Dead Ringer Read Online Free PDF Page B

not going to have a word with you – in public or private – so get out of my sight.’
    A vein throbbed angrily in his temple. As he glared at her, I could almost feel the rage building up inside him. His tone suddenly became even more vicious. ‘And another thing – that sporting brother of yours had the temerity to accost me in the street! You tell him if he approaches me again I’ll horsewhip him within an inch of his life! Now, get out, unless you’ve got someother fancy young buck you can turn to here. Back to the street, before I get the waiters to turn you out. They don’t care for unaccompanied sluts in here!’
    It was as though he had punched her in the stomach. Her face paled. She took a step backward. For a long moment she stood there staring at him, as though she was unable to comprehend. Then her paleness was replaced by a slow, staining crimson as she became aware that curious faces were turned towards her from nearby tables, hearing Grenwood’s upraised voice. She hesitated, trembling, helpless fingers twisting together. She seemed to be about to say something but the passionate words died on her lips. There was desperation in her eyes as she turned away, pushing through the crowd. A few moments later she was lost to view.
    I had watched her go in silence. I turned back to Grenwood. I no longer wanted to borrow money from him or talk to him about maybe taking on my paper at a discount. I felt that badly about his vicious behaviour. ‘That was ill-done, Grenwood, and harsh.’
    ‘Harsh?’ Grenwood snorted in contempt. ‘If you’re so concerned about her, go after her. No one’s going to make a fool of me.’ He pushed the dollymop aside in a sudden movement, stood up and leaned forward drunkenly, a vicious anger twisting his mouth. He faced me, knuckles on the table. ‘Are you criticizing me? Over a slut like that? Because let me tell you about our sweet little Harriet. Have no illusions. I’ve given her a good time for three months now, which is longer than I’d give most of her kind, but she was fun, she could hold her liquor better than most, and she was good in bed. But if she thinks she can come in here to touch me for money, she can think again. I’ve told her it’s over, and that’s enough. I won’t be embarrassed by a whore in front of my friends.’
    ‘She was distressed—’
    ‘Distressed be damned. It was an act. I know what it’s allabout. She reckons she’s pregnant.’ He sneered at me. ‘And we’ve all heard that story before, haven’t we? She says she was a virgin when we met, and now she’s with child—’
    ‘The Immaculate Deception,’ Hilliard sniggered.
    Grenwood whooped with laughter. ‘I can hardly claim that’s the case, the way I’ve been rogering her these last months! But when she came up with that old story, I gave her five pounds and told her to seek some other fool to dun. And then her thug of a brother comes complaining to me! I told him he could go to the devil! Pregnant be damned!’
    He snorted indignantly. ‘It could be anyone’s. She’ll not convince me I’m the only man who’s been mounting her at night. She’s nothing but an amateur whore trying to step up market. But not with me, she won’t – not on my back!’
    ‘Nor on your front, either, hey, Grenwood?’ Crosier Hilliard laughed, and pulled the girl called Cissie closer to him. I looked at the two dollymops: they seemed somewhat sobered by the conversation, a little scared by the appearance of Harriet, a girl not too much different from themselves, and alarmed by the turn of the conversation. But they’d soon come round, I guessed: with two drunken gentlemen to wine and dine them, they would take what they could get, and then give what they had available in turn.
    ‘Stay on, James,’ Grenwood glowered, sitting down again, wrinkling his nose. He bared his teeth, half-regretting his outburst. ‘Look here, the evening’s young. Let’s talk, see what we can do about that