Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer
Author:Georgette Heyer [Heyer, Georgette]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9780425094877
Goodreads: 1596674
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2010-03-15T16:39:42+00:00
* * *
Chapter Ten
By the time that Maud, dressed in her outdoor clothes, had come downstairs into the hall, Mrs. Dean had drawn from Joseph an account of Nathaniel's murder, and was looking considerably startled. It was plain that she had not, from Valerie's agitated telephone communication, grasped to what an extent Stephen might be implicated in the crime. She heard Joseph out with the proper expression of horror and sympathy on her face, but behind the conventionality of her speech and bearing a very busy brain was working fast.
"I'm prepared to go to the stake on my conviction that Stephen had nothing whatsoever to do with it!" Joseph told her.
"Of course not," she said mechanically. "What an idea! Still, it's all very dreadful. Really, I had no suspicion! We must just wait and see, mustn't we?"
At this moment Maud appeared from above, descending the stairs in her unhurried way. No greater contrast to Mrs. Dean's somewhat flamboyant smartness could have been found than in Maud's plump, neat figure. She might, in the days of her youth, have adorned the second row of the chorus, but in her sedate middle-age she presented the appearance of a Victorian lady of strict upbringing. There was nothing skittish either in the style or the angle of the high-crowned hat she wore on her head. She carried a Prayer-book in one hand, and an umbrella in the other; and on her feet were a pair of serviceable black walking-shoes, with laces. Mrs. Dean, running experienced eyes over her correctly deduced that the frumpish fur coat, which made her look shorter and fatter than ever, was made of rabbit, dyed to resemble musquash.
"Ah!" cried Joseph, jumping up. "Here is my wife! Maud, this is dear little Valerie's mother!"
Maud tucked her umbrella under one arm, and extended a nerveless hand. "How-do-you-do?" she said, politely unenthusiastic. "I am just on my way to church, but Joseph will see to everything."
Joseph, Mathilda, and Paula had all assumed, on Mrs. Dean's arrival, that Maud would abandon her expedition to church, but Maud, although she listened to their representations, had no such intention. To oseph's plea that she should bear in mind her duties as hostess, she replied that she did not consider herself to be a hostess.
"But, my dear!" expostulated Joseph. "In your position you are the only married lady here, besides its being your home -"
"I have never thought of Lexham as home, Joseph," said Maud matter-of-factly.
Joseph had given it up. Mathilda put the affair on another basis by saying that Maud, as doyenne, could not leave the rest of the party to cope with Mrs. Dean.
Maud said that she did not know what a doyenne was, but she had always made a point of non-interference at Lexham.
"Darling Maud, this isn't a case of interference! Who's going to look after the woman? Show her to her room, and all that sort of thing?"
"I expect Joseph will manage very well," said Maud placidly. "It occurred to me last night that I might have left my book in the morning-room, but when I looked today it wasn't there.
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