Read Online Anything Goes by Jill Churchill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jill Churchill
Ads: Link
got a hangdog look and muttered, “I don’t have a dollar.”
Lily dug around in her handbag and came up with eighty cents. “That’ll have to do.“ She saw no reason to mention the ten-dollar bill she also had in her bag. She’d hidden the rest of their pitiful savings in the little silk packet where she kept her hosiery.
“If you can actually get it running, I think we should go back to town and have a talk with Mr. Prinney. And I’ll have a chat with Mrs. Prinney about dinner while you’re gone.”
As Lily approached the kitchen door, she could hear voices raised. One, a man’s, coarse and belligerent, and the other Mimi’s, soft and whiny. She couldn’t distinguish the words. Opening the door, she found herself nearly eyeball to eyeball with a revolting individual.
Mimi, looking upset, said, “This is Billy Smith, Miss Brewster.“
“Mimi’s husband, I am,“ Billy said. He was short and wiry, and sallow of complexion as if he were seldom out in daylight. His dark hair was too long, too greasy. He was missing several teeth and the remainder of them looked pointy and ominous and disgustingly gray. He had a heavy-lidded look that was probably meant to be sexually attractive and merely made him look stupid.
“What are you doing here, Mr. Smith?“ Lily said coldly, bringing many generations of haughty elegance into her voice.
“Just having a word with my wife, lady.“
“I’m Miss Brewster, not ‘lady,’ “ Lily said. She couldn’t remember ever having taken such an instant and bone-deep dislike to anyone.
“And you ain’t my husband,“ Mimi put in. “Except by law.“
“The law’s all it takes, honey,“ Billy sneered.
“It doesn’t appear that Mimi wants to have a word with you,“ Lily said. “It would be best if you leave here. Now.“
“Throwing me out of your house, huh?”
Lily went cold. What did he mean by that? Had Mimi told him that Grace and Favor Cottage wouldn’t be theirs unless they stayed there ten years? No, Mimi couldn’t know that. She and Robert certainly hadn’t mentioned it around her. And Mr. Prinney seemed to be very closemouthed about his clients’ affairs.
The only other person who might know was Mrs. Prinney and Mr. Prinney must have made clear to her long since that anything she knew about clients was confidential. At least, Lily devoutly hoped so.
“No, I’m not throwing you out, but I’ll telephone the police and have them do it if you’re not gone in ten seconds,“ Lily said.
He literally snarled. Lily suspected he’d had lots of unpleasant contacts with the police and didn’t want another one.
Billy spat on the kitchen floor and slammed out of the house.
“Oh, Miss Brewster, I’m so sorry.“ Mimi was crying. “If I’d known he was around town, I’d have kept the doors locked.“
“No, we can’t turn the house into our own jail, Mimi,“ Lily said. “But I warn you, if I ever find him in the house again, I will call the police. Try to get that message across to him. And please get that floor cleaned.”
Lily hated to be hard on Mimi, but since Mimi herself was the attraction, it would have to be Mimi who kept him away.
Or the police.
Chapter 8
Jack Summer turned up at the door to Grace and Favor Cottage quite early the next morning. He asked to see Robert. Mimi showed him to the library and fetched Lily because she couldn’t find Robert.
“You’re an early bird, Mr. Summer,“ Lily said.
“I managed to hitch a ride up the hill. And please call me Jack. Mr. Summer is my father,“ he said with a smile. The first one she’d seen on him. It wasn’t a bad smile. Sort of goofy and crooked with a hint of a dimple.
She wasn’t quite ready to be on first-name terms with a reporter she hardly knew and didn’t quite trust, so instead she answered, “You’ll have a nice ride down the hill, too. My brother got the Duesenberg running. Have you had breakfast? No? I haven’t either. I’ll ask Mimi to bring it in
Lily dug around in her handbag and came up with eighty cents. “That’ll have to do.“ She saw no reason to mention the ten-dollar bill she also had in her bag. She’d hidden the rest of their pitiful savings in the little silk packet where she kept her hosiery.
“If you can actually get it running, I think we should go back to town and have a talk with Mr. Prinney. And I’ll have a chat with Mrs. Prinney about dinner while you’re gone.”
As Lily approached the kitchen door, she could hear voices raised. One, a man’s, coarse and belligerent, and the other Mimi’s, soft and whiny. She couldn’t distinguish the words. Opening the door, she found herself nearly eyeball to eyeball with a revolting individual.
Mimi, looking upset, said, “This is Billy Smith, Miss Brewster.“
“Mimi’s husband, I am,“ Billy said. He was short and wiry, and sallow of complexion as if he were seldom out in daylight. His dark hair was too long, too greasy. He was missing several teeth and the remainder of them looked pointy and ominous and disgustingly gray. He had a heavy-lidded look that was probably meant to be sexually attractive and merely made him look stupid.
“What are you doing here, Mr. Smith?“ Lily said coldly, bringing many generations of haughty elegance into her voice.
“Just having a word with my wife, lady.“
“I’m Miss Brewster, not ‘lady,’ “ Lily said. She couldn’t remember ever having taken such an instant and bone-deep dislike to anyone.
“And you ain’t my husband,“ Mimi put in. “Except by law.“
“The law’s all it takes, honey,“ Billy sneered.
“It doesn’t appear that Mimi wants to have a word with you,“ Lily said. “It would be best if you leave here. Now.“
“Throwing me out of your house, huh?”
Lily went cold. What did he mean by that? Had Mimi told him that Grace and Favor Cottage wouldn’t be theirs unless they stayed there ten years? No, Mimi couldn’t know that. She and Robert certainly hadn’t mentioned it around her. And Mr. Prinney seemed to be very closemouthed about his clients’ affairs.
The only other person who might know was Mrs. Prinney and Mr. Prinney must have made clear to her long since that anything she knew about clients was confidential. At least, Lily devoutly hoped so.
“No, I’m not throwing you out, but I’ll telephone the police and have them do it if you’re not gone in ten seconds,“ Lily said.
He literally snarled. Lily suspected he’d had lots of unpleasant contacts with the police and didn’t want another one.
Billy spat on the kitchen floor and slammed out of the house.
“Oh, Miss Brewster, I’m so sorry.“ Mimi was crying. “If I’d known he was around town, I’d have kept the doors locked.“
“No, we can’t turn the house into our own jail, Mimi,“ Lily said. “But I warn you, if I ever find him in the house again, I will call the police. Try to get that message across to him. And please get that floor cleaned.”
Lily hated to be hard on Mimi, but since Mimi herself was the attraction, it would have to be Mimi who kept him away.
Or the police.
Chapter 8
Jack Summer turned up at the door to Grace and Favor Cottage quite early the next morning. He asked to see Robert. Mimi showed him to the library and fetched Lily because she couldn’t find Robert.
“You’re an early bird, Mr. Summer,“ Lily said.
“I managed to hitch a ride up the hill. And please call me Jack. Mr. Summer is my father,“ he said with a smile. The first one she’d seen on him. It wasn’t a bad smile. Sort of goofy and crooked with a hint of a dimple.
She wasn’t quite ready to be on first-name terms with a reporter she hardly knew and didn’t quite trust, so instead she answered, “You’ll have a nice ride down the hill, too. My brother got the Duesenberg running. Have you had breakfast? No? I haven’t either. I’ll ask Mimi to bring it in
Similar Books
