Prague Noir by Pavel Mandys

Author:Pavel Mandys [Mandys, Pavel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 2018-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

September 10, 1925

It’s shortly after his funeral. What a farce! The coffin without the body, the only survivor without sorrow. Sorrow! Ha! Disgust and hatred are what twisted my face during the ceremony, not pent-up tears. And in order not to have to pretend anymore, I avoid everybody. I instructed the staff not to interrupt my solitude and sorrow, and visitors are refused before they have time to introduce themselves. “The baroness does not receive visitors,” I hear the footman’s tragic voice from the entrance, “she is in mourning.” And so finally I have time to gather my thoughts.

So first—I do not regret anything.

His death—and it was, thanks to that frog, fast and painless—is for me deliverance. No guilty thoughts encroach on my peaceful sleep at night; he got only what he deserved! How could I give that asshole any heirs when he would barely look at me, when he preferred to bring into his burrow boys from the neighborhood? Let him roast in hell for all those insults he would hurl at me, let him roast, the lecher!

And second—nobody will figure this out anyway. Mr. Boháček, JD, has fulfilled his mission perfectly, and the news he sent from that wilderness could not be verified by anybody here. And who would not believe the consular stamp? As soon as a document is kissed by a stamp, there’s nobody here who would ever question the news certified by it. There’s no hope, it said, so the officials clicked their heels, the baron was pronounced dead—and my life can finally start!

I will no more be just a faithful wife indulgently overlooking the bestialities of her husband. I will no longer be just a trained poodle, a walking card file, a handy secretary—the next study will bear my name and the world will finally learn that I too . . .

* * *

Hedvika trembled with excitement.

The history of the Mautnic family line suddenly changed, assuming different contours, and her uncle’s mummy—the most peculiar specimen of his own collections of zoological exhibits, gaping at her from the corner of the room—did not mortify her at all anymore. The idea that he got what he had coming resonated in Hedvika’s head when she turned again to the pages of her auntie’s diary.

There weren’t many entries. It looked as if Auntie wrote in it only occasionally—perhaps only when she came in the room for a valuable piece to sell to prevent the nationalization of her house. It didn’t take Hedvika long to make it to the final entry.

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.