Mr Cadmus by Peter Ackroyd

Author:Peter Ackroyd [Ackroyd, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canongate Books
Published: 2020-04-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Goats and Dust

‘Have we arrived yet? Oh dear.’ As Millicent Swallow sat up she opened her eyes, to see a small crowd gathered around her. ‘Where am I? Sorry. Silly question.’

‘You took a tumble, dear,’ Maud told her. ‘And look. Here is Theodore. What a coincidence.’

‘You must come into to the restaurant,’ he said. ‘We will give you a nice cup of tea.’

She allowed herself to be taken inside, still bewildered by her sudden loss of consciousness. ‘I’m very sorry,’ she said, ‘to be such a nuisance.’

‘Nonsense, Milly. It was just a funny turn.’

‘Funny turn’ sounded about right; it was a momentary lapse, a lacuna, a gap, that was without explanation. A funny turn could be seen in the theatre, or on television, and was harmless. ‘I must have been light-headed for a moment.’

‘It has been very hot.’ Millicent put on her hat, which had come off during her fall.

‘After we have enjoyed our tea, dear Miss Swallow, we will take you back to the hotel. Where you can rest.’

So they returned to the Christopher. Millicent lay upon the narrow bed, looking forlornly at the cracks in the ceiling and feeling vaguely guilty that she had not joined Maud on a sudden shopping expedition to Regent Street. But she could not bear entering the crowds, the traffic and the general air of busy activity. Somehow she connected them with her fainting fit outside the restaurant. The weight of London seemed to press upon her.

As she passed the reception she could hear Theodore and his relative talking in the small office behind it. They lowered their voices when she passed, no doubt out of sympathy for her ordeal. But she heard the word ‘tesoro’, and then Theodore closed the door of the reception and began talking in English. He spoke slowly to his relative. ‘Niente, trees are two a penny. They prove nothing. I have found gates, trees and barns but not as the maps have it. You know, Carlo, there are too many gates and trees in this country. Troppi! And too many maps!’

‘This is true.’

‘But Mr Cadmus is cunning. Mr Cadmus is crafty. I will find something else. Un altro tipo di tesoro, Carlo. Un altro tipo.’ Millicent did not know what the last phrase meant, but to her it sounded faintly sinister. ‘Ah, Millicent, you are quite recovered.’ Theo had walked into the lobby as if he had been expecting her.

‘Almost. I feel a little trembly.’

‘We all feel – what you say – trembly before great enterprises.’

Millicent had no idea what he meant. ‘I’m a little dizzy still.’

‘Nonsense. You look wildly enchanting And who is this? Maud, bearing gifts?’

Maud Finch had entered the hotel through a creaking revolving door, clutching two green Harrods bags. She seemed faintly embarrassed. ‘I have been naughty,’ she said.

‘We are all naughty,’ Cadmus said, clapping his hand on his thigh. ‘Some more than others.’

Maud took out two cellophane packages. She had purchased a luxury range of lingerie delicately labelled ‘nightwear’. For a horrifying moment Millicent believed that it was something to do with Theodore’s great enterprise.

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.