Page 40 of Infamous

‘I’m flattered, but really, Liza, I think of the two of you like siblings.Mysiblings, not each other’s siblings .?.?. although actually, if you’re mine, I suppose you’re each other’s, too .?.?.’

Liza sighed. ‘We would, of course, no longer be occupying the bed.’

‘You know, she was being very nice to you,’ Nash said, raising his eyebrows at Valentine. ‘What a thing to squander so early in the trip.’

It went on in this fashion right through to pudding. Eddie noticed that Rose and Albert continued to be comparatively quiet, preferring to confer with each other down at the end of the table or listen silently to all the rest while they ate their food. Nash and Valentine steadily drank their way through quite a lot of claret and ended up trying to converse in what sounded like an odd form of Greek, leaving Eddie and Liza trapped between them.

‘I feel I should apologise for the state of the house,’ Liza said, as Valentine dragged a chair around them to sit closer to Nash. ‘Unfortunately, my husband does not feel particularly inclined to manage it, and barely gave the staff notice that we were returning. The poor things probably haven’t slept for days.’

‘Nonsense, I think it’s wonderful,’ Eddie said earnestly. ‘It’s the best place I have ever seen. I should like to hole up here forever.’

Liza looked at her as if she were more than a little deranged.

‘Oh .?.?. you are too kind. You and Miss Li should let me know if your room becomes unbearable. I don’t imagine you want to sleep on the billiard table, but I’m sure we could—’

‘Here, Edie, you look like a pagan at heart – have you read Homer?’ Nash said, leaning across the table and lightly tapping Eddie’s wrist with his fingers.

‘Let’s go through to the drawing room,’ said Liza. ‘It is far more agreeable there. Lingering in here like cave bats, we are all liable to catch a chill.’

The party obliged. The Oak Parlour was indeed much more homely than the dining room; once the eight of them had situated themselves around the fire, Eddie could almost forget that somewhere above them, the roof looked as if a giant had attempted to use it as a bowling green.

Eddie had tried to follow Nash, Kitty and Valentine over to the window where they were lighting their pipes, but had somehow found herself steered towards the fire by Liza, who had similarly ensnared Rose. Juno the dog came with them, collapsing into a large heap by the hearth with a contented sigh. Eddie listened to Rose and Liza discuss the furniture, the weather and Rose’s engagement – at this point Eddie started trying to wrestle with Juno rather than have to listen, and received a rather perplexed look from the dog in return – and tried to think of ways to extract herself, so that she might go over and join the smokers.

She had just managed to get to her feet when Nash stretched, put down his glass and yawned indulgently.

‘I’m half-dead. Let’s retire so that we can seize tomorrow rather more firmly by the scruff.’

In the darkness, lit only by smouldering coals, Rose and Eddie’s room looked almost stately. The bedclothes had clearly been freshly changed, two warming pans slid into them to stave off the cool, damp air. With no maid forthcoming, they took down their hair and undressed quickly in silence, and then both half-ran to get under the covers, Eddie swearing under her breath and laughing at the shock of the cold. She felt a very frigid foot brush against her leg and yelped in indignation, making Rose giggle into her pillow. The odd atmosphere that Eddie thought she had felt between them broke as abruptly as a dropped egg.

‘Now I remember how dreadful you are to share a bed with,’ she griped. ‘Like a fish at a dance, wriggling all over the place.’

Rose was silent for a moment and then laughed to herself.

‘What?’

‘A fish at a ball would dance .?.?. the cod-rille.’

‘I am going to suffocate you with this pillow,’ Eddie said serenely. ‘Hold still, will you? Otherwise I shall find it quite upsetting.’

She rolled over and tried to press the promised pillow to Rose’s face while Rose squeaked her protests, laughing and trying to slide out of Eddie’s grip; Rose succeeded in batting the pillow away, knocking it onto the floor, and Eddie seized her wrists instead.

‘I don’t know why you won’t just take it on the chin and die quietly,’ Eddie said.

Her face was rather close to Rose’s; once again she found her gaze involuntarily dropping to Rose’s lips. Rose didn’t say anything. She just looked up at Eddie from under the sweep of her lashes, slightly out of breath, her hair a mess against the pillow. It took a moment for Eddie to realise it was odd that she still had Rose pinned; she released her abruptly and then leaned over to collect her pillow from the floor.

‘Oh, wonderful, it smells like damp wood now and has likely become a haven for silverfish.’

‘Youtry to killme,’ Rose said, still sounding a bit breathless, ‘and somehowI’mthe one to blame.’

Eddie just ruffled her hair and then retreated to her own side of the bed, pulling the covers up to her eyes for warmth. She fell asleep listening to the strange creaks of the house, the sound of the wind moaning ominously overhead, and Rose’s soft, comforting breathing in the dark beside her.

Dear Mother and Father,

We have arrived at the house after two days of travel, and Mr and Mrs Nicholson have made us very welcome—our every need is catered for, and we are already residing in great comfort, for the house is beautiful and well kept. From my bedroom on the second floor I can see out over the lake; it is the perfect place for inspiration to take me by the hand and force me to write.

The other guests are very genial, and I have already had a number of scintillating conversations with them about literature, politics, the construction of boats and the like. I imagine we shall be very happy here for however long the Nicholsons will have us.

Rose also sends her best, and adds that Amelia should check the Gazette dated from the day we departed from town for a fascinating story about horse psychology that she read on the carriage ride here. Apparently horses hold grudges!!