Read Online Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil (Aunt Dimity Mystery) by Nancy Atherton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nancy Atherton
Ads: Link
“It must be difficult to distance yourself from the soldiers you write about.”
“Occupational hazard.” He smiled briefly, but his eyes remained somber.
“Adam…” I hesitated, then plunged into my request before I could have second thoughts. “If you can spare an hour or two from your writing, would you consider showing me the moors?” I looked toward the windows. “If the fog ever lifts, that is.”
“It will.” Adam’s dark eyes turned toward me. “And nothing would give me greater pleasure than to share a sunny morning with you.” He placed the book on the end table and cleared his throat. “Have you any idea who Claire is?”
“Not a clue,” I said. “I’m going to ask Nicole. She seems to know a lot about her family. I want to know about Edward too. He must have been a special friend, to give Claire such a lovely gift.”
“Perhaps he was a little bit in love with her.” Adam shifted his position, resting his arm on the back of the sofa to half encircle me. “I’m sorry your room’s so grim and ghastly, Lori. I’d like nothing more than to bring you back to the fishing hut with me. But you really must stay on here, if only to find the rest of Claire’s books.”
“Do you think there may be more?” My voice sank to a husky whisper and I trembled, not with cold, but with a sudden, intense longing that both baffled and distressed me.Before things could go further, the study doors burst open, the hinges screaming wildly in protest.
I had another visitor, and this one was livid.
CHAPTER
“W hat the hell are you playing at, Chase?” Guy Manning stormed into the room with a face like thunder, leaving Nicole to trail round-eyed in his wake.
Adam and I sprang apart like a pair of guilty teenagers.
“Ms. Shepherd’s vehicle and the road leading to it are strictly off limits to civilians,” Guy bellowed. “As you well know.”
“Ms. Shepherd is entitled to her personal possessions,” Adam observed calmly. “As
you
well know.”
“Ms. Shepherd’s possessions would have been returned to her in due course,” Guy lectured. “In the meantime—”
“In the meantime,” Adam broke in, standing, “she’d have been left without so much as a toothbrush while you dragged your feet with yet another of your pointless investigations.”
Guy stiffened. “What do you mean?”
Adam eyed the soldier contemptuously. “I think you know what I mean, Captain Manning. I’m flattered by your interest, naturally, but if you have any more questions about my background I hope you’ll direct them to me instead of interrogating my editor. If you had an ounce of courage, not to mention courtesy, you’d have done so in the first place.”
Guy approached the sofa, his jaw muscles working. “I could arrest you for violating a secure area.”
Adam stepped forward, until the two men were standing nearly toe to toe. “My editor would welcome an essay on military justice.”
Guy clenched his fists, and Adam widened his stance, his thigh muscles bulging beneath his cycling pants. I was on theverge of throwing myself—or Reginald—between the two combatants when a gruff voice with an unmistakable Scottish burr sounded from the doorway.
“That’ll do, gentlemen. Ms. Shepherd’s had enough excitement for one day. You can take your discussion elsewhere.”
The gray-haired man in the rumpled tweed suit had evidently overheard the argument. Now he strode purposefully into the room. He was older than Adam by at least thirty years and his head scarcely reached the captain’s shoulder, but such was his air of authority that he made the two enraged men look like a pair of sulky schoolboys.
“You can apologize to Mrs. Hatch on your way out, Guy. She told me that you frightened her half to death, barging past her.” He turned to Adam. “And you can wipe the smug gleam from your eye, laddie. It’s men like Captain Guy Manning who make it safe for you to scribble your wee essays.” He jerked his
“Occupational hazard.” He smiled briefly, but his eyes remained somber.
“Adam…” I hesitated, then plunged into my request before I could have second thoughts. “If you can spare an hour or two from your writing, would you consider showing me the moors?” I looked toward the windows. “If the fog ever lifts, that is.”
“It will.” Adam’s dark eyes turned toward me. “And nothing would give me greater pleasure than to share a sunny morning with you.” He placed the book on the end table and cleared his throat. “Have you any idea who Claire is?”
“Not a clue,” I said. “I’m going to ask Nicole. She seems to know a lot about her family. I want to know about Edward too. He must have been a special friend, to give Claire such a lovely gift.”
“Perhaps he was a little bit in love with her.” Adam shifted his position, resting his arm on the back of the sofa to half encircle me. “I’m sorry your room’s so grim and ghastly, Lori. I’d like nothing more than to bring you back to the fishing hut with me. But you really must stay on here, if only to find the rest of Claire’s books.”
“Do you think there may be more?” My voice sank to a husky whisper and I trembled, not with cold, but with a sudden, intense longing that both baffled and distressed me.Before things could go further, the study doors burst open, the hinges screaming wildly in protest.
I had another visitor, and this one was livid.
CHAPTER
“W hat the hell are you playing at, Chase?” Guy Manning stormed into the room with a face like thunder, leaving Nicole to trail round-eyed in his wake.
Adam and I sprang apart like a pair of guilty teenagers.
“Ms. Shepherd’s vehicle and the road leading to it are strictly off limits to civilians,” Guy bellowed. “As you well know.”
“Ms. Shepherd is entitled to her personal possessions,” Adam observed calmly. “As
you
well know.”
“Ms. Shepherd’s possessions would have been returned to her in due course,” Guy lectured. “In the meantime—”
“In the meantime,” Adam broke in, standing, “she’d have been left without so much as a toothbrush while you dragged your feet with yet another of your pointless investigations.”
Guy stiffened. “What do you mean?”
Adam eyed the soldier contemptuously. “I think you know what I mean, Captain Manning. I’m flattered by your interest, naturally, but if you have any more questions about my background I hope you’ll direct them to me instead of interrogating my editor. If you had an ounce of courage, not to mention courtesy, you’d have done so in the first place.”
Guy approached the sofa, his jaw muscles working. “I could arrest you for violating a secure area.”
Adam stepped forward, until the two men were standing nearly toe to toe. “My editor would welcome an essay on military justice.”
Guy clenched his fists, and Adam widened his stance, his thigh muscles bulging beneath his cycling pants. I was on theverge of throwing myself—or Reginald—between the two combatants when a gruff voice with an unmistakable Scottish burr sounded from the doorway.
“That’ll do, gentlemen. Ms. Shepherd’s had enough excitement for one day. You can take your discussion elsewhere.”
The gray-haired man in the rumpled tweed suit had evidently overheard the argument. Now he strode purposefully into the room. He was older than Adam by at least thirty years and his head scarcely reached the captain’s shoulder, but such was his air of authority that he made the two enraged men look like a pair of sulky schoolboys.
“You can apologize to Mrs. Hatch on your way out, Guy. She told me that you frightened her half to death, barging past her.” He turned to Adam. “And you can wipe the smug gleam from your eye, laddie. It’s men like Captain Guy Manning who make it safe for you to scribble your wee essays.” He jerked his
Similar Books
