Read Online In the Still of the Night by Jill Churchill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jill Churchill
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safe.“
“I do have valuables, but they are of worth only to me,“ Cecil said, thinking about his precious manuscript of the biography of Julian West. “I’m waiting for a telephone call from my secretary. Has she rung yet?“
“I don’t think so, sir. I’ll ask Miss Lily.”
It took considerable effort to spruce himself up and he discovered that he’d forgotten his hair oil and so his thinning hair looked fuzzy. He’d have to turn out in his dinner clothes soon, but wanted to meet his host and hostess first, and donned his country gentleman clothes. A tweed jacket—the one with the signature leather patches on the elbows—and tan trousers that were getting just a little too tight for comfort. He’d hoped the walk would have worn off a bit of belly, but it hadn’t.
He ran into Lily on the landing of the stairs.
“You must be Professor Hoornart,“ she said, extending her hand as she came up the steps. “You disappeared so quickly I missed you. I’m Lily Brewster, and my brother and I are so glad you found time to come here. You won’t remember me, but you came to my school to lecture once and I’ve followed your reviews ever since then.”
Cecil ran his hand over his hair like a handsome rooster preening his feathers. This was the sort of hostess he liked. One who fawned. Now if the food was up to par, and Julian West would agree to an nice long interview, it would be worth the trip.
He asked her about a phone call. “I’m expecting a letter from a woman who had worked for Julian West’s family when he was a child. You know I’m writing a biography of him, don’t you? I’ve asked my secretary to call here if the letter arrives while I’m gone and read it to me.“
“If she calls, I’ll be sure to fetch you to the phone,“ Lily assured him.
They exchanged pleasant chitchat as Lily showed him around the main ground floor rooms. “It’s a bit of a maze, I’m afraid. Robert and I kept getting lost the first month or so we were here and we suspect there are still rooms we haven’t discovered.“
“You haven’t lived here long?“
“Only since last August,“ Lily said, gently steering him toward the yellow parlor. “We inherited it from an uncle we hardly knew and it had been rather badly neglected for a number of years. Especially the grounds, which are still being cleared.”
The yellow parlor had been selected as the best room for the guests to gather. It had the most comfortable furniture. There were several deep sofas and chairs grouped around the fireplace and scattered in pleasant conversational clusters. Robert was sprawled in one of the sofas reading the newspaper. He leaped up and offered Cecil Hoornart a drink.
“A gin and tonic, please,“ Cecil said, feeling more at ease now that he was clean and decently dressed and being received with the respect he felt was owed him.
Lily turned as Addie entered the room, looking quite normal. Lily performed the introductions.
“We’ve met, Professor Hoornart,“ Addie said, extending her hand to shake his manfully. “You graciously agreed to speak to our girls at school quite a few years ago. That’s how Lily, who was a student then, and I knew you.“
“So she told me, Miss Jonson.”
Cecil had long since given up speaking to secondary schools, reserving his limited time for the best colleges and exclusive dinner meetings at the most elite clubs, but pretended effectively to have remembered Addie. “One of my fonder memories,“ he said. “And are you still with the school?”
When conversation lagged a bit and Robert was pouring Professor Hoornart a second drink, Lily pulled Addie aside. “I’m going to tell Mrs. Ethridge that she must leave.“
“You’ll do no such thing. You need her money,“ Addie said quite firmly in her school-mistress voice, nodding to Robert with a smile as he called across the room, “Sherry?“
“No, Addie,“ Lily persisted, “not that much, we don’t. I don’t want her to ruin
“I do have valuables, but they are of worth only to me,“ Cecil said, thinking about his precious manuscript of the biography of Julian West. “I’m waiting for a telephone call from my secretary. Has she rung yet?“
“I don’t think so, sir. I’ll ask Miss Lily.”
It took considerable effort to spruce himself up and he discovered that he’d forgotten his hair oil and so his thinning hair looked fuzzy. He’d have to turn out in his dinner clothes soon, but wanted to meet his host and hostess first, and donned his country gentleman clothes. A tweed jacket—the one with the signature leather patches on the elbows—and tan trousers that were getting just a little too tight for comfort. He’d hoped the walk would have worn off a bit of belly, but it hadn’t.
He ran into Lily on the landing of the stairs.
“You must be Professor Hoornart,“ she said, extending her hand as she came up the steps. “You disappeared so quickly I missed you. I’m Lily Brewster, and my brother and I are so glad you found time to come here. You won’t remember me, but you came to my school to lecture once and I’ve followed your reviews ever since then.”
Cecil ran his hand over his hair like a handsome rooster preening his feathers. This was the sort of hostess he liked. One who fawned. Now if the food was up to par, and Julian West would agree to an nice long interview, it would be worth the trip.
He asked her about a phone call. “I’m expecting a letter from a woman who had worked for Julian West’s family when he was a child. You know I’m writing a biography of him, don’t you? I’ve asked my secretary to call here if the letter arrives while I’m gone and read it to me.“
“If she calls, I’ll be sure to fetch you to the phone,“ Lily assured him.
They exchanged pleasant chitchat as Lily showed him around the main ground floor rooms. “It’s a bit of a maze, I’m afraid. Robert and I kept getting lost the first month or so we were here and we suspect there are still rooms we haven’t discovered.“
“You haven’t lived here long?“
“Only since last August,“ Lily said, gently steering him toward the yellow parlor. “We inherited it from an uncle we hardly knew and it had been rather badly neglected for a number of years. Especially the grounds, which are still being cleared.”
The yellow parlor had been selected as the best room for the guests to gather. It had the most comfortable furniture. There were several deep sofas and chairs grouped around the fireplace and scattered in pleasant conversational clusters. Robert was sprawled in one of the sofas reading the newspaper. He leaped up and offered Cecil Hoornart a drink.
“A gin and tonic, please,“ Cecil said, feeling more at ease now that he was clean and decently dressed and being received with the respect he felt was owed him.
Lily turned as Addie entered the room, looking quite normal. Lily performed the introductions.
“We’ve met, Professor Hoornart,“ Addie said, extending her hand to shake his manfully. “You graciously agreed to speak to our girls at school quite a few years ago. That’s how Lily, who was a student then, and I knew you.“
“So she told me, Miss Jonson.”
Cecil had long since given up speaking to secondary schools, reserving his limited time for the best colleges and exclusive dinner meetings at the most elite clubs, but pretended effectively to have remembered Addie. “One of my fonder memories,“ he said. “And are you still with the school?”
When conversation lagged a bit and Robert was pouring Professor Hoornart a second drink, Lily pulled Addie aside. “I’m going to tell Mrs. Ethridge that she must leave.“
“You’ll do no such thing. You need her money,“ Addie said quite firmly in her school-mistress voice, nodding to Robert with a smile as he called across the room, “Sherry?“
“No, Addie,“ Lily persisted, “not that much, we don’t. I don’t want her to ruin
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