The Curious Incident at Claridge's by R.T. Raichev Read Free Book Online Page B

. How about it? Well?’ They both turned eagerly towards him.
    â€˜It’s Sir Nicholas,’ he said a little wearily. ‘Or rather would be. Heaven knows if I’d live to see the day.’
    â€˜Of course you would, my darling.’ The dark girl kissed him again.
    â€˜My father seems determined to live for ever.’
    â€˜No one can live for ever. It’s not as though your father is a vampire, is it? He is an old man.’
    â€˜Not that old.’
    â€˜Perhaps we could bump him off for you? We could, couldn’t we?’ The dark girl addressed the blonde one. They giggled.
    â€˜Think of the headlines,’ the blonde girl said. ‘ Homicidal Hookers .’
    â€˜Don’t say “hookers”— so common. There won’t be any headlines. We’ll be so clever about it, we’ll never get caught!’
    â€˜Sir Nicholas . I was right! I know all about the gentry.’ The blonde girl nodded. ‘I can even speak like them.’
    â€˜No, you can’t,’ the dark girl said. ‘You only think you can.’
    â€˜I would make a much better Lady Tradescant than you .’
    â€˜No, you wouldn’t.’
    â€˜ Girls ,’ Nicholas Tradescant said in a warning voice.
    â€˜Are you going to marry her now, Nicky?’
    â€˜Of course he will marry me. Everybody knows that gentlemen prefer blondes.’
    â€˜But marry brunettes! There’s a book about it, so there.’
    Nicholas Tradescant gave a sigh. ‘Actually, I am already married, you know that perfectly well.’
    â€˜Yes, but you said you felt like divorcing your wife. The ’orrible Olivia. I can’t believe you haven’t divorced her yet. I really can’t.’
    â€˜It’s not as easy as you might think,’ he murmured.
    â€˜Why not?’
    The blonde girl said, ‘She’s been nagging at you, making you miserable about all sorts of things. She’s already ordered writing paper with Sir Nicholas at the top, hasn’t she? You told us about it last time. She’s so desperate to become “Lady Tradescant”. She’s been making you dine with people you don’t like. Lords and ladies and barons and dukes.’
    â€˜With the gentry ,’ the dark girl said. She gave a dreamy sigh.
    â€˜The gentry are dull, aren’t they?’
    He nodded. ‘I am afraid they are, rather. Where we live at least.’
    â€˜The gentry ,’ the dark girl repeated wistfully. ‘You live with the gentry. I’d love to live with the gentry. I wouldn’t mind them being dull.’
    â€˜Nicky can’t stand the gentry. That’s why you are with us now, aren’t you, Nicky? We give you a good time.’ The blonde girl cast an anxious glance at him. ‘We give you a good time, don’t we, Nicky?’
    â€˜You certainly do.’
    â€˜We are extremely expensive, though. Aren’t we?’
    â€˜It doesn’t matter,’ he said.
    â€˜We know how to give a gent a good time,’ the dark girl said gravely.
    â€˜Don’t be coarse. Nicky is the only real gent we see. All the others are rich businessmen and jumped-up knights and men who married money.’
    â€˜Businessmen,’ the dark girl said with a shiver. ‘No class.’
    â€˜They order pizzas by phone and take their laptops to bed with them!’ The blonde girl sounded outraged.
    â€˜What did you tell Olivia? Where does she think you are now? At your club in London?’
    â€˜Yes.’ He looked at his watch. Good God, half past midnight already?
    Both girls giggled, then the blonde asked: ‘What if she phoned the club? What if she asked to speak to you? Won’t you be in trouble?’
    â€˜They know exactly what to tell her if she does phone. They’ve got instructions. Listen, girls, on no account must you ring my home number again, promise?’
    â€˜Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. I only