The Earl, a Girl, and a Promise by Rothwell Kate

Author:Rothwell, Kate [Rothwell, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Published: 2013-11-11T18:30:00+00:00

The strange group of traveling companions made their way to the station the next day.

The servants and retainers went to the second-class compartment. Paul, the Smiths, and Papper found seats in the first-class parlor car near the front of the train. The ghost of a companion followed after Emma. She’d been introduced to Paul, but he’d promptly forgotten her name. He was not usually so careless. On the other hand, he was not usually surrounded by the noisy and exasperating Smiths or the even more irksome presence of Emma, who seemed too silent.

“Now this is style,” Johnny crowed as a waiter brought him a gold-tasseled menu. “A whole two hours and we’re gonna get fed?”

Tad studied the words on the pasteboard he held and his face glowed with reverent amazement. “I’m ready. Don’t know how you rich folks stay skinny. Everyone’s always offering you food.”

For the first time, a startling thought occurred to Paul. “Do you know what it is to be hungry? I mean to say, not to get enough food for several days in a row?”

Tad gave him a puzzled frown. “Yeah, sure.”

Johnny didn’t look up from the menu as he said, “Not Emma, of course. They fed her in her school. Plenty.”

“Ha, you should have seen what they gave me,” she retorted. “The breakfast porridge tasted like ink and paste.”

The gray companion made a tutting sound.

Paul waved away the menu. “Just coffee.” He stared out the window as he tried to recall the exact sums of Latterly estate money that went to the upkeep of the Smith family. Certainly more than enough to feed the children. Did Margarita steal from her own offspring? Emma would be badly hurt if her own mother was a thief. He eyed the grim-faced Papper, who skulked in a corner and read a newspaper. Paul almost hoped the lawyer, unhappy to be dragged back to Flamesburg, was the culprit.

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