Coram Boy. Jamila Gavin

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ now,’ demanded Edward once the laughter had died down. ‘Alex says you know lots of funny stories.’

      ‘Well,’ said Thomas, as they gathered round. ‘I could tell you the story of old Dawdley Dan, the peg-leg man.’

      ‘Yes, yes, yes!’ The children flopped eagerly to the floor beside the fire, while Thomas stood on one leg and began hopping about.

      ‘I need a crutch,’ he said, looking around.

      ‘Will this do?’ cried Melissa, leaping up to get the hobby horse which was propped in a corner.

      ‘Just the job!’ said Thomas, propping the head of the horse under his armpit. ‘Now then see you here, old Dawdley Dan,’ began Thomas in his broadest Gloucestershire, “im was called Dawdley ’cos ’e did dawdle, see? Not surprising what with ‘is wooden leg an’ all that . . . An’ ’im did like ‘is rum, yer see . . . and I tell you, a man with a wooden leg wot can’t hold ‘is liquor is quite somethin’ to behold.’ Thomas went reeling round the room, while Edward and Alice shrieked with laughter, and Thomas glimpsed Melissa out of the corner of his eye losing all her shyness. She threw back her auburn hair and chuckled like a baby, while Isobel gazed encouragingly at him with the same dark eyes as her brother.

      ‘An’ then one day old Dawdley Dan, after ‘e’d ‘ad quite a lot to drink, ’e says, “When I was a lad an’ ‘ad two legs, I dived from the bridge an’ swam all the way across to Over.”

      ‘“You never did,” challenged one of ’is equally drunk mates.

      ‘“I could do it now,” retorts Dawdley Dan. “I’ll show yer-”

      ‘“Not now, you couldn’t, Dawdley,” says ‘is mate, “not with that peg leg of yours an’ all that.”

      ‘“No? I’ll show yer!” roared Dawdley. “Goddamn your eyes, I’ll show yer. Come on, let’s go to the bridge . . . and then . . . ”’

      Thomas by this time had hauled himself up on to the table, pretending it was the bridge, and was reeling around, almost falling off.

      ‘ ’E slung first his good leg over the side, then ‘is peg leg – an’ there ’e was, sittin’ on the bridge, starin’ down into the dark swirlin’ waters . . . and-’

      ‘What in heaven’s name is going on here?’ Mrs Milcote stood in the doorway. Her body was rigid with indignation.

      The laughing stopped instantly. Five startled faces turned.

      Melissa, who had been laughing the loudest, stopped dead at the sight of her mother and thrust her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound. She pulled her gown round her tightly and stared speechlessly.

      Isobel recovered enough to say, ‘Oh, Mrs Milcote! Do watch Thomas telling his story about-’

      ‘Miss Ashbrook,’ Miss Milcote spoke, her words freezing like icicles as they left her pursed lips, ‘I hardly think it is fit for young ladies to be seen in their night-time attire before gentlemen – least of all a . . . ’ For a moment, Thomas wondered whether she would say it: ‘a common working fellow’. But she paused and completed her sentence: ‘least of all a vis-it-or.’ She stretched out the last word meaningfully. ‘I think, sir,’ she looked hard at Alexander, ‘you’d better accompany your young friend back to his chamber now. It is rather late.’

      Alexander raised an eyebrow as if he was going to refuse to be told what to do by a governess, even if she was a distant relative, but Melissa had gone to her mother’s side and was looking so humiliated that, for her sake, he swallowed his anger. Instead, he hugged the little ones, Edward and Alice. ‘We’ll hear the rest of the story in the morning,’ he reassured them. ‘Now, goodnight.’

      ‘Goodnight, Alex,’ they chorused bleakly. Isobel ran forward and embraced her brother fiercely. ‘It’s so good to have you home, Alex! So very good.’ Then she turned and bobbed to Thomas. ‘Goodnight, Thomas. I do hope your chamber is to your liking. We want you to enjoy your stay at Ashbrook.’

      Thomas gave a short bow, ‘Thank you, Miss Isobel,’ and he followed Alexander out of the room.

      Mrs Lynch patrolled the corridors of Ashbrook. Her last duties were to ensure that there were sufficient candles burning outside the bedchambers to get through the night. As she passed the quarters of Mrs Milcote and her daughter, she heard raised voices and paused to listen.

      ‘How could you speak to us like that in front of Alexander and Thomas!’ protested Melissa. ‘I felt so humiliated.’

      ‘Dear girl . . . ’ Mrs Milcote’s voice was so low that Mrs Lynch had to press her ear to the door to hear her. It was clear that Mrs Milcote had ambitions for her daughter. Marriage, perhaps? Mrs Lynch had noticed how Mrs Milcote had been grooming Melissa, paying extra attention to her education and, in particular, her music. Was this to make her eligible – for Alexander? Mrs Lynch smiled to herself as she heard Mrs Milcote chastising her daughter for her lack of decorum. She was as sure as she could be that Sir William would not consider a penniless, minor relative to be a suitable match for Alexander, his elder son and heir, no matter how pretty and talented she was.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QNxaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InhtcC5kaWQ6RTA0QjkzMkEwOTIwNjgxMUE0NzJCMkQ0QkM3MzAyNUYiIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50 SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6QjRFRDg2RDZDOTFEMTFFQUJGREU4RjcyMDVDQzQ2NTciIHhtcE1NOkluc3Rh bmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6QjQ3ODU3REFDOTFEMTFFQUJGREU4RjcyMDVDQzQ2NTciIHhtcDpDcmVh dG9yVG9vbD0iQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIE1hY2ludG9zaCI+IDx4bXBNTTpEZXJpdmVk RnJvbSBzdFJlZjppbnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOkRFNTRBOTY1MEQyMDY4MTE4RjYyRjZDNjZB NkRFMjcwIiBzdFJlZjpkb2N1bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOkUwNEI5MzJBMDkyMDY4MTFBNDcyQjJE NEJDNzMwMjVGIi8+IDwvcmRmOkRlc2NyaXB0aW9uPiA8L3JkZjpSREY+IDwveDp4bXBtZXRhPiA8 P3hwYWNrZXQgZW5kPSJyIj8+/+IMWElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAMSExpbm8CEAAAbW50clJHQiBY WVogB84AAgAJAAYAMQAAYWNzcE1TRlQAAAAASUVDIHNSR0IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAPbWAAEAAAAA 0y1IUCAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY3By dAAAAVAAAAAzZGVzYwAAAYQAAABsd3RwdAAAAfA СКАЧАТЬ