The Training of Fallen Angels by Kendal Grahame Read Free Book Online Page A

picked up her bag.
    They walked out into the road. A sleek, American limousine rounded the bend, its windows blacked out and its paintwork glistening brightly in the sunlight. The car glided to a halt and the driver’s window purred as it slid open. The large, round face of the chauffeur appeared.
    ‘Janet and Lisa Angel?’ a gruff voice enquired.
    Janet stepped forward excitedly. ‘That’s us,’ she said. ‘Are you from Grantham Manor?’
    The big man grunted a positive reply and climbed out of the vehicle. He was wearing a light-coloured uniform, complete with peaked cap. He stood well over six feet in height, towering over the two friends. He held his hand out. Janet looked at him quizzically. ‘Your bags,’ he demanded.
    ‘Oh, yes, right,’ said Janet. She handed over her possessions quickly. Lisa followed suit and the man ambled to the rear of the car to throw the bags unceremoniously into the boot. Lisa shot a concerned glance to Janet, who smiled and shrugged her shoulders. The chauffeur opened the rear door and motioned for them to get inside. They did so quickly and sank into the sumptuous white leather seat. The door was slammed shut immediately.
    A heavy, glass partition separated them from the driver’s compartment. They watched as the chauffeur climbed into his seat and heard the click as the doors were electronically locked.
    ‘Oh, well,’ said Janet, ‘there’s no going back now.’
    ‘He’s a little chatterbox, isn’t he?’ said Lisa.
    Janet grinned. ‘I’m sure everything will be fine,’ she replied, determined to ignore a feeling of apprehension that was gnawing at her.
    The car was turned noiselessly around and they headed down the narrow, winding lane. Janet relaxed back in the seat and watched the countryside drift by outside. ‘Everything will be fine’, she repeated to herself.
    ‘Oh, my God, look at that!’ Lisa was sitting erect and looking in amazement out of the car window. Janet followed her gaze. The vehicle had rounded a sharp bend and they could now see a house, or rather a mansion, nestling within the gentle folds of the lush, green hills.
    ‘There’s certainly some money here,’ Janet breathed. ‘I wonder what fees Mr Gee charges his clients!’
    The car crunched its way along the long gravel drive until it pulled up at the front of the manor. The car locks clicked and, after a moment, the door was opened. Lisa and Janet clambered out into the sunlight. Mr Gee stood on the steps leading to the main door, flanked by two young girls dressed in the skimpiest of maid’s costumes. He stepped forward as the chauffeur handed Lisa and Janet their baggage.
    ‘Welcome to Grantham Manor,’ their host said proudly as he took their bags. ‘I trust your journey was not too difficult?’
    ‘No, not at all,’ said Janet. ‘You have a lovely home.’
    ‘It has been in the family for many generations,’ said Mr Gee as he led the way up the steps, ‘and it serves my purpose admirably.’ He guided them through a large, oak door and into the hallway. A giant staircase swept grandly ahead of them. It divided beneath a huge, stained-glass window before turning back in both directions to form two ornate galleries that met again above the front doorway. Janet looked upwards. Above her head was the largest and most splendid chandelier that she had ever seen. Its sheer size put even the displays in the presidential palace to shame. The crystals caught the multi-coloured shafts of light streaming in from the decorated window in the most magical way and cast beams around them like a laser light-show at a rock concert.
    ‘Wow,’ gasped Lisa, ‘that’s incredible!’
    ‘The maids will take you to your room,’ said Mr Gee. ‘Tell me, what do you have in your bags?’
    ‘Just clothes and toiletries,’ said Janet, surprised at the question. ‘Why?’
    ‘You will have no need of clothing. Everything is provided. Come, you will wish to bathe and freshen up. Be ready by five