The Norfolk Mystery. Ian Sansom

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СКАЧАТЬ for you to accompany us on the first outing. And I’ll need to brief Mr Sefton properly.’

      ‘Brief him? It’s hardly a military operation, Father.’

      ‘Have you exercised, Sefton?’

      ‘Not this morning, sir, no.’

      ‘Pity. Never mind. No time now. But in future I’ll expect you to be in fine fettle for our little trips. You’re welcome to use the swimming pool, you know. Down by the orchard.’

      ‘Thank you.’

      ‘Not at all. You have a bathing gown?’

      ‘No, I’m afraid my clothes … I left my luggage on the train.’

      ‘I see.’ He eyed my blue serge suit with a tailor’s precision, his eyes like tiny chalks.

      ‘Oh. We’ll have to see what we can do. I think we might have some clothes that fit you. Miriam, do you think?’ They both looked me up and down.

      ‘About the same height,’ said Miriam.

      ‘Same build,’ agreed Morley. ‘You know where the clothes are?’

      ‘Yes, Father.’ Miriam sighed. There was an awkward – and unusual – silence. Miriam poured more coffee, the remains of the coffee from a flask.

      ‘Anyway,’ said Morley. ‘Bathing suit. I’ll lend you one of mine. Fifty lengths, I’d say? Controlled Interval Method of training I prefer. We need you in tip-top shape. This is not going to be a holiday, you know.’

      ‘Of course.’

      ‘So,’ continued Morley, ‘let us set out, shall we, since all our party are assembled, our aims, principles and methods.’

      ‘Father!’

      ‘What?’

      ‘Do give the poor man a break, will you? He’s not had a cup of coffee, and you’re offering him this muck—’ She gestured towards the bowl of oatmeal.

      ‘Oatmeal.’

      ‘Muck for breakfast, and he looks like he’s half asleep.’

      ‘I’m fine, thank you, Miss Morley,’ I spoke up.

      ‘Oh, good grief, Sefton, come on. Be honest. Tell him. He’s as … as tedious as a tired horse, a railing wife, and worse than a smoky house!’

      ‘Shakespeare?’ said Morley.

      ‘Correct!’ said Miriam. ‘Play? Sefton?’

      ‘Much Ado About Nothing?’ I offered lamely.

      ‘Henry IV,’ said Miriam, simultaneously sighing and raising her eyebrows – in a manner not unlike her father’s, I would say – as though I had proved the end of civilisation.

      ‘Part?’ said Morley.

      ‘What?’ said Miriam.

      ‘Henry IV part …?’

      ‘One,’ said Miriam. ‘Obviously.’

      ‘Correct,’ said Morley. ‘Now, where were we?’

      ‘Aims, principles—’

      ‘And methods,’ I said.

      ‘Exactly. Basic principles first, Sefton. If we’re going to meet our targets we can’t loaf.’

      ‘No loafing,’ I said.

      ‘Jolly good. And no funking.’

      ‘No. Funking,’ said Miriam. ‘Did you hear that, Sefton?’

      I ignored her provocation.

      ‘Do you take a drink?’

      ‘Well, occasionally—’ I began.

      ‘And absolutely no drinking while out researching. Have I made myself clear?’

      ‘Abundantly, Mr Morley,’ I said, scraping the rest of my oatmeal.

      ‘Good, good. And let’s just remember that procrastination—’

      ‘Is the thief of time,’ said Miriam wearily, rolling her eyes. ‘I’m going to go and get ready, Father.’

      ‘Are you not ready already?’

      ‘In this old thing?’ Miriam smoothed down the sides of her dress, flashing her eyes at me. ‘Now, no man of any consequence would allow me to accompany him on any adventure in this old thing, would they, Mr Sefton?’

      ‘Erm.’

      ‘Miriam, please. We need to leave …’ Morley glanced up at a clock on the wall. ‘In forty-seven minutes.’

      ‘I’ll be ready, Father.’

      ‘And bring those clothes for Sefton, won’t you?’

      ‘I shall.’ She sighed again. ‘Now do let Sefton enjoy his breakfast. If enjoy is the right word. Which it is not.’

      And with that, she flounced out.

      ‘I do apologise, Sefton. As I was saying to you last night: animal. Wild animal. Untamed.’

      ‘Quite, sir.’

      ‘You don’t drink coffee, do you? Didn’t have you down as a coffee man.’

      ‘Well, I …’

      ‘I’ll get cook to make some more.’

      ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll manage.’

      ‘Good. Now, where were we?’

      ‘Aims?’

      ‘Aims. Precisely. So, aim is, book about once every five weeks. That gives us a chance to get there, gen up on the place, get writing, get back here for the editing. What do you think?’

      ‘It’s certainly an ambitious—’

      ‘Though Norfolk I think we can do rather more quickly. Because a lot of it’s already up here.’ He tapped his head. ‘As far as research is concerned we’ll be relying mostly on the archive, Sefton.’

      ‘The archive?’

      ‘Yes. Here.’ He tapped his head. ‘Mostly. Archive. From the Greek and Latin for town hall, I think, isn’t it? Is that right?’

      ‘Probably.’ My Greek and my Latin were not always immediately to hand.

      ‘Yes. СКАЧАТЬ