Read Online The Royal Scamp by Joan Smith - Free Book Online

horse but not black—it was a deep chestnut with a white blaze on the forehead—was led to the door. He mounted and cantered down the road toward Heath Abbey. Mr. Meecham rode well and made an attractive figure as he darted along, with his wide shoulders limned against the horizon.
    Watching the direction of Esther’s interest, Mr. Fletcher said, “A penny for your thoughts. You don’t have to tell me. I was just thinking the same thing myself—that Meecham fits the general description of the Royal Scamp. Those shoulders have a fine, military look. One can’t help overhearing rumors, you know. Lady Gloria Devere has been whispering in rather a loud voice that Meecham uses a ladder to enter his chamber. Have you given any thought to turning him off, Miss Lowden? A few of the clients were wondering if you would.”
    “I cannot like to do it. He is a good friend of Mr. Ramsay—not Buck but Joshua Ramsay, a local worthy.”
    “I did just wonder, when he was so eager to attach himself to our tour. The Royal Scamp might have some interest to learn all the nooks and crannies and hiding places of your inn.”
    “Oh, dear! You’re giving me the megrims, Mr. Fletcher. You don’t suppose that’s why he wanted to join us.”
    “I don’t ignore the more obvious reason, that he wanted to enjoy your company, as I do. Perhaps you should ask your manager to keep an eye on him.”She nodded, worried. “Now that he’s gone, shall we proceed with our tour and see if we can come to terms?”
    “I haven’t said I’d sell. The inn is a very profitable, going concern. I would expect a stiff price for it. All my renovations and two years’work must be taken into consideration. Goodwill and so on. The location, too, is attractive.”
    “Spoken like a true Cit,”he said, the sting softened by a charming smile. “What price did you have in mind?”
    “I haven’t given it serious thought at all. It’s just an idea that occurs to me from time to time.”
    “It would be best if you mull it over for a few days,”he suggested. “There’s no hurry on my part. Naturally you will display every reluctance in order to raise the price, and I will be at pains to disparage all your finery to lower it.”
    “So that is how gentlemen conduct business with a lady, is it?”she asked archly.
    “Why, ma’am, it goes without saying, ladies don’t conduct business. It is their indifference to turning a guinea that makes them ladies—and dead bores.”
    There was little formality between them after this interlude. “We might as well begin with the kitchen, as you are familiar with the dining room,”Esther mentioned.
    Mr. Fletcher had a keen mind and was swift to see advantages and disadvantages. From the kitchens and the cheese and storage rooms under the eaves to the wine cellars, they toured it all, omitting only the rooms occupied by guests. Mr. Fletcher jokingly found fault, and Esther praised every doorknob and window.
    “Do you have any secret panels, any priest’s hole, or that sort of thing?”Fletcher asked.
    “Nothing so romantic. Not even a ghost, unless you count Lady Gloria Devere.”
    “The old shawl-draped lady? She has an ethereal air about her. One would never take her for nobility.”
    Mr. Fletcher went along, tapping at walls and testing cupboards. “You have a deal of waste space here,”he pointed out as they walked through the airless attic storerooms. “If you pitched out this lumber, you could turn this area into half a dozen small rooms.”
    “I do not feature small rooms here; I run an elegant establishment,”Esther replied.
    Mr. Fletcher looked around at the trunks that lined the walls, the broken chairs and accumulation of rejected household objects. “There are occasions when you could rent a cubbyhole or cupboard for a decent rate. The boxing match next month, for instance—fellows will pay an arm for any place to lay their heads at such a time. If I know anything, you’ll end up having bodies