03 - Murder at Sedgwick Court Read Online Free PDF Page A

Actually they should all be arriving tomorrow.’ Lavinia
turned in her seat so she could face Rose. ‘So you see, we’ll be quite a house-party.
It will be great fun, see if it isn’t.’ She smiled sweetly.
    Somewhat apprehensively
Rose returned her smile. While her heart leapt at the prospect of not having to
leave Cedric, she could not rid herself of a somewhat irrational feeling that
the next few days were likely to be anything but fun. She acknowledged also that
the sense of foreboding that she had experienced earlier had returned, only now
it was more intense.

Chapter Three
    On
leaving Lavinia to finish her ablutions, Rose came across Vera Brewster in the
hall. She happened to look over the great oak banister and glimpse her from the
staircase before she herself was observed by Vera. To her surprise the young
woman was pacing the black and white tessellated floor below in a seemingly agitated
manner, which immediately awakened Rose’s curiosity. From what little she had
seen of Vera, Rose had taken her to be a calm and collected sort of person. Her
interest was further piqued as it became clear that Vera had been waiting for her.
The woman’s face adopted an eager but anxious expression as soon as she spotted
Rose, and she stopped her pacing abruptly, as if she had been caught doing
something of which she was ashamed.
    ‘Oh,
there you are, Rose,’ the woman began, wringing her hands. ‘Tell me. Is it
true? Has Lavinia really returned?’
    Rose
nodded. The woman’s manner was definitely restive and now that she was standing
up close to her Rose thought her forehead looked moist and clammy. As if
suddenly aware of her appearance, Vera put a handkerchief to her brow, but if
anything it seemed to make matters worse. Yes, she was definitely on edge which
seemed, from Rose’s limited knowledge of her, out of character. Try as she
might, she found it difficult not to think of Lavinia’s less than flattering
description of the girl, which was still ringing in her ears.   
    ‘Of
course I always supposed she must one day, it’s just that …’
    ‘Yes?’ Rose
said encouragingly, intrigued by the woman’s manner. Cedric had indicated that
Vera Brewster was a longstanding friend of both himself and his sister. And yet
Lavinia had spoken disparagingly of her and Vera in turn seemed on edge about
Lavinia’s return.
    ‘It’s
just that I happened to pass the housekeeper just now,’ Vera was saying. ‘She
was muttering angrily to herself under her breath. From what little I could
make out it was something about more guests and heiresses at that. I just
wondered what it all meant, that’s all. Did Lavinia say anything to you about it?’
    ‘No,’
Rose said carefully, watching the woman’s expression closely, ‘not exactly. She
did mention she’d invited some acquaintances to stay, some new friends she’d
made on the Continent, but she didn’t say who they were. I suppose one or two
of them might be wealthy. After all, only the rich seem to be in a positon to
travel for pleasure these days. But all she actually said was that it was going
to be something of a house-party.’
    ‘Oh, so I
didn’t mishear. I hoped I had.’ Vera’s voice had fallen to little more than a
whisper and the colour had quite drained from her face.
    To Rose’s
eye Vera looked distraught, as if her greatest fears had just been realised,
which seemed ridiculous in the extreme. All her reactions appeared to Rose wholly
disproportionate and she could not help feeling some resentment towards her.
Sedgwick was Lavinia’s home after all. Why shouldn’t she invite guests to stay
if she wished? Why should Vera be so crestfallen? To make matters worse, she
could not help but notice that the hem of Vera’s skirt was indeed coming down
in one place, and the jumper she was wearing was both shapeless and a
particularly unpleasing shade of brown. She fought the urge to try and persuade
her to change her jumper for a fitted blouse, and to