Sally James Read Online Free PDF

to her own room, turned the key and thankfully saw there was also a stout bolt, which she thrust home. Shivering, telling herself it was from cold and fury rather than fear, she hastily undressed and got beneath the covers.
    For what seemed like hours the noise of laughter came from the room below and then, when she was almost dropping off to sleep, she heard footsteps on the stairs. She strained to listen and heard someone go into Julian’s room next to her own. A moment later whoever it was emerged and she heard footsteps going back down the stairs. They came again, another room was entered briefly, and left, finally a third door opened and closed and there was silence. Susannah surmised that Lord Chalford, older and therefore better able to carry his drink than either of the others, had brought them up to bed. She found herself wondering whether the preposterous bet had been accepted and if so what had been the result, then turned over angrily and tried to recapture the sleepiness which appeared to have utterly deserted her.
    Heavy eyed, she woke early the next morning and hastily washed with the icy cold water in her jug. She dragged on her habit and emerged from the bedroom into a silent house.
    She paused for a moment outside Julian’s room, but decided she needed some hot and restorative coffee before she could face him to give him her opinion of his servants and behaviour and so she continued to the kitchen.
    Swale, his head in his hands, was seated at the big table in the centre of the kitchen and started to his feet nervously when she spoke to him.
    ‘Why, Miss Susannah, what are you doing here so early?’ he asked, wincing and putting his hand to his head.
    ‘I’ve been here since yesterday,’ she informed him coldly. ‘If you have a sore head I’m sure it’s no more than you deserve!’
    He began to make maudlin excuses and apologize for his lapse the previous day, but she cut him short and suggested they would both be better off for some food and strong coffee.
    ‘Fill the kettle while I stir the fire,’ she commanded briskly and, while she coaxed the fire into renewed life, he dragged himself to do her bidding. Swale fetched ham and cheese, a loaf of bread and a crock of butter from the larder and soon they were both nursing large cups of fragrant, steaming coffee.
    After eating Susannah was restored to her normal self and told Swale briefly what had occurred, brushing aside his apologies with the remark that it was done now and the sooner it was forgotten the better for everyone.
    ‘I suppose my brother is still asleep?’ she asked. ‘Well, he won’t remain asleep for long. I must see him before I go and I do not intend to wait for him to rouse himself.’
    So saying she smiled grimly and returned to Julian’s room. He lay on the bed, fully dressed, with a coverlet pulled over him. She eyed him scornfully and then shook him, but it was useless, he merely groaned and turned over. Susannah went to lift the water jug and unhesitatingly poured its icy cold contents over his head and stood back to observe with detached interest his shuddering return to consciousness.
    It took several minutes before he was fully awake and then he spent several more minutes complaining bitterly about his throbbing head and her lack of sympathy, and predicting he would now most likely contract an inflammation of the lungs.
    ‘Not if you rouse yourself and dress,’ she informed him brusquely. ‘I do not expect thanks for last night, but the next time you invite your despicable friends to your dreadful house, where you cannot prevent your servants from following your example and soaking themselves in drunken stupors, I shall leave you to cook your own dinner!’
    ‘Oh, my God!’ he exclaimed, memory dimly reviving. ‘You cooked the dinner and served at table. Susannah, what can I say? I should not have permitted it.’
    ‘You were in no case to permit anything. And your odious friends were in little better state,