by C. G Oster
Predictably, Gladys was in the kitchen, topping snow peas into a bowl. She looked up when Dory walked in and sighed. "Off to greener pastures, then? France. Who would have thought?"
"Honestly, I don't know what kind of pastures they have over there. I guess I will find out."
"They won't let you travel without a passport."
"Lady Pettifer is having one arranged for me. It will be waiting for me at South Hampton."
"Say one thing for them, they do get things done quickly."
"Apparently, the secretary responsible for issuing passports is a son of one of her friends," Dory said.
"That always helps," Gladys said with a chuckle. "You be careful over there, and watch for those Frenchmen. Lie through their teeth to catch the attention of a young girl. Don’t be fooled. I don't know what your mother is going to think."
"I can't stay home just because she will worry. Besides, things will get quite uncomfortable for me here when things come out. Lady Pettifer thinks it's best for everyone that I'm away for a bit."
"I suppose she is right. It's an awful business."
"At least Nora's family has some answers now."
"We all have some answers now," Gladys said with distaste. "Now don't go running off with some foreigner while you're over there. Your mother will never forgive me."
"I won't," Dory said, feeling her cheeks flare with embarrassment. "I'm not really one to run off with anyone."
"Don't think I didn't notice how you traipsed after that policeman."
"I didn't traipse," Dory said with offense. "I assisted."
"Handsome one, that one."
"Can't say I noticed," Dory said in a high voice, unable to carry the sentence with any credibility. "He's gone now and I'll likely never see him again."
"Shame."
Shame? Would she make her mind up? "I better go."
Gladys rose to give her an embrace. "You did well by Nora, even if it's unlikely I will ever be allowed to bring another family member into the house. I'll pack you a sandwich for the road."
Dory didn't know what to say. Saying goodbye was difficult enough without having to get into the whole idea of her being bothersome. Instead, she nodded and made her way out of the kitchen before she got teary.
Returning to Lady Pettifer's room, Dory completed the last of the packing. Lady Pettifer had a large trunk, four hat boxes and a case of toiletries. They would need help carrying it all down. The lady was dining with Cedric and Livinia, and they would be leaving right after. Dory went in search of George to help carry everything down and was told that all the luggage, including Livinia's sizeable trunk, would have to be driven separately, so there was nothing for Dory to do other than place her small suitcase with Lady Pettifer's luggage.
The noise downstairs told her that luncheon was finished and it was time to go.
"I'll just refresh slightly," Livinia stated and bounded up the stairs.
"We'll have a quick drink while we wait," Lady Pettifer said with a wink to Cedric, who still had the tight expression he'd had since the Commissioner had come to the house. If Dory felt responsible in some small measure for everything that had resulted, he must feel a multiple of it. He was, after all, responsible by not owning up to what he'd done, even if he held no blame for his mother's consequential actions. Dory felt sorry for him, but not as sorry as she felt for Tilda and Nora. It was all so very unfortunate.
They disappeared into the parlor, which had yet to be hidden under a blanket of sheets. After they were settled with their drinks, the staff all disappeared downstairs for their luncheon. It was the perfect time for Dory to say goodbye as they were all together.
She waited a few moments, then went downstairs. It was also the first time she'd had to confront them all after everything that had happened.
"Well, I guess I'm off," she said brightly, more so than she actually felt. It was a little frightening leaving the only country she had ever known, to land on foreign shores.
Most were staring at her dourly as if she was a viper in their midst. Mr. Holmes didn't look at her and Mrs. Parsons looked sour. "Are you eating with us?" she asked with little warmth in her voice.
"No, I am taking a sandwich with me."
Gladys got up and walked over to retrieve a paper bag for her. "Safe travels, love," she said. "And ignore them," she finished more quietly.
Clara and Mavis gave guarded waves, but wilted under Mrs. Parsons' piercing gaze.
"You know," Dory stated, her voice surprisingly strong and clear, "anyone who thinks senseless notions of propriety outweighs justice for the loss of Nora or Tilda Turman's lives have a clear defect in their character, as far as I'm concerned."
Mrs. Parsons looked away and Mr. Holmes stayed exactly like he was.
"Moral corruption," Dory stated with the righteous conviction of an offended teetotaler. It may well be the most heinous insult she could throw at Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Parsons, other than that they ran a disorderly house. They prided themselves on their standards and propriety, which apparently had no flexibility to acknowledge that their masters were absolutely in the wrong.
Turning sharply, she walked away, holding her head high, her heels clicking on the floor. Mercy, was she glad she was leaving this place with its strict insistence on conformity and convention, even at the expense of what was right. How they dealt with their own reactions was theirs to worry about. Dory was putting this all behind her and turning her thoughts to the excitement that was to come.
George was helping Lady Pettifer and Livinia into the car when Dory joined them outside. Dory had to take the little fold down seat and sit backwards for the journey. She didn't mind, but it gave her a retreating look at Wallisford Hall, where Cedric stood watching in the doorway, watching them go.
"I hate the Mediterranean in summer," Livinia said.
"I think you'll hate London even more this summer," Lady Pettifer responded and Livinia's mouth drew tight as she looked out the window.
"Will it ever blow over?"
"Maybe next year," Lady Pettifer assured her.
"Next year?" Livinia said with dismay. "What am I supposed to do in France for a whole year?"
"Maybe worry about what the Germans are up to."
"What do the Germans have to do with France?"
"Hopefully very little," Lady Pettifer said with a tightness to her smile that Dory had learnt meant she was worried.
"Papa says this war will never happen," Livinia said with absolute certainty.
"Let's hope he's right."
"Then again, if there is a war, we'll have to return to England." Livinia looked pleased with the prospect. "Mother, too."
It was Dory's turn to look out the window. How she wished Livinia wasn't coming with them. It was hard to imagine they were the same age. Every silver lining had a dark cloud, it seemed.
The End
Other Books by C. G. Oster
Mischief in St. Tropez – Dory Sparks Mysteries Book 2 - In the bright sunshine and glorious landscapes of the Cote D’Azur, the enclave of British high society worry about the impending war. So much so that when the body of a Hungarian noble is found at Lady Tonbridge’s soiree, a haphazard investigation finds no culprit. Miss Dory Sparks, the companion to Lady Pettifer, finds herself drawn into investigating when no one else seems pay this murder its due attention.
The handsome Baron Domenik Drecsay had never been a saint and his interest in the heiresses along the coast was known by all. Miss Livinia Fellingworth had certainly been falling for his charms. Even so, Dory struggles to find a motive for his murder, and she is running out of time as the worsening situation in France threatens the decorum lives of the foreign societies along the sparkling coast.
August 25, 2017 - Available on Pre-release
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