Murder in a Cathedral Read Online Free PDF

smile, smile for Jesus, join his daisy chain.
Say nay unto the devil’s wiles
And be a daisy for our Lord
And there’ll be miles and miles of smiles
For you and you and me.’
    ‘My goodness. You really wrote that yourself.’
    She flashed her excellent teeth. ‘All by myself.’
    ‘How wonderful. The children must have loved it.’
    While Tilly expanded on just how much they loved her and her little songs, he looked around desperately for release, and to his delight, caught the baroness’s eye. He signalled distress and she jerked her head in summons. He swallowed the last of his wine and stood up. ‘It has been a great pleasure, Mrs Cooper. But I fear I must leave you now. Lady Troutbeck has need of me.’
    ‘But I must take you to meet Bev, so that he can personally invite you to come and worship with him.’
    ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Cooper, but I must follow the path of duty. Another time perhaps.’
    ‘Then you must promise me you will go to his glorious church to praise the Lord this very Sunday, for you never know the day nor the hour when you may be called to God; you must be ready.’
    ‘I’ll try.’
    She pressed a card into his hand. ‘Take this and go with Jesus!’
    Amiss bowed, turned and tapped Davage on the shoulder. ‘I’m just off for a word with Lady Troutbeck.’
    ‘I’ll meet you both at the cathedral door in thirty minutes.’
    ‘I can’t promise she’ll be there. But I will.’
    ‘Tell her I’ll thcream and thcream and thcream till I’m thick if she doesn’t come. I’m just dying to meet her.’
    ‘I will certainly pass your message on.’
    ‘That’s a good girl.’ Davage smiled a feline smile and turned back to talk of matters Gothic. As Amiss walked joyfully away, he heard Tilly ask the waiter where he went to worship Jesus. It was a small consolation to hear him answer that Mohammed was his prophet .

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    Chapter 4
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    The baroness was waiting impatiently by the French windows. ‘Come on. Into the garden. I’m going mad.’ She barged out and didn’t slacken her pace until they were out of sight of the dining room and sitting on a secluded bench in the corner of the rose garden.
    ‘What about the speeches? I enquire only from curiosity, you understand. I have no desire to hear them, but your absence might be noticed.’
    There aren’t going to be any. David persuaded the dignitaries that he wouldn’t be able to keep the upper lip stiff if there was any public speaking. Naturally they panicked and agreed to keep their mouths shut.’ She pulled out her pipe and assorted paraphernalia. ‘I thought there were some old fools in Cambridge and the Lords, but this beats the band. I’ve just been subjected for more than an hour to some ancient episcopal dunderhead wittering on about the iniquities of ordaining women and thus preventing us from linking up once again with his nibs in Rome.’
    ‘Did you put him right?’
    She finished cramming tobacco into her pipe, took out of her capacious handbag a box of extra large matches and – aided by much vigorous sucking and blowing – lit up. ‘I was a bit constrained, to tell you the truth. Divided loyalties.’
    Amiss looked at her in amazement. ‘Good God! Are you trying to tell me you don’t know whether you are or are not in favour of ordaining women?’
    She threw her right leg over her left and clasped her ankle. ‘It’s not like me, is it? But, you see, I was against ordaining women because all change is bad where institutions are concerned, but I’m in favour of it because if I were religious I’d be bloody furious if anybody was trying to stop me becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. Or pope, for that matter. Besides, I have a female friend who’s been priested and when you like someone, general principles are overthrown.’
    ‘What do you mean all change is bad? In practice you’re a fucking subversive. Look at the way you revolutionized St Martha’s, for God’s sake.’
    ‘That wasn’t revolution: it