The Titanic Mummy Mystery (Demimondaine Detective Agency) by Tracy Jennifer Johnson

Author:Tracy Jennifer Johnson [Johnson, Tracy Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ikigai Press
Published: 2021-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

“Is it true Miss Redlick? You reside at naughty Monte with La Belle Otero?” Lady Swordsbridge inquired from the other end of the long dining table. Every face swivelled to regard Ruby with interest.

“I do. She’s my patroness.” A snicker came from one of the young men but she couldn’t say which.

“La Belle was the most famous woman in Europe.” A much older gentleman opined with nostalgia glowing under his white handlebar mustaches. “The world in fact. She had five kings at her beck and call in the 90s. How is the old girl?”

“As beautiful, impressive and intelligent as I imagine she was back then. She still commands the rooms at Monte Carlo as soon as she enters, no matter how many Russian princesses might be there.” The entire table was enraptured by Ruby’s words, as though she herself were a stand-in for the fabulous courtesan. Ruby didn’t dare demean her guardian by telling them all she was not in Belle’s business. Sod it, let them think what they wanted to.

She had to wonder whether her presence had inspired a louche attitude around the table. More than one of the ladies was making blatant eyes at the first footman. He was doing his best to maintain his composure but the man was handsome enough to be on the halls and knew it. His dark blue eyes returned the flirtatious stares whenever the butler’s back was turned. She herself was being gazed at, by a very different sort of man at the end of the table, seated to the right of Dorothy, therefore the guest of honour. He was older, forty maybe, or fifty, she didn’t know how to read old people. Not handsome like the divi footman but enigmatic, hypnotic even, with lush hair longer than the norm, threaded with iron grey. She thought he should have been wearing a bow cravat and fedora but was in correct white tie. Whenever her eyes drifted down the table she discovered him and gazing directly at her, giving her most unpleasant sensations in her spine.

Dinner stretched to thirteen courses, the best of the French chef’s repertoire. Delicate pastries were served then port and brandy and Dorothy led the ladies into the red drawing room. While waiting for the men to come through so the charades could begin, Ruby stepped out to the parterre. Even in moonlight, the gardens looked beautiful. The tulips, azalea and lilac left a trace of their scent on the air. She walked the terrace and came back inside to mount the circular tower steps to the first floor. The tour of the house gave her time to think. Anyway she hated charades, finding the game nothing more than an excuse for horseplay between bored toffs.

She wandered, lost in thought, along a corridor of deep red upholstered walls and plush carpet, works of art she knew were priceless crowded on each other. An equally gigantic billiard room was empty, as was a smoking room. This part of the house was deserted, with all the guests occupied in the main salon.

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.