Billie's Kiss by Elizabeth Knox Read Free Book Online Page B

again.
    Lord Hallowhulme called for a fresh pot of tea. His daughter, Minnie, had patted her mouth and risen a few inches from her seat, so that the butler hustled up behind to draw back her chair. She said, ‘My lessons, Father.’
    â€˜Yes, Minnie. Are you fully fortified?’
    â€˜Yes, Father.’ She shook the napkin off her sticky hand and came around the table to kiss him. Minnie was short and slight and had to balance a hand on one of her father’s big shoulders in order to lean in to his face. Then she circled behind Murdo, who was sure he could feel her gaze breeze the back of his head. She touched her lips to her mother’s cheek, checked the door before it was fully ajar, checked the footman’s white-gloved hand to discourage him from opening it further. The footman audibly caught his breath, possibly because of the touch, possibly he was shocked to have forgotten one of the household’s habits, or preferences.
    James Hallow had remembered that the new telephones, and telephone line, and batteries, had been in the hold of the Gustav Edda .He had been so looking forward to its installation , the Isle’s first telephone line, between Kiss Castle and its gatehouse first, then between the castle and the post office, possibly the rectory – Mr Mulberry being willing – and there would certainly be a telephone line to the factory. ‘Another factory,’ said the smirking James to Elov, who blinked and blushed. ‘At Scouse Beach, near here. A factory to extract alginate from seaweed. It’s the food of the future, you know.’
    Elov nodded, as if he did know.
    James’s wife Clara said that she must go and write to her friend Jane Tegner, who, considering the accident, might decide against bringing the twins to visit Minnie. She hoped they weren’t on their way already.
    Rixon muttered that at least he and Elov would be excused from Minnie and the twins’ ambitious theatricals.
    â€˜I’ll ask what Jane thinks,’ Clara said, but she didn’t get up.
    Murdo did, and, as always, the butler anticipated his movement. Murdo looked over his shoulder at the man. He said thank you. He saw sympathy. ‘I’m going to speak to Rory Skilling,’ he said to James.
    Clara stood. ‘And I’m going to visit the people in Mr Mulberry’s “infirmary”.’
    â€˜I’m going there, too,’ Murdo said. ‘Eventually.’
    â€˜Good morning, then, to both of you. Good work,’ James said. He beamed at his wife as she came gliding up the room to kiss him, and held her as she did so, his hand on the artificial fluted curve of her waist.
    Jenny was waiting in the hallway with her mistress’s coat, hat, and gloves. She helped Clara into the coat, and they both turned to the big dark glass above the hall table to settle the hat. Clara rolled down the hat’s veil over her dull-skinned, handsome, worn face. Murdo saw that she was watching him in the mirror. He told her that Rory Skilling had a suspect in custody at the gatehouse. ‘The suspect jumped from the ship directly before the explosion. Before the gangplank was down.’
    Clara wormed one hand into a glove, settled the leather over her wedding ring.
    â€˜I think James underestimates the islanders’ antagonism toward himself and his ideas,’ Murdo said.
    â€˜Antagonism?’
    â€˜Hostility.’
    â€˜James wasn’t on the Gustav Edda ,’said Clara. She put on her other glove and took the bag from Jenny. They left the house.
    Murdo went back to the dining room, opened the door, and asked James if he had the Gustav Edda ’s cargo manifest – and if not who would have it?
    â€˜I thought of that yesterday evening,’ James said. ‘Anticipated your interest.’
    Murdo waited in the doorway. He brushed the door lightly with his shoulder so that it opened further.
    â€˜There wasn’t anything explosive on the