Scandal in the Secret City by Diane Fanning

Author:Diane Fanning
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780105680
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2014-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

Walking to the Bishop home, I was on edge. Was I being followed? Or was it the phone call that captured the attention of the authorities? I squirmed and fought the constant desire to look over my shoulder as I walked. If I started behaving furtively, and someone was watching, it would only make matters worse.

Ann answered the door with a grin and whispered, ‘Good luck’ into my ear as she helped me out of my coat. Dreading the sight of Dr Bishop, I plastered on a smile and stepped out of the small foyer into the living room where the fireplace was blazing.

He pulled a pipe out of his mouth and rose as I entered saying, ‘Good evening, Miss Clark. Come closer to the fire and warm your hands.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ I said, stepping forward to absorb the heat.

‘Has there been any excitement in your life lately?’

A lump formed in my throat. Was he making conversation? Was he spying on me for the security department? Or was he just nervous about having me in his house? ‘You probably know more about the situation at Y-12 than I do,’ I answered. ‘But on the personal front, I just finished reading a fascinating book I got for Christmas, The Robe by Lloyd Douglas. Have you read it?’

‘No. But it seems everyone else has. We have a copy here somewhere. I believe Mrs Bishop has read it. What else is happening in your life?’

To my great relief, Mrs Bishop stepped into the living room with a more exuberant greeting than her usual cheery welcome. Was it because of the roast? Or out of curiosity about my trouble with security?

‘Dear Libby! What a joy to see you,’ she said. Placing a hand on each of my arms, she leaned forward and brushed a kiss on my cheek. ‘Dinner will be ready in five minutes.’

‘Let me help,’ I offered, eager to escape Dr Bishop’s gaze.

‘Oh no, dear, you’re company, I couldn’t allow that.’

‘Of course you can. When I’m in your home, I feel like family – and family always helps out.’

Mrs Bishop beamed. ‘Well, come along then. I’d love to have your help.’

At the dinner table, Dr Bishop sliced the roast in nearly paper-thin pieces. The result was mouthfuls of roast beef that seemed to melt on the tongue. I accepted seconds but balked when Mrs Bishop offered me a third serving. ‘Not another bite,’ I said. ‘That was delicious, Mrs Bishop. You prepared that meat to perfection. Thank you. It’s definitely the best meal I’ve had since Thanksgiving.’

‘It’s not just what I did, dear. The taste had a lot to do with how Mr Bishop sliced it – he’s a magician with that carving knife. But even more importantly, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have had this luscious eye of round to prepare and enjoy. Thank you, Libby.’

‘Miss Clark,’ Dr Bishop said, ‘since you feel like family here, I am thinking you would not mind if I asked you a personal question.

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.