Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die by Hazel Holt

Author:Hazel Holt
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General
ISBN: 9780451225696
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2008-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

I enjoyed being in London, though I do find that every time I go there it’s changed and, usually, to my elderly mind, not for the better—change and decay, indeed. Hilda’s little mews house in Holland Park, which she bought for a song just after the war, is now part of a very desirable area, and her neighbors, instead of the agreeable mix of all ages and classes they used to be, are now universally young and affluent. The little corner shop, dark and inconvenient, but friendly and a cheerful meeting place, is now a specialty cheese shop, and the newsagent next door is an exclusive boutique, which appears to sell only (unbelievably expensive) handbags.

Tolly greeted me amiably enough. Possibly he remembered me (as Hilda maintained), but he probably just recognized a born slave and was prepared to accept me as such.

“I’ve written out his daily schedule,” Hilda said, presenting me with several closely printed sheets. “Meal times and so forth. He only has tinned food, organic, of course, once a day for breakfast and I like to rotate the various varieties, so I’ve put stickers with the appropriate day on each of the tins on his shelf in the larder. I’ve cooked the fish and chicken; it’s in the fridge, and you just heat it up in the microwave. I usually do it for twenty seconds on high and then let it cool down a little naturally so it’s just warm, which is how he likes it.” She consulted the papers again. “Now, I let him out first thing and try to get him in after half an hour, and the same in the afternoon, if you happen to be in, but never after three thirty. He sleeps on my bed, of course, though while I’m away he may just come and sleep on yours for company.” She handed me the papers. “Have a look through this while I go and make a cup of tea, and then if there’s anything you want to ask me . . .”

Tolly jumped up onto the table beside me and sat looking smug. When I stroked his head he nipped my hand, not out of malice, you understand, but merely to indicate my place in the hierarchy.

Hilda came back with the tea tray, which she put down beside Tolly. He inspected the milk jug but, deciding it wasn’t worth investigating fully, he jumped down and went upstairs.

“I’ll be back on Tuesday,” Hilda said, “just after lunch. My train gets in at two fifteen. I’ve left my telephone number beside the phone. It’s my mobile number, so you will, of course, ring me if there’s any sort of problem at any time. Now,” she continued, pouring the tea, “how are the children? As you know, they came to see me a little while ago. Dear Michael and Thea, it was lovely to see them and I was most impressed with Alice, such a nice child. She was very good at playing with Tolly and he quite took to her.

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