Free Dishonored by Maria Barrett

off her shoes. She ran barefoot into the bedroom, threw the dress on the bed and turned
     on the transistor radio, singing along loudly to the Beatles, “Love, love me do!” Pulling out a black mini skirt and red tunic
     top, she dived into a drawer for a matching scarf and finally untangled her boots from a heap of shoes. She carried the clothes
     into the bathroom, ran the bath, splashing a liberal amount of perfume into the water and began removing her makeup. Jane
     was arriving at six-thirty, Teddy and Phillip Mills were on their way home right now and tonight was an opportunity that Clare
     was definitely going to make the most of.
    Jane climbed out of the taxi, reached into her bag for her purse and mentally calculated the right tip, exactly. She handed
     over the money, smiled politely and picked up her bags. Glancing up at the building, she saw that the lights were on in the
     flat and was relieved that Clare was home. She was early, it was just after six and she was dying for a cup of tea.
    Climbing the front steps, she rang on the buzzer and waited for the door release. Inside the entrance hall, she called the
     lift, taking off her jacket as she watched the floor numbers light up and tutting because someone had obviously just gone
     up. She unfastened the top two buttons on her blouse, took off her shoes and moaned when she saw the swelling on her ankles.
     The weather had turned suddenly warm for spring and she couldn’t wait to peel off her woolen stockings and soak her feet in
     cold water.
    The lift finally arrived, she traveled up to the fifth floor and rang the front door bell, leaning against the wall, unclipping
     her suspenders and rolling down the stocking on her right leg with great relief. She looked up as the door was opened and
     said, “I don’t know why, Clare, but that suspender belt I bought when I was up last time really digs into my legs!” She lifted
     her skirt and rubbed a red mark at the top of her thigh. “Ouch, see what I mean?”
    “Gosh, yes. That looks quite nasty.”
    Jane started and looked up aghast. She dropped her skirt, pressed herself back against the wall and flushed.
    “Who’s that? Phillip?”
    Clare’s face suddenly appeared over Phillip’s shoulder. “Jane! Oh no! Oh…” Clare darted around Phillip in the doorway
     and leaped in front of her sister. “Jane! How lovely to see you!” She glanced behind her. “Go on in, Phillip, Teddy’ll get
     you a drink.” She laughed nervously, her voice high with excitement. “We’ll be in right away!” She covered Jane from view
     and shooed him away with her hand. In a loud whisper, she hissed, “My God, Jane! What on earth…” She gripped Jane’s elbow
     and ushered her inside, her bags, shoes and jacket left in a heap in the hall, one stocking baggy and wrinkled around her
     ankle. She propelled her older sister along the corridor to the bedroom and flung the door open, pushing her inside.
    “Phew! That was close!” Clare locked her bedroom door and leaned against it, her makeup shiny with sweat. “D’you think he
     was shocked?”
    Jane turned and stared at her. “Shocked?”
    “Yes! Phillip! D’you think it put him off?” Clare started to pace the floor, her fingers pinched across the bridge of her
     nose. “If we hurry and find you something to wear and do your make—”
    “Clare!” Jane held her hands up. “Stop! Stop right there!” She sank down on to the bed and removed both stockings, then she
     rubbed her ankles, shuffled back on the bed so that her feet were up and said, “Firstly, who is Phillip and secondly, we are
     not finding me anything to wear or doing my makeup! Understood?” Clare nodded sheepishly. “And thirdly, what is going on?”
    Clare sat down opposite her sister on a wicker bath chair and leaned forward. “Phillip is Major Phillip Mills,” she said urgently,
     “equerry to the Duke of Cumberland. He’s thirty-five, in the Scots Guards, went to the same school as