Death on Deck: A totally gripping historical cozy murder mystery (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 13) by Verity Bright

Author:Verity Bright [Bright, Verity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837901012
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

22

Eleanor broke the long silence. ‘Perhaps if one of you two chaps were to pinch me hard enough, I could wake up and find I’m just sitting in my cabin enjoying a blissfully carefree cruise?’

Seldon groaned and continued drumming his fingers on the table.

Clifford caught her eye with the arch of one brow. ‘Forgive my deferring on such a request, my lady. However, I learned the hard way in 1900 that pinching is best left as the sole preserve of incensed little girls.’

His mischievousness made her smile, especially as it was an obvious attempt to get the three of them back together.

Seldon was frowning. ‘You’ve lost me.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘We all lost each other in shock for a while. Which is why Clifford and I were squabbling about a misunderstanding over him trying to extricate me from Uncle Byron’s tallest apple tree when I was nine. Squabbling is still the way he enjoys communicating with me most.’

‘Absolutely, my lady.’ Clifford poured both of them a brandy, and then relented to add a small one for himself after Eleanor slid another glass across the table so pointedly it clinked against the decanter.

‘Chaps, we got back from Bracebridge’s office just after midnight and now it’s…’ She broke off to fumble in her pockets.

‘Five and ten minutes to two, my lady. In the morning. It is also your birthday. Happy birthday, my lady.’

‘Thank you, Clifford, but I don’t think this is a time for birthday celebrations – not until the murderer is caught, so let’s agree to postpone my birthday until we arrive in New York. Clifford, will you please tell the ladies of this arrangement?’

Clifford nodded reluctantly and Seldon offered a muted, ‘Happy birthday, Eleanor. I hope I will be celebrating it with you in happier times.’

She turned to Seldon with an ache in her heart, knowing that he feared he would not be at liberty to do so. ‘Thank you, Hugh. Now, we’ve a murderer to catch. So, be honest. What is it about all this that is really bothering you?’

He looked up at her sharply. ‘How about another dead body? Bringing the total to two in the same number of days! And we’ve only got three days before we dock!’ His scowl changed to a look of remorse. ‘Blast it, I’m sorry, Eleanor.’ His fingers strayed an inch closer to hers. ‘That was unforgivable of me. Especially… today.’

‘No,’ she said gently. ‘You’re just feeling the strain of this awful mess harder than Clifford and I. It can’t be easy being so close to the root of it all.’

Seldon sighed deeply. ‘Nor being the supposed detective who let another man be murdered during the investigation. Which I get the impression was exactly how the master-at-arms was viewing the matter when he arrived to find me crouching over the count’s body!’

Clifford slid past, pretending to talk to the sleepy bulldog trailing beside him. ‘You see, Master Gladstone, Oscar Wilde was particularly unequivocal when he said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame.

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