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.Am I going too fast?''No, carry on.''Her real name is Jennifer Montgomery Fisher-Mayne.Her sister was Myra Montgomery Fisher-Mayne before she married Lord Bullerton.Jennifer, who'd never met him, was furious - she'd heard about his playing about with the ladies of London.She refused to attend the wedding, made Myra promise never to admit her existence.They gossip in Barham-Downstream.So Myra never communicated with Jennifer by letter or phone.She must have wiped Jennifer out of her mind.''Well, well.' Tweed sighed.'The one motive I overlooked was revenge?'The weather is changing dramatically,' Marler remarked.'Three huge storms are building up north of the bridge.''Thanks a lot,' said Paula.She saw the end of the glowing sun at 70°K, her favourite temperature.Her reaction showed.Marler smiled.He waved both hands in a wide throwaway gesture.'I don't control the weather.I hope those storms wait until we have sorted out our ambush.They break first well north of the bridge.Then the tidal wave comes.' He walked out and the others followed.He pointed across the wide stretch of grass his side of theriver bank.'Apparently once the water was less than a foot from pouring over onto the grass.''Wait here,' Tweed told them.'I have a phone call to make.'He called Hobart House.He had little hope of reaching Mrs Shipton, but felt he must try.She answered almost immediately.'Tweed here—''That bulldog of yours stopped my car halfway along the lane.Quite frightening.So I drove to the end, turned round and came back to Hobart House.''Mrs Shipton, I really am so sorry.I would like to find a way of making it up to you.' Tweed, when he set out to do so, could charm the birds out of the trees.'May I suggest we have dinner together, say tomorrow evening, at the Nag's Head? It would ease my conscience and I know I would enjoy your company, your exceptional intelligence.''Really?' There was a brief pause as though she had lost her breath.'I accept your generous offer, of course.I shall indeed look forward to the occasion.I will drive over from here.Would eight o'clock be a suitable time? If not, please tell me the timing which would be convenient for you.''Eight would be perfect timing.I shall also warn the bulldog not to stop you.You drive a blue Renault, I believe.Then, until tomorrow evening.Goodnight to you, Mrs Shipton.'He next called Harry and warned him not to stop a blue Renault on its way out the following evening.And not to stop it whenever it returned.Paula ran up to him as he emerged from the garage.'We're going to do the town.Marler's idea.''At this time of night!''The aristos have a different way of living from us.I rather like the sound of it.''You do?''And so will you.Lots of pretty women.'Marler led the way out and Paula was astonished at the sight of the High Street, tastefully illuminated by 'Ancient Lights', the elegant Victorian lamp posts with their slanting glass panes, inside which a light glowed.'Some of the shops are open,' she exclaimed.'The locals, especially the aristos,' Marler explained, 'sleep late in the mornings, get up, have a light breakfast.Then they ride like mad over their great estates.In mid-afternoon they return home, have a shower, a quick snack and get some much-needed sleep.In late evening they get well dressed, come out, have a good dinner and then check out the shops.The general stores are closed - housekeepers buy the essentials during the morning.''Sounds like the ideal life of leisure,' Paula remarked.'They're not idle,' Marler assured her.'Soon they'll be hard at work, ploughing the fields, sowing the wheat.Some unusual shops.Tweed has just gone into one.'Paula slipped into the shop: it had its name inscribed on its fascia.Edwin Cocker.Tweed was gazing at a beautiful three-foot-high wooden model of a horse, painted black.The owner came forward.A tall thin man with a crooked walk, his head was long with warm eyes, his manner pleasant.'Welcome, madame, and you, sir.I am Edwin Cocker.' He smiled again.'I am the wood-carver of every item you see.You've seen the notice, "no obli-gation whatsoever to buy" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]