Crown Phoenix: Night Watchman Express Read online

  ***

  hat night, Barbara wore a blue dress that changed to deep green when she moved. Simon handed her into her seat as if she were made of glass. He took his seat opposite her, gazing at her face ‘like one of the cows in the park as they chew their cud’, Miriam thought as she took her seat next to Neil.

  Barbara seemed to be pleased to allow such obvious worship; she raised her eyes to Simon and smiled, showing fine, white teeth. Theodosia was also delighted by Simon’s adoration. She kept asking him to take Barbara to the Nun’s Well in the next town and the old Priory, further afield.

  “There’s always some such thing in the vicinity, isn’t there?” Barbara asked to everyone, her eyes returning, however, to Simon’s face. “I mean, priories and wells and the like.” She laughed and lifted her glass, and everyone dutifully drank.

  “And we’ve always got to go and visit them, with a large picnic!” Cantwell agreed, smiling back.

  He looked like his sister, Miriam thought, with those strange eyes and thick hair. She had to admit that they were both very attractive. His clothes were just as well-made as hers, but he appeared to have been poured into them.

  “Now, Theo,” he said, turning to Miriam’s aunt, causing her to giggle, “I must tell you that your husband hasn’t let up on me all afternoon.”

  “Hey?” Virgil asked, looking up from his plate in surprise.

  “You know what I mean, Virgie,” Cantwell said.

  Miriam giggled again and hurriedly coughed into her napkin.

  “He has been begging you to come and stay in this house again?” Barbara supplied, laughing again. “I’ve never met finer hosts; have you, Valiant?”

  “Valiant?” Theodosia asked wonderingly, looking at Mr. Cantwell. “Is that your first name?”

  “Now she’s given it away,” he replied, wadding up a napkin and pretending to throw it at his sister, who threatened him back with a roll. “Yes, that is my name, and a heavy burden it has always been to me.”

  “Oh, no!” Theodosia cried, putting down her knife. “It suits you just exactly!”

  Valiant, hee hee, Miriam thought. She managed to nudge Neil, who looked straight ahead and nudged her back. She could feel another snort of laughter rising in her throat, but she managed to choke it back.

  “Now, back to that issue,” Virgil said determinedly. “You must stay here for the time being. Consider this your home, and all that.”

  “Great idea,” Simon said enthusiastically.

  “Well, if you want us to stay…” Barbara trailed off meaningfully, smiling at Simon. “I suppose we could manage it, don’t you, Valiant, my love? For the moment, at least?”

  “I think so, dearest. Until we find another house nearby, of course.”

  “That calls for champagne,” Virgil said instantly. “Furnace, the finest bottle of sparkles, at once.”

  “If we do stay here,” Barbara said, continuing the theme she had started, “I must warn you that I sleep very little. I hope I won’t keep you awake at night, reading in my room.”

  “Nonsense!” Theodosia cried. “Virgil sleeps like a stone! Do whatever you like!”

  “We’ll soon be able to fix that little problem with Pearson’s newest product if you’re to live here,” Virgil grunted into his drink, and stopped as if realizing what he had said. Theodosia turned to him with a look of furious surprise, and even Mr. Cantwell seemed nonplussed.

  Barbara broke the awkward silence with a throaty little laugh. “I’m afraid nothing would help me,” she said.

  “Wouldn’t long walks help you to sleep?” Simon offered eagerly. “I could take you down to the sea every afternoon, if you like.”

  “That would be lovely,” she replied, toying with one long red curl that hung over her bare shoulder.

  Theodosia beamed and held out her glass to be filled with champagne. “Simon is such a gentleman,” she said.

  Miriam could feel the bubble of laughter rise in her throat. If only they all could have seen the ‘perfect gentleman’, just the other day, chasing Neil through the trees and pretending to be a gorilla. She stole a glance at Neil, to see how he was taking it. He crossed his eyes at her and allowed one eyeball to swivel back and forth. Miriam choked into her napkin and was reprimanded by Theodosia, but Neil didn’t let up the attack. He kept dropping his napkin and making faces at her from under the table, and nudging her elbow whenever Simon said something vapid to Barbara.

  As the sweet course was brought in, Miriam hissed at him under cover of the clinking of china and silver, “Stop it! You’re going to make me laugh!”

  “You bet I am,” Neil whispered back, “you’re going to laugh before I am. Bet on it?”

  “Right,” Miriam said, stealing his napkin.

  Theodosia looked at Miriam and Neil with disapproval and shook her head. She suggested they retire to the drawing room for coffee. “None of that nonsense of men staying behind at the table, Virgil,” she said. “Come into the room with us.”

  “Oh! Very well, my dear,” he said. They all got up and trooped out.

  Miriam slumped. She wouldn’t be able to play the fool there. She hoped that she, Neil and – yes, even Simon - would be dismissed soon. She could go and work on her dragonfly story, which was nearly finished.

  In the drawing room, a large silver pot was placed by Theodosia’s chair. Surprisingly, she poured for Neil first and passed him a delicate cup filled to overflowing. “Have a biscuit,” she added, putting a delicate wafer on the saucer.

  “Oh, all right,” he replied, somewhat at a loss. He took the cup and held it on his knee, not sure of what to do with it – whether he could set it down on one of the many small tables or if he had to hold it.

  “You look like an anxious curate,” Miriam said in his ear.

  “Go on, you take it,” he shot back, shoving the cup into her hands. “Look at Simon and Miss Cantwell! Oh no, she’s going to sing now. Is he actually going to turn the pages for her? Good lord, he is!”

  Simon and Barbara had risen and gone to the piano. Simon hung over her shoulder, holding a few sheets of music as she settled herself on the stool.

  Miriam stiffened as Mr. Cantwell sat next to her, putting one arm along the back of the sofa. “And how are you, Miriam?” he asked.

  “Fine, just fine,” Miriam answered. A ripple of notes emerged from the piano as Barbara began the song. Miriam had to admit that she had a good voice, although, did she really have to gaze at Simon like that as she sang? She gripped her cup tighter.

  “Do you enjoy music?” Mr. Cantwell persisted.

  Miriam shrugged. “I enjoy a nice song, I suppose,” she replied.

  “Would you like to sing next?” he asked.

  Miriam avoided catching Neil’s eye. “Honestly, I’m tone deaf,” she said.

  “Oh, I believe you’re being modest! Do sing for us, please,” he said. He actually got up and went down on one knee. From across the room, Simon brows knitted in a frown as he saw Cantwell kneeling in front of Miriam’s seat.

  She shook her head with determination. In order to change the topic of conversation, she asked, “How is the coffee?  Is it warm enough?”

  Mr. Cantwell got up, dusted off his trousers, and looked at the cup. He looked at Neil and Miriam and smiled. He boldly removed the cup from her hands. “Forgive me,” he said, “but I believe the cup belongs to this young gentleman.”

  Miriam’s mouth opened in a gasp. “But he gave it to me!” she exclaimed, causing Aunt Theodosia to shush loudly.

  “No, it’s all right,” Neil said. “It’s gone cold anyway. I’ll drink this one, Miriam, and we’ll ring for another.”

  The door to the study suddenly opened, and Mana came in. “Forgive me, Mrs. Marchpane,” she murmured, “but I thought I smelled something.” She looked at Neil and the cup he was holding. Quickly, she went to his side, grasped the cup and pulled it from his hands. The coffee sloshed on the carpet.

  Theodosia pointed. “Just look at that!
You ignorant fool! Your wages will be stopped until that is paid for!”

  Her voice was loud, and everyone stopped to stare. At the piano, Simon was scowling again, and Barbara’s delicate eyebrows were raised.

  Mana bowed her head. “I beg your pardon, Mrs. Marchpane. I will, of course, pay for the carpet to be cleaned.”

  “It’s my carpet,” Miriam said.

  “Miriam, that’s enough,” Mana said.

  “But it is!’ she insisted.

  Theodosia stood up and raised one long, bony finger. Shaking it up and down, she declared, “Next time anything like this happens, you will be dismissed immediately. Immediately, do you understand?”

  Mana nodded. “I do indeed. May I offer my apologies again? And, I regret to add that it is time for Miriam to go to bed.”

  Miriam saw her ‘aunt’ turn purple. Obviously she wanted to say no to Mana, but she also wanted the girl to leave. Miriam decided it for her by getting up and saying, “I am tired, now that you mention it, Miss Postulate. Uncle Virgil and Aunt Theodosia, would you mind if I retired now? Miss Cantwell, thank you so much for the music. It was lovely. Mr. Cantwell, Simon, Neil – good night.”

  Neil, Simon and Simon’s parents stared at her, their mouths open. Valiant and Barbara, however, appeared as they always did: elegantly amused.

  As Miriam followed Mana up the stairs, she noticed that her governess’ body was shaking. “Mana,” she said with concern, “what is it? Are you all right? Did she frighten you?”

  Mana put one hand on the wall and leaned against it. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.

  Astonished, Miriam saw that her elegant, composed governess was indulging in a fit of the giggles.