Read Online Black August by Dennis Wheatley - Free Book Online

excellent health. He was with us at Holkenham.’
    â€˜To help Kenyon with the campaign or to flirt with your ladyship?’
    â€˜Both!—but my ladyship was rather unkind I fear. Holkenham is no place for parlour games. If we’d been rumbled by the Bronsons they’d have spread the most ghastly scandal about me in ten ticks. I simply didn’t dare risk it, so Alistair had to console himself by punishing the port. He was a great success with the children though.’
    Fiona looked puzzled. ‘I didn’t know there were any.’
    â€˜Oh, in the house?—thank God, no! that would have been the last straw. I mean the young Britons. We made him tell them “What I did in the Great War, Daddie!” He simply hated it, of course, and he was only some sort of junior dogs-body at the time, but he got crossed fig-leaves or something for some act of idiocy he performed when he was tight as an owl—they lapped it up! He had to leave us on Saturday though, he was recalled by telegram.’
    â€˜Yes, all leave has been cancelled. Peter says the Government have got the wind up to the eyebrows—but about Alistair. Why don’t you marry him, Veronica?’
    â€˜My sweet, you know perfectly well that he hasn’t got a cent.’
    â€˜But he’ll come into the place when his father dies.’
    â€˜Yes, when he’s ninety—and I’ve grown a lovely long dewlap, thank you, darling—No!’
    â€˜Oh, Veronica, don’t be absurd.’
    â€˜I mean it, lovie—these ’ere surgeons is that ‘andy wiv their h’instruments nowadays they keeps all the old crocks in the ‘untin field until they’re h’octogenarians!’
    â€˜You’d be very happy with Alistair.’
    Veronica stretched her slim arms above her head and smiled indulgently. ‘You think of everybody in terms of Peter and yourself—and, little sentimental fool that you are—I adore you. But I always have been attracted by strange men—and I shall always be liable to go off the rails with any new man who comes along if he’s got brains and guts.’
    â€˜Well, you can’t say that Alistair lacks guts, and he’s got brains as well—he’s been through Staff College.’
    â€˜Yes, with a kick in the pants!—as for guts, darling, he keeps them filed away in the War Office to be taken out when wanted, so they’re not the kind I care about. Tell me, is Peter coming in to booze with us this evening?’
    â€˜Yes, about six I expect, it’s nearly that now.’
    â€˜Marvellous—I tried to get several chaps but they are all in their little blue uniforms playing at Special Constables, or busy joining Llewellyn’s comic opera Greyshirts. Still, Alistair is coming in for half an hour, and Kenyon will be in any moment so they’ll be able to tell us all about Auld England on its last legs. I suppose you haven’t seen an evening paper, have you?’
    Fiona shook her head. ‘No, but I believe that there’s been awful trouble in the north. Dorothy—you know, the fair girl who does my hair at Ernaldé’s, told me that Glasgow is completely cut off, and a railway bridge blown up so that no trains can come through.’
    â€˜My dear! these filthy Communists.’
    â€˜Terrible, isn’t it, but I suppose we shall pull through somehow—we always seem to!’
    â€˜Of course, darling. Everything would have been straightened out years ago if it hadn’t been for those pompous old lunatics in the Cabinet. Half of them are absolutely gaga.’
    â€˜Well, if somebody doesn’t do something soon we shall be in afine mess. Lots of people are so scared they are leaving for the country.’
    Veronica blew out a thin spiral of smoke and nodded. ‘Herbert said something last night about packing Juliana Augusta and me off to Banners.’
    â€˜That sounds rather