Clouds of Witness (A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery) by Dorothy L. Sayers

Author:Dorothy L. Sayers
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Recent July 2014, Crime
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: 2009-10-14T23:00:00+00:00

9

GOYLES

‘ “and the moral of that is –” said the Duchess.’

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

A PARTY of four were assembled next morning at a very late breakfast, or very early lunch, in Lord Peter’s flat. Its most cheerful member, despite a throbbing shoulder and a splitting headache, was undoubtedly Lord Peter himself, who lay upon the chesterfield surrounded with cushions and carousing upon tea and toast. Having been brought home in an ambulance, he had instantly fallen into a healing sleep, and had woken at nine o’clock aggressively clear and active in mind. In consequence, Mr Parker had been dispatched in a hurry, half-fed and burdened with the secret memory of last night’s disclosures, to Scotland Yard. Here he had set in motion the proper machinery for catching Lord Peter’s assassin. ‘Only don’t you say anything about the attack on me,’ said his lordship. ‘Tell ’em he’s to be detained in connection with the Riddlesdale case. That’s good enough for them.’ It was now eleven, and Mr Parker had returned, gloomy and hungry, and was consuming a belated omelette and a glass of claret.

Lady Mary Wimsey was hunched up in the window-seat. Her bobbed golden hair made a little blur of light about her in the pale autumn sunshine. She had made an attempt to breakfast early, and now sat gazing out into Piccadilly. Her first appearance that morning had been made in Lord Peter’s dressing-gown, but she now wore a serge skirt and jade-green jumper, which had been brought to town for her by the fourth member of the party, now composedly eating a mixed grill and sharing the decanter with Parker.

This was a rather short, rather plump, very brisk elderly lady, with bright black eyes like a bird’s, and very handsome white hair exquisitely dressed. Far from looking as though she had just taken a long night journey, she was easily the most composed and trim of the four. She was, however, annoyed, and said so at considerable length. This was the Dowager Duchess of Denver.

‘It is not so much, Mary, that you went off so abruptly last night – just before dinner, too – inconveniencing and alarming us very much – indeed, poor Helen was totally unable to eat her dinner, which was extremely distressing to her feelings, because, you know, she always makes such a point of never being upset about anything – I really don’t know why, for some of the greatest men have not minded showing their feelings, I don’t mean Southerners necessarily, but as Mr Chesterton very rightly points out – Nelson, too, who was certainly English if he wasn’t Irish or Scotch, I forget, but United Kingdom, anyway (if that means anything nowadays with a Free State – such a ridiculous title, especially as it always makes one think of the Orange Free State, and I’m sure they wouldn’t care to be mixed up with that, being so very green themselves). And going off without even proper clothes, and taking the car, so that I had to wait till the 1.

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