Read Online Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh - Free Book Online Page B

She was dark, extremely sallow, and fat. There was a musty falseness about the dank hair which she wore over her ears in sibylline coils. She painted her face, but with such inattention to detail that Roberta was reminded of a cheap print in which the colours had slipped to one side, showing the original structure of the drawing underneath. She had curious eyes, very pale, with tiny pupils, and muddy whites. They were so abnormally sunken that they seemed to reflect no light and this gave them a veiled appearance which Roberta found disconcerting, and oddly repellent. Her face had once been round but like her make-up it had slipped and now hung in folds and pockets about her lips, which were dragged down at the corners. Roberta saw that Lady Wutherwood had a trick of parting and closing her lips. It was a very slight movement but she did it continually with a faint click of sound. And in the corners of her lips there was a kind of whiteness that moved when they moved. “Henry is right,” thought Roberta. “She is disgusting.”
    Lord Wutherwood greeted the Lampreys without much show of cordiality. When he saw Lady Katherine Lobe his attitude stiffened still further. He turned to his brother and in a muffled voice said: “We’re in a hurry, Charles.”
    â€œOh,” said Lord Charles. “Are you? Oh—well—”
    â€œAre you?” Charlot repeated. “Not too much of a hurry, I hope, Gabriel. We never see anything of you.”
    â€œYou never come to Deepacres when we ask you, Imogen.”
    â€œI know . We’d adore to come, especially the children, but you know it’s so frightfully expensive to travel, even in England. You see we can’t all get into one car—”
    â€œThe fare, third-class return, is within the reach of most people.”
    â€œ Miles beyond us, I’m afraid,” said Charlot with a charming air of ruefulness. “We’re cutting down everything . We never budge from where we are.”
    Lord Wutherwood turned to Henry.
    â€œEnjoy your trip to the Côte d’Azur?” he asked. “Saw your photograph in one of these papers. In my day we didn’t strip ourselves naked and wallow in front of press photographers but I suppose you like that sort of thing.”
    â€œEnormously, sir,” said Henry coldly.
    There was a slight pause. Roberta felt uncomfortably that Charlot’s plan should be amended and that they should leave the field to Lord Charles. She wondered if she herself should slip out of the room. Her thoughts must have appeared in her face for Henry caught her eye, smiled, and shook his head. The Wutherwoods were now seated side-by-side on the sofa. Baskett came in with the sherry.
    â€œAh, sherry,” said Lord Charles. Henry began to pour it out. Charlot made desperate efforts with her brother-in-law. Lady Katherine leant forward in her chair and addressed Lady Wutherwood.
    â€œWell, Violet,” she said, “I hear you have taken up conjuring.”
    â€œYou couldn’t be more mistaken,” said Lady Wutherwood in a deep voice. She spoke with a very slight accent, slurring her words together. After each phrase she rearranged her mouth with those clicking movements and stealthily touched away the white discs at the corners, but in a little while they reformed.
    â€œAunty Kit,” cried Frid, “will you have some sherry? Aunt Violet?”
    â€œNo thank you, my dear,” said Lady Katherine.
    â€œYes,” said Lady Wutherwood.
    â€œYou’d better not, V.,” said Lord Wutherwood. “You know what’ll happen.”
    Mike walked to the end of the sofa and stared fixedly at his aunt. Lord Charles turned to his brother with an air of cordiality. “It’s a sherry that I think you rather like, Gabriel, don’t you?” he said. “Corregio del Martez, ’79.”
    â€œIf you can afford a sherry like that—” began Lord Wutherwood.