Page 93 of A Good Heart is Hard to Find
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A Plague on It
…a rancid tale of torture and terror. Strong stuff. Buy it!
Exposé Magazine:
‘On the Shelf’, with Lisa-Mona Bevore
Next time I bumped into Rosetta – and Eddie, that went without saying by then – I told her that if Jason asked if there was room at the inn, she was to say no.
‘Too late,’ she replied, looking surprised. ‘I did say we were full – which we are, until we getmore bathrooms to go round, but he begged me to at least find him a bed for Saturday night because he had to get away. He didn’t say what from.’
‘Nothing, unless his son, Tom’s, home for Easter. He’s just being protective and interfering.’
Rosetta looked vaguely puzzled, but I was not about to explain the ups and downs (or the ins and outs) of my relations with her brother.
‘Oh? Well, in theend Ididsay he could have the little box bedroom at the back, although it isn’t very comfortable and it’s miles from a bathroom.’
‘Oh blast,’ I said. ‘Does Dante know? Only I haven’t seen him about,’ I added mendaciously, because although he hadbeen avoiding the pub I did see him when I was out walking one night, and he turned and strode off without a word.
‘I haven’t mentioned it, becausehe’s really left all the B&B stuff to me … and Eddie,’ she added, smiling adoringly at him. ‘Eddie’s been great, doing things in the house and garden.’
‘Someone’s dumped an old car in the lily pond,’ Eddie said cheerfully. ‘The ducks stand on it.’
‘That’s nice,’ I said, since he seemed to think this was a good idea.
‘Have you and Dante fallen out?’ Rosetta asked timidly. ‘Only I thought hequite liked you, but if I mention your name now he sort of grinds his teeth and leaves the room.’
‘We never fellin, in the first place, Rosetta. I don’t suppose you know what he wants me to do over Easter, for my slave duties? Perhaps it’s just to help you with the guests?’ I asked hopefully.
‘He said if you were going to haunt him you might as well make yourself useful and do it up at theHall,’ Eddie offered, with that disconcerting knack he sometimes has of repeating an overheard sentence as if it was in a language he didn’t speak.
‘Dante does seem to think you’re going to be the resident ghost over Easter,’ Rosetta agreed doubtfully. ‘But I thought you didn’t want to do that?’
‘He knows very well I don’t want to, but since it would clearly provide him with pleasure to seeme suffer, I’ll haunt with a smile on my face and a song on my lips instead,’ I said tartly.
‘You!’ Eddie said, laughing delightedly.
‘Yes, mournful old me!’ I agreed.
Seeing the conversation was going nowhere fast I hastily excused myself and went home.
Clearly Dante didn’t stride away gnashing his teeth at the mention of my namenexttime Rosetta brought it up, becauseI found a note shovedthrough my door the following day that said, in a familiar jagged black script:
Cass,
Glad to find my slave so biddable. Don’t bother bringing a costume for the haunting – I’ll provide one – and you don’t need one for Betsy’s appearance.
I’ve now read the whole of your interesting manuscript, and I don’t think you ought to be allowed to breed.
Got the dog yet?
Dante
I’d show the bastardbiddable! And did he seriously think I was going to streak down the Long Gallery at midnight? Dream on, Dante Chase.
Rethe rest of the letter, which was obviously meant to provoke, I stoically managed to stop myself going out and ravishing Jason just to show him I didn’t care what he thought, but then realized that part of me would much rather seduce Dante himself again to show him, but I wasnot surewhatI would be showing him. Or why.
