Autumn by Lisa Ann Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

Larsen’s world order was order and all pegs must fit into the round holes allotted them. She was an anomaly to him, Arabel knew, but he was fond of her and she of him.
                  “On to the next one,” Arabel said briskly and resigned herself to the visiting.
                 

The Speculation & The Bird
     
                  The front bell rang at exactly half past six and Arabel rushed down from her room to the front hallway immediately. When Arabel arrived downstairs, however, Morna was already taking Eli’s jacket from him to hang neatly in the front hall closet. Arabel could see Morna’s lips twitching with barely checked and sure-to-be-scandalous comments. Arabel felt her ears burn hotly and her cheeks redden instantly. She felt ridiculously happy to see him, which made her feel just plain ridiculous.
                  “I’ll finish up with the table, miss,” Morna said, her eyes gleaming, as she took an appraising stock of Eli. “You two go on into the front parlour, I’ll be fetching you for supper in just a minute.”
                  Eli smiled at Arabel and she returned it easily. He’d forgotten how charming her smile was, he noted, and thought she looked tonight like a dark angel, dressed as she was in a soft and simply draped white gown with pale green beaded slippers and her long black hair hanging freely in a straight, thick line. Arabel turned her bright blue eyes upon him, full power, and Eli shook his head against the impact of her gaze.
                  “Thanks for coming by,” she said softly, suddenly shy.
                  “I’m glad to be here,” Eli returned, somewhat formally. Then he laughed. “Your grandmother isn’t here now, is she?” Eli surveyed the front hall warily, as if expecting Amelia Bodean to jump out suddenly from a hidden doorway, all suspicious-like, and quite possibly unruly.
                  “No, she’s in town, it’s just us two for dinner,” Arabel responded, leading Eli into the front parlour.
                  A fire crackled and snapped in the large grate and Eli gladly seated himself in a cozy armchair in front of it. Arabel sat opposite him in a burgundy wingback chair.
                  “You’ve heard the latest, I presume?” Eli queried and when Arabel shook her head, he continued. “Lady X is apparently Alice-May Marpole, most recently from Ravenswood Glen. Her lover was a traveling salesman, someone called Indra Northrup, but he’s not been located. They’re searching for him everywhere.”
                  Arabel stared into Eli’s troubled eyes. “You don’t think the lover did it?” she queried and Eli shook his head regretfully.
                  “Doesn’t add up for me,” Eli responded uneasily, “though maybe it’s meant to look that way.”
                  Morna appeared and ushered Arabel and Eli into the formal dining room where they saw that Cook had outdone herself with a cranberry salad, red pepper soup, garlic mashed potatoes and herbed pilaf. Arabel and Eli tucked into the meal with obvious relish and sipped at the elderberry wine.
                  “How is it that it has taken so long to identify her?” Arabel questioned.
                  Eli didn’t respond, as it made no sense to him either. He shrugged.
                  “How high upstream does the intrigue go, I wonder?” he mused and Arabel wondered herself.
                  “Will you take me to the Copse tonight?” she asked eagerly, the desire for action springing up within her strongly. It was horrible to feel as if there was nothing you could do to distract disaster but sit and wait for it to strike. Arabel much preferred to take action.
                  “The Copse?” Eli repeated. “Why’d you want to go there?”