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saying one of us is a thief?
Course I in t, he said indignantly, his round eyes widening.
Why d anyone ere take a knife for? Can t sell it, can yer, not one
dinner knife.
It was probably dropped, Cuttredge put in.
Mrs. Oliphant ignored him. Well, there s no one else, unless you
think one o those wretched girls took it? she said to Rob. They
weren t nowhere near the dining room, you stupid boy! Dinner was
all cleared away before we took em up. You don t feed tarts like them.
What are you thinking of?
There was the old feller, Rob said stubbornly.
What old feller? Mrs. Oliphant challenged. Ere you. Gracie,
that your name? Well, sit down, girl. Pour yourself a cup o tea. Cake s
fresh. Oh, come on! She snatched the pot and a clean cup and
poured it for Gracie impatiently. She pushed it across at her, and one
of the plates. Look like a twopenny rabbit, you do. Put a bit o meat
B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E G A R D E N S 69
on your bones, girl. Next thing they ll accuse us o starvin you. She
turned back to Rob. What other one? What are you talking about?
He blanched, so that his freckles stood out like blotches on
his skin. I mean the old feller what come wi the big box, Mrs.
Oliphant.
What old feller? she said with disbelief. What are you talking
about?
Gracie stopped with her cup halfway to her lips.
The man wot came ere a bit after midnight wi that box o books
come for Mr. Dunkle, or wot s is name, Rob answered her.
Mrs. Oliphant s wispy-fine eyebrows shot up. You sayin as that
old man what delivered the books pinched one of our knives and took
it with im? she said with disbelief. Whatever for?
I dunno, do I! Rob said indignantly. Cos it come from the
Palace, I s pose. You should ear some o the things I get asked ter nick
fer people.
You take a pinch o dust, my boy, an your feet won t touch the
ground! Mrs. Oliphant said furiously. I catch you, an I swear you ll
eat off the mantelpiece fer a week, an glad of it.
Rob rubbed his behind as if it were already aching. I said I were
asked, I din t say as I took nothing! Now he was really offended.
Was me as told yer the knife were gone. You re ungrateful, that s
what you are.
Don t you speak to me like that, you cheeky lump! she said
hotly. You forget yourself, Rob Tompkins. You let Mr. Tyndale catch
you talking nonsense an he ll wash your mouth out with soap, he
will, lye soap an all!
Then you tell im the old fellow took the knife! he charged her.
Ow do I know? she demanded. You stop crying an drink your
tea before I throw it away!
He snatched the cake before she could remove the plate.
You better have the last one too, she said. Go on! Take it! An-
other twopenny rabbit if ever I seen one.
He grinned at her, showing gappy teeth.
Where d yer see im? Gracie asked as casually as she could, her
mouth dry. At last she was learning something.
Don t encourage im! Mrs. Oliphant warned.
70 A N N E P E R R Y
Gracie shrugged. Sorry. E s probably nobody.
Yeah e is so! Rob insisted. Bit taller n me, e were, wi scruffy
white air an dirty face. Edwards knows e elped the fella carry it.
E were down ere while they was unpackin the box, before e takes it
back out again. Cup o tea, I s pose. E come past Mr. Tyndale s pantry
an out o the kitchen through the side door inter the yard. S pose
e went back ter the cart e come in. But e went past the pantry, I
swear! He looked at Gracie, hopeful of support.
An how do you know? Mrs. Oliphant asked. What were yer
doin out o yer bed at that time of night? Stealin cake, I ll wager!
I come fer a drink o water! Rob said with self-conscious righ-
teousness.
Down them stairs? Gracie asked doubtfully.
E sleeps in the scullery, Mrs. Oliphant explained.
Rob nodded, smiling. Nice an warm in there.
Gracie refrained from pointing out that there was also a tap in
there but not cake.
Stupid, she said, sipping her tea. Fancy stealin a table knife!
In t even any good. Why don t e take a kitchen knife, if e wanted
one?
Them table knives is special for meat, Mrs. Oliphant told her.
Shave your face with them, yer could. Believe me!
Gracie finished her tea with difficulty, heart pounding, then
thanked Mrs. Oliphant and excused herself as swiftly as she dared.
She was going so hastily she almost ran into Pitt on the stairs.
What is it? he asked her with an edge of urgency in his voice.
Mr. Tyndale said you wanted to see me. Something about sheets.
I found em in the laundry, she said breathlessly, no louder than
a whisper. I id em in the bran bin. They re Er Majesty s sheets.
They got V R and a crown on em, an they re all soaked in blood.
From the cupboard, he said calmly. They took all the sheets
down to see which ones they could save.
But V R means they s ers! She stared up at him, exasperated at
his obtuseness. Er own, like! An they weren t folded like the rest of
em in the cupboard, sir. They bin slept in! They was all creased and
rankled up.
B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E G A R D E N S 71
Pitt looked very grave. Are you certain, Gracie?
Course I am! It din t make no sense, but I m certain sure for
positive, she was emphatic. An that in t all. There s a table knife
missing, one o the real sharp ones for cutting meat. Rob, the boot boy,
says he saw an old man ere wot brought a big box, about midnight, an
then took it away again.
When? Pitt asked. The night of the murder? Where?
Downstairs, going past the butler s pantry and out into the yard,
she replied. E came wi a big wooden box. Edwards elped him carry
it.
How big was the box? Pitt said immediately.
Dunno. But I can ask.
No, he said quickly, grasping her arm. Don t ask. It doesn t
matter. See if you can find out if anyone else saw him, and how long
he was here. Just possibly the woman s death has nothing to do with
the guests here after all. He smiled suddenly, a glowing look, full of
hope.
Gracie grinned back at him, satisfied she had helped him, really
helped. Maybe even helped the Queen herself. Suddenly the scrub-
bing and the obedience were worth it. She heard footsteps below, and
went on up the steps with light feet, leaving Pitt to go down.
C H A P T E R
FOUR
i tt recei ved graci e s information with a surge of opti-
Pmism. He paced the room he had been given, turning it over in his
mind. If it could be proved that the old man the boot boy had seen
entering the Palace with the box delivered to Cahoon Dunkeld was
guilty, then the case could be closed with no worse scandal than a cer- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szamanka888.keep.pl
saying one of us is a thief?
Course I in t, he said indignantly, his round eyes widening.
Why d anyone ere take a knife for? Can t sell it, can yer, not one
dinner knife.
It was probably dropped, Cuttredge put in.
Mrs. Oliphant ignored him. Well, there s no one else, unless you
think one o those wretched girls took it? she said to Rob. They
weren t nowhere near the dining room, you stupid boy! Dinner was
all cleared away before we took em up. You don t feed tarts like them.
What are you thinking of?
There was the old feller, Rob said stubbornly.
What old feller? Mrs. Oliphant challenged. Ere you. Gracie,
that your name? Well, sit down, girl. Pour yourself a cup o tea. Cake s
fresh. Oh, come on! She snatched the pot and a clean cup and
poured it for Gracie impatiently. She pushed it across at her, and one
of the plates. Look like a twopenny rabbit, you do. Put a bit o meat
B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E G A R D E N S 69
on your bones, girl. Next thing they ll accuse us o starvin you. She
turned back to Rob. What other one? What are you talking about?
He blanched, so that his freckles stood out like blotches on
his skin. I mean the old feller what come wi the big box, Mrs.
Oliphant.
What old feller? she said with disbelief. What are you talking
about?
Gracie stopped with her cup halfway to her lips.
The man wot came ere a bit after midnight wi that box o books
come for Mr. Dunkle, or wot s is name, Rob answered her.
Mrs. Oliphant s wispy-fine eyebrows shot up. You sayin as that
old man what delivered the books pinched one of our knives and took
it with im? she said with disbelief. Whatever for?
I dunno, do I! Rob said indignantly. Cos it come from the
Palace, I s pose. You should ear some o the things I get asked ter nick
fer people.
You take a pinch o dust, my boy, an your feet won t touch the
ground! Mrs. Oliphant said furiously. I catch you, an I swear you ll
eat off the mantelpiece fer a week, an glad of it.
Rob rubbed his behind as if it were already aching. I said I were
asked, I din t say as I took nothing! Now he was really offended.
Was me as told yer the knife were gone. You re ungrateful, that s
what you are.
Don t you speak to me like that, you cheeky lump! she said
hotly. You forget yourself, Rob Tompkins. You let Mr. Tyndale catch
you talking nonsense an he ll wash your mouth out with soap, he
will, lye soap an all!
Then you tell im the old fellow took the knife! he charged her.
Ow do I know? she demanded. You stop crying an drink your
tea before I throw it away!
He snatched the cake before she could remove the plate.
You better have the last one too, she said. Go on! Take it! An-
other twopenny rabbit if ever I seen one.
He grinned at her, showing gappy teeth.
Where d yer see im? Gracie asked as casually as she could, her
mouth dry. At last she was learning something.
Don t encourage im! Mrs. Oliphant warned.
70 A N N E P E R R Y
Gracie shrugged. Sorry. E s probably nobody.
Yeah e is so! Rob insisted. Bit taller n me, e were, wi scruffy
white air an dirty face. Edwards knows e elped the fella carry it.
E were down ere while they was unpackin the box, before e takes it
back out again. Cup o tea, I s pose. E come past Mr. Tyndale s pantry
an out o the kitchen through the side door inter the yard. S pose
e went back ter the cart e come in. But e went past the pantry, I
swear! He looked at Gracie, hopeful of support.
An how do you know? Mrs. Oliphant asked. What were yer
doin out o yer bed at that time of night? Stealin cake, I ll wager!
I come fer a drink o water! Rob said with self-conscious righ-
teousness.
Down them stairs? Gracie asked doubtfully.
E sleeps in the scullery, Mrs. Oliphant explained.
Rob nodded, smiling. Nice an warm in there.
Gracie refrained from pointing out that there was also a tap in
there but not cake.
Stupid, she said, sipping her tea. Fancy stealin a table knife!
In t even any good. Why don t e take a kitchen knife, if e wanted
one?
Them table knives is special for meat, Mrs. Oliphant told her.
Shave your face with them, yer could. Believe me!
Gracie finished her tea with difficulty, heart pounding, then
thanked Mrs. Oliphant and excused herself as swiftly as she dared.
She was going so hastily she almost ran into Pitt on the stairs.
What is it? he asked her with an edge of urgency in his voice.
Mr. Tyndale said you wanted to see me. Something about sheets.
I found em in the laundry, she said breathlessly, no louder than
a whisper. I id em in the bran bin. They re Er Majesty s sheets.
They got V R and a crown on em, an they re all soaked in blood.
From the cupboard, he said calmly. They took all the sheets
down to see which ones they could save.
But V R means they s ers! She stared up at him, exasperated at
his obtuseness. Er own, like! An they weren t folded like the rest of
em in the cupboard, sir. They bin slept in! They was all creased and
rankled up.
B U C K I N G H A M P A L A C E G A R D E N S 71
Pitt looked very grave. Are you certain, Gracie?
Course I am! It din t make no sense, but I m certain sure for
positive, she was emphatic. An that in t all. There s a table knife
missing, one o the real sharp ones for cutting meat. Rob, the boot boy,
says he saw an old man ere wot brought a big box, about midnight, an
then took it away again.
When? Pitt asked. The night of the murder? Where?
Downstairs, going past the butler s pantry and out into the yard,
she replied. E came wi a big wooden box. Edwards elped him carry
it.
How big was the box? Pitt said immediately.
Dunno. But I can ask.
No, he said quickly, grasping her arm. Don t ask. It doesn t
matter. See if you can find out if anyone else saw him, and how long
he was here. Just possibly the woman s death has nothing to do with
the guests here after all. He smiled suddenly, a glowing look, full of
hope.
Gracie grinned back at him, satisfied she had helped him, really
helped. Maybe even helped the Queen herself. Suddenly the scrub-
bing and the obedience were worth it. She heard footsteps below, and
went on up the steps with light feet, leaving Pitt to go down.
C H A P T E R
FOUR
i tt recei ved graci e s information with a surge of opti-
Pmism. He paced the room he had been given, turning it over in his
mind. If it could be proved that the old man the boot boy had seen
entering the Palace with the box delivered to Cahoon Dunkeld was
guilty, then the case could be closed with no worse scandal than a cer- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]