furry ears, said to be able to hear the movement of a ladybug across a leaf, were folded under their wings. Hearing her approach, the bats made a rustling, clicking noise, but didn’t move from their usual positions.

“Don’t get up,” she said. “It’s just me.”

There was a little more rustling and clicking, then silence.

“I was just wondering . . . what you think about Poppy.”

Total silence.

“Well, you’re no help at all,” she said.

She walked to the window and looked down at the lawn, where she saw a figure heading into the shadows by the chapel.

It had be Mr. Hargis, but what was he doing up this late?

She waited there a moment longer, then headed down the stairs to bed.

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