The Penny Dreadful Curse by Anna Lord Read Free Book Online Page B

enunciated loudly for
maximum effect. “I cannot get enough of them!”
    The smile
immediately returned to the bookseller’s face. “Did I hear you
correctly? Did you just say,” he paused and his voice quivered, “Dr
Watson? Not the Dr John Watson? Not the famous chronicler of
the adventures of Mr Sherlock Holmes? I am honoured, sir, to have
you in my humble establishment.”
    The Countess
gave her companion a timely nudge. “What book did you say you were
you after, Dr Watson? Was it Baedeker?”
    “Yes, er, yes,
that was it,” muttered Dr Watson, catching on, “Baedeker.”
    “Ah! Wissen
offnet welten !” cooed Mr Corbie, making a little joke, as his
dry husk of a heart found new life. “Knowledge opens worlds! This
way, sir, follow me. I have all the English titles and some in
French, German and Italian. I once stocked every Baedeker except
for the 1866 Italien Zweiter Theil: Mittel Italien und Rom .
It mysteriously disappeared from the shelves never to be seen – it
probably went travelling of its own accord! A little dry humour!
Ha! Ha! Which travel guide were you after, Dr Watson? The Rhine is
as popular as ever. Some marvellous illustrations in that one. And
also the Ober-Italien range. The best maps – in my humble opinion.
Here we are! Erleben und geneissen !”
    While the two
men perused the B section at the front of the shop, the Countess
checked out the penny dreadfuls at the back, and although they took
up very little shelf space due to their thinness there turned out
to be hundreds and hundreds of them. Going through them was going
to require more time than she envisaged. What she would need to do
first was ascertain which of the dreadfuls were published in York
and which were published elsewhere. It was the York publications
she was interested in. But ascertaining which was which was likely
to take several hours. There was only one thing for it.
    “I will take
them all,” she pronounced firmly when the bookseller came to check
if she had made a selection and if her taste ran to the
dreadfullest of them all.
    Stunned, he
almost fell over and had to steady himself. “All?” he croaked.
    “All,”
confirmed the Countess. “Please have them sent to the Mousehole
Inne. Dr Watson and I are enjoying a brief sojourn in York and are
staying just across the way. Monsieur Hiboux will tell you where it
will be best to deposit them.” She turned to her companion. “Did
you find the Baedeker you were after?”
    With his eyes
he indicated the three books on the desk where a cat curled in the
curve of the window. “Er, yes, I thought it best to read up on the
Rhine, Corsica and Egypt before we plan our next sojourn.”
    She beamed her
approval. “A splendid idea, Dr Watson! You are always thinking
ahead. I am such a lucky lady to have found such a well organised
travelling companion!” She turned to the bookseller. “I will pay
for all the books. Will fifty pounds cover it?”
    Mr Corbie
almost fainted when the blood rushed to his head. “Oh, it is far
too much, madame,” he declared, his conscience overriding his
stomach. “Let me just calculate – ”
    “No need for
that,” she cut off. “Anything over and above the cost of the books
can be put down to delivery charges. By the by, I am Countess
Volodymyrovna. It was a pleasure to do business Mr -?”
    “Corbie.”
    “Mr Corbie,
good evening to you, and may I say I was admiring your sign on my
way in. The gold font is most striking and the wording is most
eloquent, however, I was unsure whether you actually stocked penny
dreadfuls and I was thinking to myself that I might need to find a
bookseller in the marketplace.”
    “Oh, indeed, I
stock everything!” he gushed, almost delirious with joy. “And it
was very observant of you, Countess Volodymyrovna, I am in the
process of amending the sign as we speak. It will read: Antiquarian
books and penny dreadfuls. I may even add an exclamation mark. Can
I be so bold as to enquire if you think