[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Orlando had already walked past to reach it.
He d thought about his mother a lot these last few days. Poor Mrs. Coppersmith she d have loved to
see her son staying with titled gentry (even if they didn t use their titles) and occasionally hob-nobbing with
royalty. She d have been so proud of what he d achieved, although he d never have been able to tell her
that he and Jonty were more than friends. She d be turning in her grave to know what went on in the double
beds at Forsythia Cottage.
And she d be revolving like a top to know that her husband, the man she d wished had a bit more
class about him, had a streak of blue blood coursing his veins and never told her. Perhaps it was as well, so
she couldn t remind an already saddened man about the grandeurs he d been cut out from.
Orlando felt there was little to be gained by visiting the house itself, especially given the risk of there
being police in the offing who might snitch on him to the officious Redknapp. He tried the local
tobacconist, telling the assistant he was trying to locate an old acquaintance he believed lived in the area.
Drawing a blank there, he was greeted with equally black looks at the newsagent, finally striking gold at
the flower shop.
Oh, I know Mr. Halfpenny. The lady at the flower shop must have been Mrs. Stewart s age and her
smile was equally bright. The dancing light in her eyes showed she clearly didn t object to serving a nice
young man or two. Haven t seen him around for a while, though.
Oh. Orlando tried to appear crestfallen. I hope he hasn t moved.
That I couldn t tell you. He used to have rooms in Cowes Road, number twenty-seven or twenty-nine
I think, one of the ones in the stretch before you get to the church. That s where I d start to look if I were
www.samhainpublishing.com 49
Charlie Cochrane
you. The shop assistant arranged some greenery between red carnations, lifting one of the blooms to the
light. Funnily enough he used to be rather fond of these things. Or I suppose his lady friends were I
guess that s who he bought them for.
Well, it wasn t for any of his team-mates. He only bought us beer, after the rugby. Orlando was
pleased at the ease with which he could now dissemble. Mind you, he always was one for the ladies. If
you ll excuse the expression.
The assistant s eyes twinkled. My business would be a lot poorer if it wasn t for the men with an eye
for the fair sex. She fiddled with some ribbon to keep the regimented blooms in place. Actually, my
business has been a bit poorer since your friend stopped popping in, not just financially. He always was a
pleasant chap to pass the time of day with.
Very gregarious. Orlando admired the carnations as if he d never seen such prodigious blooms
before. The team misses his company, too. It all dated from when he started travelling abroad that s
when we lost our star wing three quarter. It was a reasonable story to tell; Halfpenny had been the right
build for the position.
Maybe that s when he stopped coming to the shop. If he had some mademoiselle or senorita he was
sweet on he d hardly be sending them flowers all the way from here, would he? The carnations were
finished with and the matter of cards and addresses was being seen to. Soon a poor lad on a bicycle would
no doubt be dispatched to deliver them to a wife or sweetheart or mother somewhere, taking his life into his
hands weaving in and out of the metal monsters that seemed to be springing up like mushrooms.
He never mentioned a particular young lady, did he? The lads at the club wouldn t be surprised to
see him appear with some olive-skinned beauty at his side. Orlando admired some roses, the sort Jonty
loved. I ll have half a dozen of these, please, when you re ready. The bigger and blousier the better.
Ah, your young lady prefers the perfume to the neatness of the bud, does she? The assistant nodded,
clearly appreciating the preference. These can wait a moment or two. The carnations were abandoned in
favour of their more aromatic relations. I think there might have been an unusual name mentioned. One
that sounded more fitted to the stage than the drawing rooms of London. Dolores or something like that. A
little nugget of memory evidently sparked in the florist s brain. She was fond of roses, too I remember
that now. Just like you, he said I ll have half a dozen of those pink ones, please. It s her favourite colour. If
she likes them, I ll get another bunch. That must have been the last time I saw him because he never came
back for any more.
Perhaps she didn t like the colour, after all. Orlando smiled, but his brain had begun to whirr at the
thought of ladies with exotic names and a penchant for roses and how on earth he was ever going to track
them down.
50 www.samhainpublishing.com
Lessons in Trust
Jonty had gone from the silversmith s shop to the offices of the company Halfpenny represented.
Chappell and Cross was based in the Midlands, a small factory of smiths and artisans turning out exquisite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl aikidobyd.xlx.pl
Orlando had already walked past to reach it.
He d thought about his mother a lot these last few days. Poor Mrs. Coppersmith she d have loved to
see her son staying with titled gentry (even if they didn t use their titles) and occasionally hob-nobbing with
royalty. She d have been so proud of what he d achieved, although he d never have been able to tell her
that he and Jonty were more than friends. She d be turning in her grave to know what went on in the double
beds at Forsythia Cottage.
And she d be revolving like a top to know that her husband, the man she d wished had a bit more
class about him, had a streak of blue blood coursing his veins and never told her. Perhaps it was as well, so
she couldn t remind an already saddened man about the grandeurs he d been cut out from.
Orlando felt there was little to be gained by visiting the house itself, especially given the risk of there
being police in the offing who might snitch on him to the officious Redknapp. He tried the local
tobacconist, telling the assistant he was trying to locate an old acquaintance he believed lived in the area.
Drawing a blank there, he was greeted with equally black looks at the newsagent, finally striking gold at
the flower shop.
Oh, I know Mr. Halfpenny. The lady at the flower shop must have been Mrs. Stewart s age and her
smile was equally bright. The dancing light in her eyes showed she clearly didn t object to serving a nice
young man or two. Haven t seen him around for a while, though.
Oh. Orlando tried to appear crestfallen. I hope he hasn t moved.
That I couldn t tell you. He used to have rooms in Cowes Road, number twenty-seven or twenty-nine
I think, one of the ones in the stretch before you get to the church. That s where I d start to look if I were
www.samhainpublishing.com 49
Charlie Cochrane
you. The shop assistant arranged some greenery between red carnations, lifting one of the blooms to the
light. Funnily enough he used to be rather fond of these things. Or I suppose his lady friends were I
guess that s who he bought them for.
Well, it wasn t for any of his team-mates. He only bought us beer, after the rugby. Orlando was
pleased at the ease with which he could now dissemble. Mind you, he always was one for the ladies. If
you ll excuse the expression.
The assistant s eyes twinkled. My business would be a lot poorer if it wasn t for the men with an eye
for the fair sex. She fiddled with some ribbon to keep the regimented blooms in place. Actually, my
business has been a bit poorer since your friend stopped popping in, not just financially. He always was a
pleasant chap to pass the time of day with.
Very gregarious. Orlando admired the carnations as if he d never seen such prodigious blooms
before. The team misses his company, too. It all dated from when he started travelling abroad that s
when we lost our star wing three quarter. It was a reasonable story to tell; Halfpenny had been the right
build for the position.
Maybe that s when he stopped coming to the shop. If he had some mademoiselle or senorita he was
sweet on he d hardly be sending them flowers all the way from here, would he? The carnations were
finished with and the matter of cards and addresses was being seen to. Soon a poor lad on a bicycle would
no doubt be dispatched to deliver them to a wife or sweetheart or mother somewhere, taking his life into his
hands weaving in and out of the metal monsters that seemed to be springing up like mushrooms.
He never mentioned a particular young lady, did he? The lads at the club wouldn t be surprised to
see him appear with some olive-skinned beauty at his side. Orlando admired some roses, the sort Jonty
loved. I ll have half a dozen of these, please, when you re ready. The bigger and blousier the better.
Ah, your young lady prefers the perfume to the neatness of the bud, does she? The assistant nodded,
clearly appreciating the preference. These can wait a moment or two. The carnations were abandoned in
favour of their more aromatic relations. I think there might have been an unusual name mentioned. One
that sounded more fitted to the stage than the drawing rooms of London. Dolores or something like that. A
little nugget of memory evidently sparked in the florist s brain. She was fond of roses, too I remember
that now. Just like you, he said I ll have half a dozen of those pink ones, please. It s her favourite colour. If
she likes them, I ll get another bunch. That must have been the last time I saw him because he never came
back for any more.
Perhaps she didn t like the colour, after all. Orlando smiled, but his brain had begun to whirr at the
thought of ladies with exotic names and a penchant for roses and how on earth he was ever going to track
them down.
50 www.samhainpublishing.com
Lessons in Trust
Jonty had gone from the silversmith s shop to the offices of the company Halfpenny represented.
Chappell and Cross was based in the Midlands, a small factory of smiths and artisans turning out exquisite [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]