Antonia Fraser [Jemima Shore The Wild Island (epub)

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.In a way they had both turned to acolytes for consolation.Tom had sought out his aide at the WNG, the silent and devoted Emily; Jemima had turned to Guthrie Carlyle, handsome, rather more loquacious than Emily, a few years younger than herself, equally devoted and her producer on the 'Jemima Shore, Investigator' programme at Megalith Television.But she remained on the side of MPs.She was even prepared-cautiously-to be on the side of Ossian Lucas.'Oh God,' cried Ossian Lucas, looking at her.'The press! Why won't they leave one in peace ?' He struck his temple with what Jemima expected to be one lily-white hand.On close inspection it was not white.Merely a hand pressed to a brow in a slightly extravagant gesture.Rather a muscular workmanlike hand.With a quick look at Colonel Henry Jemima realized that he was the one with the long artistic white hands.‘I’m not the press any more than you are,' retorted Jemima in an equally muscular tone, recalled to reality from fantasies of MPs and Scotland and long white hands.'I'm here on holiday.Or rather I was intending to be here on holiday.' She gazed at Colonel Beauregard as beseechingly as she could.'Colonel Beauregard,' she proceeded with a very passable fluttering eyelash, 'I was renting a cottage from your-er-nephe w - we've never met -I mean we never had met - but he was going to meet me—' Oh, the English language.This was hopeless.But Colonel Henry was already purring.There was no other word for it.'A tenant!' He might have been saying: A Magician! A Martian! Or whatever your particular fancy was.There was such a mixture of delight and lust in his voice.'I thought you were a friend of poor Charles.' Into the word friend, it had to be admitted, went a very different mixture of expressions.Contempt.Pity.Almost ridicule.'A friend of Charles - Jemima Shore,' said Ossian Lucas.'That's hardly likely.' There was the same ambiguity, an unpleasant irony, which she remembered from the remark in the train.How she wished, in view of all this unexpected intimacy, that she did not remember that sinister little exchange.She felt like someone who arrives to stay in an unknown house, blunders into an unlocked bathroom and finds subsequently that the invaded naked stranger is her host.'What are we going to do about you ?' Colonel "Henry was purring again.Jacobite was back, sniffing.He seemed to emphasize the affectionate, even claustrophobic atmosphere produced by Colonel Beauregard's remark.It was a question which was beginning to preoccupy Jemima Shore.She was frequently praised for her calm and quick-wittedness on television in difficult situations.For the life of her she could not think what the solution was for a situation where you arrived as the tenant of a man who turned out to be dead.But Colonel Henry suddenly knew exactly what the protocol was.'We must at least see that you enjoy your stay in the Highlands, Miss Shore.After this regrettable start.' He gave her an absolutely sweet smile, like a benevolent monarch.The effect of such a smile on his normally rather bleak face was delightful.There was, then, no question of her rejection.A return to London - and Cherry - on the night train.That was the worst prospect.Jemima had not realized how much she dreaded seeing the nubile enthusiastic Cherry-before a month of recuperation was up.Jemima, in her infinite relief, even patted Jacobite, newly returned to their side.'And how do we get you to Eilean Fas ?'Executive problems had overcome family considerations in the Colonel's mind.'We can take her with us, don't you think, Ossian ?' he went on.'Wouldn't look right, Colonel Henry,' said Ossian solemnly.'Commerce before mourning.''You're quite right.Good point.''How about those dreadful hearty boys of yours ? Ben, for example.Can't he help?''Ben! My dear Ossian, Ben has other fish to fry.Royal fish.It's the Visit.Besides, Ben and Charles.had you forgotten ?' Colonel Henry paused and muttered.He continued more aggressively.'And why aren't you involved, may I ask? MP and all that.'^Oh, policy, policy,' replied Ossian airily.'It cuts both ways.Royalty, rah, rah, on the one hand.The Red Rose, rah, rah, on the other.Most of my supporters go for both, I suspect.Much better to keep clear.Besides, I loathe tagging along-Royals, don't you know, so inclined to upstage one-so I pleaded parliamentary duties’'But it's the middle of August.Parliament isn't sitting,' put in Jemima.She had become interested in this amazing creature in spite of herself.'A good MP never rests in the service of the electorate,' replied Ossian Lucas suavely [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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