Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer Read Free Book Online Page B

shows that he was a real gentleman, doesn't it? Not that it did her much good, because what must that Hilary of hers go and do but catch cold and die of a pneumonia when the twins were no more than six years old, if as much. Not that he was ever much use, reely, in spite of his grand relations, but half a loaf is better than no bread, when all's said and done, and there she was, left with two children on her hands, and nothing but a lot of bills to pay. Still, she kept up her spirits, and always enjoyed a joke. I sometimes think what a laugh she'd have if she knew her Lance had come into the title!"
    She indulged in a little laughter herself at this reflection, but her mirth was cut short by the entrance of Mrs. Haddington, who walked into the room, raising her eyebrows at her secretary, and saying: "So this is where you are!"
    "Do you want me, Mrs. Haddington?" asked Beulah.
    "Kindly go downstairs and see that the markers are all ready, and the pencils properly sharpened. Miss Spennymoor, please come to my daughter's room! I should have thought you could both have found something better to do than to sit gossiping here."
    "Yes, Mrs. Haddington!" said Miss Spennymoor meekly. "Not but what it was quite my fault, and not at all Miss Birtley's, which it is only right I should say, because I was telling her how I used to know Lord Guisborough's poor mother, and one thing leading to another -"
    "Lord Guisborough's mother?" repeated Mrs. Haddington. "Indeed!"
    This icy interjection not unnaturally covered the little dressmaker with confusion. She scuffled her thimble and her scissors into her work-bag, and picked it up, saying in a crushed voice: "Quite ready now, Mrs. Haddington!"
    "Then please come downstairs!" said Mrs. Haddington.

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    Chapter Five

    At eight o'clock, fortified by the tablet of aspirin she had swallowed on her hurried return to her lodging in Earl's Court earlier in the evening to fling herself into her one dinner-dress, Beulah joined the small party assembled in the drawing-room. Originally, the only invited guest had been Dan Seaton-Carew, but Cynthia, encountering Lord Guisborough and Mr. Harte at her luncheon-party, had, with reckless hospitality, begged both to dine in Charles Street before the rest of the Bridge-guests arrived. Since Beatrice Guisborough, who shared a studio with her brother, had not been present, she was easily able to forget the propriety of including her in her invitation; and as Lord Guisborough was contemptuous of all social conventions, and, in any event, never considered the convenience of anyone but himself, he had no hesitation in accepting the invitation, and leaving Beatrice to join the Bridge-party under her own escort.
    Mrs. Haddington, informed midway through the afternoon of this alteration of her plans, had almost lost her temper with her idolised daughter, even going so far as to say that it was really rather thoughtless of her. Her chef entirely lost his, and was only deterred from walking out of Mrs. Haddington's life then and there by the reflection that the incident, judiciously handled, would provide him with an unanswerable pretext for demanding an increase in his already handsome salary.
    "My pet, if you had invited one of them, it would have been quite all right," said Mrs. Haddington, in the fond voice none but her daughter was privileged to hear. "But now our numbers are wrong!"
    "Oh, Mummy, what on earth does it matter? Besides, they always were!"
    "Nonsense, I don't count Dan as a regular guest! I suppose I shall have to tell that Birtley girl she can dine with us."
    She then remembered that the library, where Beulah usually partook of meals served to her on a tray, was swept, garnished, and furnished with card-tables; reflected that the servants would infallibly be affronted by any suggestion that they should serve two separate meals that evening, and became more cheerful. Beulah received a curt intimation that she was expected to dine with her employer