Catnip (Dunbarton Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

situation as you now
believe. I’ll give you as much financial freedom as I am able within the
dictates of the will and my judgement as trustee. All household expenses will,
of course, be met and I’m open to discussion on any major expenditures. I
realize that with a house of this age there are going to be maintenance
expenses, so feel free to approach me on anything that comes up.”
    “Thank you, Mr. Mallory. We
appreciate that and I hope it won’t be necessary for us to take up too much of
your time.”
    James seemed as relieved as
Chris. Alice merely nodded and smiled a little stiffly.
    “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll
see to dinner. Thank you , Alicia, you may put those down on the coffee table
and come and help me in the kitchen. I’m sorry we can’t stay and talk with you,
Mr. Mallory, but someone has to get things ready. When James’ father was
living, we had a cook, housekeeper, maid and gardener on full-time staff, but
after his death, his mother decided that we didn’t need as much help, and as
the servants retired or moved on, care of the house gradually fell to me.
Fortunately for me, she continued to employ a gardener, part-time, to look
after the grounds. Appearances must, after all, be maintained!” And on that
bitterly derisive note, she flounced out of the room.
    The evening went surprisingly
well. Marmalade was still subdued and kept to himself, and Alice went out of
her way to be pleasant. It was with a feeling of great relief and well-being
that Chris returned home that evening. Despite all of his fears and
reservations, things were going to be just fine.
    ‘Lord, what fools these mortals
be.’

Chapter 5
    The next few days were busy ones
at the office and Chris was glad to have the pressures of the Dunbar family off
his mind. On Thursday, however, he decided to pay a surprise visit to the
mansion to see how things were going and to take over some papers that needed
signing.
    All was quiet as he drove up and
he found it reassuring. The grounds were, as usual, immaculate, the last of the
winter debris cleared away, and in the gardens the crocuses were in full bloom.
It was a beautiful evening, the sun setting rosily and the buff brick mellow in
the dimming light.
    And his mood was equally mellow.
Things were going well. His partners were very impressed with the manner in
which he’d handled the estate, and he had the vision of a pair of turquoise
eyes and possibility of spending the evening with the owner thereof before him.
The Dunbars had been very amiable at dinner the previous Sunday and he foresaw
no problems with them, in any context.
    Whistling happily, he took the
front steps two at a time and started to ring the bell, but before his hand
reached the button, there was a loud crash and a shriek of protest from within.
Not waiting to be asked, he opened the door to see a large porcelain urn lying
shattered on the floor, the earth and palms scattered across the hardwood and
carpets. Alice Dunbar stood in the middle of the mess, a stricken look on her
face.
    “That damned animal!” Her lip
quivered. “He did this on purpose, I know he did. I just finished cleaning this
room, and now ...” She broke off in a loud sneeze as the dust settled on her. “..
and now I’ll have to do it all again!”
    Chris looked quickly around the
room to find the cause of all the mess sitting under a small Queen Anne table,
rubbing his paw across his nose and eyes. He exploded suddenly in a sneeze and
something in Alice snapped.
    Chris watched helplessly as she
took off after him, vacuum cleaner still in hand, screaming like something
possessed. Marmalade didn’t stop to argue. He took off across the floor and
over an end table, sending an ornate china lamp rocking precariously, and flew
out an open window.
    Chris made a flying leap for the
lamp, catching it just before it fell, and set it gingerly back on the table,
then turned to see a red-faced Alice surveying the chaos. There was a layer of
dust