[Mrs. Lillywhite Investigates 03] - Death on the Isle of Love by Emily Queen

Author:Emily Queen [Queen, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B07TF42RFX
Goodreads: 46661275
Published: 2019-09-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Cecily’s body would be shipped back to England, and the scheduled day dawned bright and sunny, just as every other day on the island had. The atmosphere dismayed Rosemary, who felt the drear and drizzle of London more appropriate weather to mourn the dead.

“This is an odd occasion. Should I be wearing a dress fit for a funeral? I didn’t bring anything suitably somber.” Vera assessed her wardrobe while Anna admired the black silk kimono Vera had been wearing the night before.

“And whose fault is that?” Rosemary said, somewhat sharply. “You took everything that would have been acceptable out of my case before we left. Would it have killed you to leave well enough alone?” She felt terrible as soon as the words left her lips, and even worse when Vera’s face fell.

“I’m sorry,” Rosemary said, sighing and touching her friend’s hand lightly. “I’m a bit distraught, and honestly, I don’t think Cecily would care what we wore, so long as we’re there to bid her goodbye.”

The response satisfied Vera, who patted Rosemary’s arm. “It’s all right, Rosie. I know how hard this must be on you, feeling as if you are obliged to accompany Cecily home, and yet needing to stay and solve the mystery.” She didn’t have to mention that ever since Andrew had passed, every death of someone close to her affected Rosemary deeply, and that alone was enough to bring on a dreary mood.

Still, Vera thought, it had been two days now, and she’d have to find a way to shift Rosemary out of the doldrums before the sadness became a habit. She noticed Anna fingering the kimono and said gently, “you can borrow that if you like, though I’m not sure it’s appropriate for today.”

“Thank you, Miss Vera, it’s lovely,” Anna said, though the thought didn’t seem to cheer her.

“What’s the matter, dear?” Rosemary asked. “Are you nervous about today? You won’t have to see the body, you know.”

“Really?” she brightened.

“Really. It’s not a funeral, we’re just accompanying her coffin to the ship. You don’t have to go if you’d prefer not to.”

Anna considered. “I didn’t know Miss DeVant all that well, and to be honest, I’ve been dreading the thought. Are you sure you won’t mind?”

“Of course not,” Rosemary said.

Anna thanked her and tottered off to her own room holding the prized kimono.

“You’re being quite lenient with her,” Vera commented, but Rosemary had already slipped into the loo to finish dressing. Under her breath, Vera muttered, “I do hope she’s being careful.”

A half-hour later, in the most somber outfits they could find, the two women descended to the reception area where Frederick and Desmond waited in silence. Rosemary gratefully took her brother’s outstretched arm and allowed him to lead her to the bus parked outside.

As more and more people lined the road to say goodbye, it became clear that during her short time in Cyprus, Cecily DeVant had touched a great many lives. Not only did all off-duty staff appear, but so did some of the guests, along with a host of people from the village who wished to pay their respects.

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