Free Murder Makes an Entree by Amy Myers

could they?
     Or perhaps, she brightened, he was deliberately concealing his devotion toher in this way, shy of declaring his real feelings. Under the passion inspired by a Broadstairs moon, ah, then she could
     gently coax him into confidence. But what if he once again rejected her? She shivered. Her face became quite blank as she
     thought just what she might do if Sir Thomas did once again reject her advances.
    Lord Beddington didn’t much mind whether he was in Broadstairs or London provided there was something decent to drink. And
     preferably to eat as well.
    Sir Thomas was filled with satisfaction at the prospect of the coming week. True, he had alienated some of his support, but
     the vote had been taken and was irreversible. Nothing would stand in the way of his chairmanship on 23rd April next. Royalty
     would be present at the celebrations, perhaps even Her Majesty herself. An earldom dangled its enticing prospect before him.
     He had no hopes that the Prince of Wales might bestow such an honour on him, but where ladies were concerned, it might well
     be a different matter. Yes, with Her Majesty Queen Victoria or the Princess of Wales present, his chance might be high. Either
     would do nicely.
    Meanwhile the passions aroused at the committee meeting would have had time to die down. Thank goodness he’d sent Beatrice
     out of the country for a while in case she had any more ridiculous notions about marrying that brainless young masher. He
     may be a baronet, but he was penniless, and, moreover, one who was given to horse racing was not what he wanted for Beatrice.
     Luckily Beatrice did not care for the seaside, not after what had happened to her when she was ten. She’d nearly been drowned,
     thanks to a damn fool of a woman. He frowned. He’d been unlucky with servants one way and another. Especially once. Still,
     the police had told him the man was dead. Murdered. Serve him right. A sudden inexplicable shiver ran down Sir Thomas’s spine.
    Inspector Egbert Rose and his wife disembarked from the
Royal Sovereign
paddle steamer at Ramsgate’s East Pier. He was glad he’d taken a notion to come by sea, even if Edith had looked a little
     on the green side. It seemed to make it more of a holiday somehow. He liked looking out on the Thames from his Factory window,
     and it seemed fitting that he should sail away down it on holiday. Edith had not been so sure.
    ‘Very pleasant,’ she announced as she looked approvingly round the hotel room with the large red and blue roses on the wallpaper,
     its roomy mahogany wardrobe and solid bed. There was even a screen by the washing bowl. She sat down heavily on the balloon-back
     chair with a sigh. ‘Very nice, Egbert,’ she repeated.
    Egbert was not listening. He had thrust up the sash window to let into the room the sounds of the street and the harbour below.
     Ah, here was life. Here was Holiday. Life, not Death. And somewhere, faintly – he sniffed he could even smell the sea.
    A boater-and blazer-beclad Auguste walked nonchalantly into the street. The work of unpacking and arranging was done – mostly,
     he noted grimly, by himself. Now he, too, could enjoy the seaside. Down on the sands opposite the house was an itinerant Punch
     and Judy man, his booth surrounded by children. At least he assumed this must be Punch and Judy, for it was clearly not like
     the marionettes of the Tuileries gardens. In a sudden lull in the overall noise around him, some words floated across to him:
     ‘That’s the way to do it.’ The gentleman, he observed, appeared to be hitting the lady over the head. She collapsed. Auguste
     smiled wrily. Truly, he could say that murder followed him everywhere.
    He looked around to get his bearings, sniffing the air appreciatively, feeling already part of this English seaside.To the right, at the west end of the bay, was the imposing Grand Hotel on the cliffside, and before it lay gardens with a
     bandstand. Ah yes. He knew how important