Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

Author:Val McDermid [McDermid, Val]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: Gothic suspense, UK, book 2 of the Austen Project
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Published: 2014-04-14T14:00:00+00:00

The party was in a pair of large upstairs rooms. One held a cash bar, a somewhat depleted buffet table and an array of tables and chairs where people sat and chatted or chilled. In the other, a DJ hunched behind his equipment, the dance music thudding and the coloured lights flashing. The dance floor was half-empty, but those who were dancing were throwing themselves into it wholeheartedly.

Bella grabbed a table and Cat bought them a couple of Red Bulls; it was late and they were both in need of a kick of caffeine. No sooner had she sat down than a trio of young men came swaggering in. Cat blinked hard, for the first of the three looked like a pumped-up version of Henry Tilney. Everything about him was bigger, somehow – he was taller, his jaw stronger, his shoulders wider, his chest deeper, his legs longer. And certainly, his voice was louder. ‘Get them in, Charlie,’ he said to the third of their group.

‘Oh my God,’ Bella said. ‘Tell me that’s not Henry in an Iron Man suit.’

‘It must be his brother Freddie. Ellie said he was due home from Afghanistan on leave.’ He was, she thought, more coarsely attractive than his brother, and certainly more noisy. But he had the same unreadable dark eyes and pale skin, though there were two spots of high colour on his cheekbones. He had the trademark wavy blond hair swept back from that familiar widow’s peak. Already, he was mocking his friend Charlie for even thinking about dancing.

‘What? When there’s drink to be drunk?’ he said. ‘We’ll find ourselves some gorgeous girls soon enough, Charlie. All the nice girls love a soldier.’ And he looked round the room, sizing them all up with a flirtatious grin and a wink.

Almost unnoticed, Henry had slipped into the room behind Freddie and his pals. Cat began to understand why Henry might have been off his food, knowing his loud, handsome, brave brother was in town. It would throw anyone off their stride.

Seeing Cat and Bella, Henry waved and came straight over. ‘This is a nice surprise,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you again tonight, Cat. And Bella, you look particularly radiant.’

‘She’s just got engaged to my brother, that’s why.’

‘Really? Congratulations. But where is he? If I was engaged to you, Bella, I wouldn’t want to let you out of my sight.’

‘Oh, Henry, you are such a schmoozer,’ Bella said coyly, all her earlier criticisms of Henry apparently forgotten and forgiven. ‘He’s gone back to Dorset to give his parents the good news.’

Just then, Freddie planted himself in the fourth chair at their table. There was something dangerous in his expression, as if he was only moments away from losing the veneer of civilisation. Cat thought a lot of girls would find that darkness exciting, but it didn’t set her pulse racing. She far preferred the more domesticated brother. ‘Henry, you dog,’ Freddie said. ‘Are you going to keep all the gorgeous girls

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