The Extraordinary Untrue Life of Mirah de Rothschild by Vivien Hart

Author:Vivien Hart [Hart, Vivien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

There was no one in the scullery.

Bizarrely there was no one in the kitchen either, save the chef, who'd dozed off in a chair with his head on the large wooden table and a glass of cooking brandy in one hand, which did not bode well for the rest of the meal. Mr Cardoza had been there, though – a wet rag left dripping a small puddle over the edge of said table confirmed that. It conjured up the Mary Celeste, the brigantine found mysteriously abandoned on the Atlantic two years ago. My brother and the Bryon's solicitor had completely disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a damp cloth.

My first thought was that they'd gone outside to fight. That was how disputes were often settled in Limehouse. Perhaps Caleb had challenged Mr Cardoza to a duel, not that we had any pistols or swords handy. Maybe a couple of paring knives? The image would have been funny if there wasn’t a real chance of it happening.

Something hit the ground with a heavy thump.

Whatever it was, it came from behind the closed pantry door. A new fear seized me, an icy hand clenching my heart. Caleb wasn't a brute, no, but that said nothing of Mr Cardoza. What if he'd been blackmailed into leaving the bar over something awful? Was I about to find my brother dead in our pantry? I placed my hand on the latch, heart thudding in my chest, and threw open the door.

Potatoes came rolling out at my feet from the half-empty burlap sack on the floor. My gaze travelled upwards, and stopped. My brother and Mr Cardoza were shoved up against the rickety pantry shelves, limbs entangled. They both stared at me, their breathing hard and ragged, Caleb's skullcap sliding off the back of his head. It was unusual to fight in a pantry - that was where my mind initially went.

It was even more unusual to fight with your trousers unbuttoned.

Oh.

I tried to back out and tripped over a potato.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.