Trip the Light Phantasmic (The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries Book 1) by Judith Sterling
Author:Judith Sterling [Sterling, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-11T00:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I started up the stairs. Beatriceâs manner was typically brusque, but now her tone conveyed disapproval. I felt like I was in trouble and heading to the school principalâs office. Not that Iâd ever had that experience, but I could imagine it.
The higher I climbed, the stronger the smells: rosemary and garlic, roasting chicken, and onions sautéing in butter. The nose knows, and mine was certain I was heading for the culinary heart of the home.
I reached the top of the stairs. The kitchen was enormous, with a linoleum floor, walls painted light green, and a stove with two ovens. A large iron pot rack crowned a long, enameled worktable, at which a dark-haired maid stood chopping carrots, likely the ones Lloyd picked fresh from the garden. Close by, a second brunette in uniform ascended what had to be the servant stairs. The trestle table in the center of the room must be where the servants ate their meals.
âWeâll have more privacy in the butlerâs pantry,â Beatrice stated. âFollow me.â
Moments later, we stood in a narrow room featuring numerous glass-fronted cabinets filled with china, glassware, silver serving dishes, and candelabra. From the looks of it, Mr. Stebbins had everything he needed to perform his job efficiently.
Unblinking, Beatrice regarded me. âWatch your step with my nephew.â
âEdgar?â
âCraig.â
My eyes widened. âI only just met him. How did youââ
âPenny was down gathering crabapples near the cottage and heard your voice. Naturally, she was concerned and reported it to me.â
Uh oh. How much had the maid heard? If memory served, Iâd raised my voice only twice: first, when I suggested âlecherous intentâ in Craigâs nocturnal visit and second, after he propositioned me.
Beatrice was waiting, presumably for an explanation of why I entered the forbidden cottage. I would counter with a question. âWhy should Penny be concerned?â
âWhy shouldnât she be? Craig is dangerous. A bad seed from the day he was born.â
âBad how?â
She looked to the side, and her eyes narrowed as she conjured sour memories. âHe was always drawn to the dark, and to things he shouldâve left alone. Why, I even caught him spying on me once, during an intimate moment.â
âIntimate.â Oh, dear God. âAs in having sex?â
She nodded gravely. Mind-stabbing imagery of her and Lloyd flashed before my eyes, but I quashed it.
âA young boy shouldnât be so nosy,â she continued. âNot about things like that, and not about others either. He asked endless questions about herbs and plantsâ¦what to use them for and which ones were poisonous.â
I swallowed hard. She was painting a grim picture. âThe garden has poisonous plants?â
âCertainly. Take belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade. It can be used for painkilling ointments, which Veronica knows well enough, but the berries are extremely toxic.â
âGood to know.â I heard the edge in my voice. Iâm sure she did too.
âIf the topic interests you, there are books on botany and herbology in the library.â She pushed her dress sleeves up to her elbows, one at a time. âNow, Iâve got work to do, and youâd best dress for dinner.
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