Read Online A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michelle Cooper
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back to the woodpile. Oh, it’s just habit, his dislike of Veronica – he probably can’t help himself saying unfair things. He simply doesn’t know her as I do. I’m just going to ignore what he said.
Well, not his advice about England’s attractions, that was quite helpful. Oh, but I gave my word that I’d speak to Veronica about that non-intervention thing...
Bother.
4th November, 1936
MY ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS the Spanish situation with Veronica this morning was as unsuccessful as I’d feared. In fact, I didn’t even manage to get my first, carefully rehearsed sentence out. It was my fault – I interrupted her as she was going over the accounts.
‘Are they very bad?’ I asked. ‘I mean, worse than usual?’
I peered over her shoulder at the columns of numbers, but they might as well have been Ancient Greek to me – no, Ancient Greek I would’ve had more chance of understanding, thanks to all that practice decoding Kernetin.
‘Ten pounds, ’ groaned Veronica, tapping her pencil on one of the red squiggles. ‘Why on Earth would Toby need ten pounds, before term had even started?’
‘Didn’t his friend Rupert invite him to their country house then?’ I wondered aloud. ‘Train fares? New shoes? Tips for the servants?’
Veronica started massaging her temples with her fingertips.
‘Never mind,’ I said. ‘We’ll sell the Fabergé egg. Simon thought he might get a couple of hundred pounds for it.’
‘Oh, Simon Chester thought! Why hasn’t he left yet, anyway? He’s got his precious papers signed now. He could have gone back on the supply ship.’
‘But it was headed for Santander,’ I pointed out.
‘He’s up to something,’ she said, scowling at the accounts. ‘He and Rebecca.’
‘I thought you said he wasn’t interested in money,’ I protested. ‘Besides, we haven’t got any.’
‘And why don’t we have any?’ said Veronica, giving me a dark and meaningful look. Then she snatched all the papers up and went off to the library, muttering something under her breath about Uriah Heep.
It was this that made another nasty, suspicious thought pop into my mind. I suddenly remembered Simon’s watch, sitting on his folded-up jacket. I’d never seen him wearing a watch before, and it had looked so new and shiny. How had he been able to afford it on a clerk’s wages? Not that I have any idea how much a watch costs (or how much a clerk earns). It probably wasn’t real gold anyway – I expect it was brass or something. No doubt handed down from his father and he’s always worn it, and I haven’t noticed it before because it’s only been recently that I’ve paid much attention to him.
But why did it look so new?
Oh, but I know Simon would never take money from us. Especially as he understands far better than me how little we have. It hasn’t always been that way. In fact, at one stage the FitzOsbornes were very, very rich. For the record (I’m trying to be more ordered and objective about my writing, the way Veronica is, using proper footnotes and everything), this is how our family made its fortune:
1. Salvaging the cargo of ships wrecked off Montmaray (a lucrative business, given the perilous Montmaray coastline and the continuing refusal of Montmaray kings to construct a lighthouse or any other kind of warning system). 1
2. Piracy (possibly). 2
3. Smuggling rum and brandy into England (possibly). 3
4. Selling salt to the English whenever they were at war with France and their regular suppliers were cut off. 4
5. Whaling and fishing. 5
6. Making anyone else who wanted to catch whales or fish in Montmaray waters pay licence fees. 6
7. Marrying coal magnates, etc. 7
8. Buying and selling shares in the Stock Market. 8 And this is how our family lost its fortune:
1. Invention of steamships and modern navigation equipment, which greatly decreased the frequency of shipwrecks. 9
2. Scarcity of whales in Bay of Biscay due to overenthusiastic whalers; also development of
Well, not his advice about England’s attractions, that was quite helpful. Oh, but I gave my word that I’d speak to Veronica about that non-intervention thing...
Bother.
4th November, 1936
MY ATTEMPT TO DISCUSS the Spanish situation with Veronica this morning was as unsuccessful as I’d feared. In fact, I didn’t even manage to get my first, carefully rehearsed sentence out. It was my fault – I interrupted her as she was going over the accounts.
‘Are they very bad?’ I asked. ‘I mean, worse than usual?’
I peered over her shoulder at the columns of numbers, but they might as well have been Ancient Greek to me – no, Ancient Greek I would’ve had more chance of understanding, thanks to all that practice decoding Kernetin.
‘Ten pounds, ’ groaned Veronica, tapping her pencil on one of the red squiggles. ‘Why on Earth would Toby need ten pounds, before term had even started?’
‘Didn’t his friend Rupert invite him to their country house then?’ I wondered aloud. ‘Train fares? New shoes? Tips for the servants?’
Veronica started massaging her temples with her fingertips.
‘Never mind,’ I said. ‘We’ll sell the Fabergé egg. Simon thought he might get a couple of hundred pounds for it.’
‘Oh, Simon Chester thought! Why hasn’t he left yet, anyway? He’s got his precious papers signed now. He could have gone back on the supply ship.’
‘But it was headed for Santander,’ I pointed out.
‘He’s up to something,’ she said, scowling at the accounts. ‘He and Rebecca.’
‘I thought you said he wasn’t interested in money,’ I protested. ‘Besides, we haven’t got any.’
‘And why don’t we have any?’ said Veronica, giving me a dark and meaningful look. Then she snatched all the papers up and went off to the library, muttering something under her breath about Uriah Heep.
It was this that made another nasty, suspicious thought pop into my mind. I suddenly remembered Simon’s watch, sitting on his folded-up jacket. I’d never seen him wearing a watch before, and it had looked so new and shiny. How had he been able to afford it on a clerk’s wages? Not that I have any idea how much a watch costs (or how much a clerk earns). It probably wasn’t real gold anyway – I expect it was brass or something. No doubt handed down from his father and he’s always worn it, and I haven’t noticed it before because it’s only been recently that I’ve paid much attention to him.
But why did it look so new?
Oh, but I know Simon would never take money from us. Especially as he understands far better than me how little we have. It hasn’t always been that way. In fact, at one stage the FitzOsbornes were very, very rich. For the record (I’m trying to be more ordered and objective about my writing, the way Veronica is, using proper footnotes and everything), this is how our family made its fortune:
1. Salvaging the cargo of ships wrecked off Montmaray (a lucrative business, given the perilous Montmaray coastline and the continuing refusal of Montmaray kings to construct a lighthouse or any other kind of warning system). 1
2. Piracy (possibly). 2
3. Smuggling rum and brandy into England (possibly). 3
4. Selling salt to the English whenever they were at war with France and their regular suppliers were cut off. 4
5. Whaling and fishing. 5
6. Making anyone else who wanted to catch whales or fish in Montmaray waters pay licence fees. 6
7. Marrying coal magnates, etc. 7
8. Buying and selling shares in the Stock Market. 8 And this is how our family lost its fortune:
1. Invention of steamships and modern navigation equipment, which greatly decreased the frequency of shipwrecks. 9
2. Scarcity of whales in Bay of Biscay due to overenthusiastic whalers; also development of
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