Vienna Waltz by Mary Lancaster

Author:Mary Lancaster
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2016-09-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

THE MAN WHO still kept trying to think of himself only as Agent Z, closed his eyes once more. The sun shone through the window. The English girl had given him gruel which he’d managed to eat by himself and the combination of food and sunshine made him long to get up and outside. But although he needed very badly to get back to Vienna, he doubted he could get farther than the chamber door unaided.

Maybe after this little nap…

The awareness that had kept him alive through so many difficult situations, prickled his spine an instant before the door silently opened. He even felt under his pillow for a weapon, which, of course, wasn’t there.

He tensed, waiting to see who crept in before he decided what to do about it.

A child slid around the door and softly closed it before turning toward the bed. For a long moment, they stared at each other. The girl couldn’t have been much more than ten years old.

“Who are you?” he asked at last. Since being shot, his life seemed to have taken a very bizarre turn and he wasn’t including the fevered dreams.

“I’m Georgiana Gaunt. Are you the man Lizzie shot?”

“Yes.”

The girl came farther into the room. “You don’t look very fearsome.”

“You must forgive me. I’ve been ill.”

Unexpectedly, the child smiled. “You might be funny,” she said, clearly reserving full judgement. “I shouldn’t really be in here. I just wanted to say, I thought at first it was an excellent thing that Lizzie shot you, because you’d no right to steal her bag.”

“I thought I had. But maybe I was wrong.”

“I suppose if you’re some kind of policeman you might have had some right,” Georgiana allowed, grudgingly. “Although I can’t help feeling you should have asked. Anyhow, she was so upset that you might die, I had to pray for you to live instead.”

“Thank you,” Z said faintly. “I think.”

“Georgi!” came a shout from farther along the corridor. “Where are you? Hurry up, we’re about to leave.”

“Goodbye,” Georgiana said, spinning on her toes and rushing from the room.

“Goodbye,” Agent Z murmured to the closed door.

He shut his eyes. He’d gone through all this for absolutely nothing. The girl, Lizzie, the whole family, were innocent. Of this, at least.

On the other hand, the Russian was still hanging around. It might have been amorous intrigue, although the English girl seemed too straight-laced for that. The Russian might well be up to something more sinister. If nothing else, the suspicion provided a good excuse for Z to stay exactly where he was.

*

WHEN LIZZIE RETURNED home to Vienna, she discovered the maids had been busy refurbishing her prettier day dress and one evening gown.

“What is this about?” she asked Minerva, who was sitting by her dressing table while Benson dressed her hair. “Am I to go with you to parties, after all? Aunt Lucy isn’t ill, is she?”

Minerva laughed. “Of course she isn’t. And no one in their right minds would make you a chaperone. You’re hardly on the shelf, you know, Lizzie.

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