Murder at a Country House: A 1920s Cozy Mystery (Lady Felicity Quick Mystery) by Rosie Hunt

Author:Rosie Hunt [Hunt, Rosie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Felicity’s teeth chattered as she stepped slowly across the sandstone paving, keeping her back to the French doors as Clarissa had instructed. She should have perhaps fetched her top coat from the cloakroom before venturing outside, but it was too late for that now.

Pip and Charlotte both fidgeted impatiently in her grasp as Felicity’s visibility shifted with the movements of the fog. Sometimes, she could see barely six feet ahead. At other moments, she saw the vague outlines of tall trees and other garden features. She did her best to continue in a straight line so she could easily make her way back to the drawing room, although by the time she reached the gravel, Langton Manor had all but disappeared behind her.

“Patience, please, dogs,” said Felicity to Pip and Charlotte, who wriggled continuously. “I’m certain we’ll find a patch of grass soon enough.”

Venturing off into thick fog when there was already a man dead and another missing wasn’t high on the list of sensible decisions Felicity could lay claim to, and she dearly hoped Jasper would never get to hear of it. It came, therefore, as an enormous relief when she finally reached a neatly mown lawn.

Stopping on the grass, Felicity’s mind went to the painting of the powerful mastiff beside the fireplace in the morning room. It wasn’t just Lord Langton that was missing, but his dog as well. Mollie was her name, wasn’t it? Surely, if Mollie was any threat to little dogs like Pomeranians and Yorkshire Terriers, Clarissa would have warned her. As relaxed as Clarissa could be about certain things, she obviously cared deeply for her Charlotte.

Felicity set the Pomeranian down first, as she had been struggling the most. When the little black dog went immediately bounding into the mist, quickly disappearing from sight, Felicity almost uttered an oath, but she calmed herself. Charlotte was at home at Langton Manor and no doubt knew the gardens well. She wouldn’t end up lost.

Pip, however, like Felicity, was a stranger to the surroundings.

Felicity had once considered a collar and lead for Pip, but he had always been very against the idea, and she couldn’t blame him. The prospect of being led around by the neck was distinctly unappealing.

Taking the Yorkie in both hands, Felicity brought his little face before hers.

“Pip, listen to me.”

Pip stopped squirming and looked at Felicity, his tufted ears twitching and his brown eyes shining.

“I’m going to put you on the ground, and you’re going to attend to whatever business it is you need to attend to, and then I’m going to pick you up again, and we’re going to go back inside. Is that understood?”

The Yorkie’s black nose twitched.

“You must stay close. There are to be no silly games. We can’t risk becoming separated or we’ll never find one another again. Do you understand me?”

Pip twitched his tufted ears and licked his nose.

“Very good. Now, with the terms agreed, I’m going to put you down.”

Slowly, Felicity lowered Pip until all four of his paws were in contact with the lawn.

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