Free Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer Page B

Guardsman, which he was not, and might have served as a model of good, if rather pompous, form. He had a round and florid face, with a tooth-brush moustache, and slightly protuberant eyes, and whenever his noble relative succeeded in enraging him, which was often, his colour rose, his moustache bristled, and he looked very much as though he would burst. His wife, Irene, was a bloodless blonde, who habitually spoke in a complaining voice, and maintained a running fire of criticism of her husband's bidding and subsequent play. Lord Guisborough she largely ignored.
    Beulah was not in the drawing-room during the first hand, but she came in as the cards were being restored to the boards, and the various couples changed their tables, and began mechanically to empty ashtrays, and remove glasses. Supper would presently be served in the diningroom, but Mrs. Haddington was well aware of the beneficial results of keeping her guests supplied with stimulating liquid refreshment, and had instructed Beulah to lose no time in asking if she might not get some harassed player a drink. This was, in fact, no more than a daughter of the house might have been expected to do, but nevertheless it annoyed Timothy to watch his beloved waiting on everyone, and looking more and more weary as the evening progressed. He tried several times to catch her eye, but she refused to look at him; once he saw Seaton-Carew address some remark to her which brought a flash into her eyes, and caused her to move away from that table at once; and although this was better than seeing her submit to that. dashing gentleman's familiarities, it did nothing to add to Timothy's enjoyment of the party. He began to think rather badly of a state of civilisation that made it impossible for him to pick a quarrel with Seaton-Carew upon frivolous grounds, and then inform him that his friends would wait upon him in the morning; and to derive what satisfaction he could from the realisation that no more inimical partner could have been selected for Mr. Seaton-Carew than Miss Beatrice Guisborough, who visibly despised him, and audibly condemned his card-play. The knowledge that Seaton-Carew would have liked to have had Cynthia for his partner, and was extremely bored, was poor comfort, however: Mr. Harte was glad to see him and Miss Guisborough vanish from the room, and sorry to be obliged, a quarter of an hour later, to follow them to one of the tables set out in the library.
    Beulah was well aware that Mr. Harte had tried to catch her eye, and equally well aware that he had observed her brief encounter with Seaton-Carew. She hoped that he would make no attempt to single her out during the supper-interval, and made up her mind to keep as much out of his way as was possible. She was conscious of being kept under observation by Mrs. Haddington, whose double-edged remark earlier in the evening had not been lost on her.
    She was on her way upstairs, bearing a whisky-andsoda for Colonel Cartmel, when the intermittent ringing of the telephone-bell informed her that Mr. Seaton-Carew's call had at last come through. In expectation of it, she had informed him that it would be best for him to take it in Mrs. Haddington's sitting-room, and she now set down the little silver tray she carried, and went into this apartment. She emerged a moment later to see her employer upon the landing outside the drawing-room.
    "If that is for me, I hope you told whoever it is that I can't possibly come to the telephone now!" said Mrs. Haddington.
    "It isn't. It's a long-distance call for Mr. Seaton-Carew," replied Beulah.
    Mrs. Haddington uttered an impatient exclamation. "I'd forgotten. Really, I do think - Well, it can't be helped! He's in the library: you'd better go down and tell him at once. He can take it in my boudoir."
    "I've already told him so," said Beulah, departing on her errand.
    "And just keep your eye on things for a minute or two!" added Mrs. Haddington, carefully gathering up her long skirt,