The Scandal at 23 Mount Street (An Angela Marchmont Mystery Book 9) Read Online Free Page B

money.’
    ‘Don’t worry,’ said Valencourt. ‘I’ve had plenty of experience of avoiding people, as you may imagine. There’s no-one here you need concern yourself about.’
    ‘I hate all this,’ said Angela suddenly. ‘I mean, all this skulking about in parks as though I had something to feel guilty about.’
    ‘You have nothing to feel guilty about,’ he said. ‘We’re having a perfectly innocent conversation.’
    ‘That’s debatable,’ she said. ‘I shouldn’t like anybody to overhear us.’
    ‘There’s nobody to overhear,’ he said. ‘Please don’t worry. I must say, though, this husband of yours sounds like rather an ass.’
    ‘He’s a tremendous ass,’ said Angela with some energy.
    ‘It’s a pity that being an ass isn’t grounds for divorce.’
    She gave a small smile.
    ‘I believe it is, in the States,’ she said. ‘Although I don’t think the law puts it in quite those terms.’
    They fell silent for a few moments, watching people as they passed to and fro through the Park.
    ‘I’m leaving in the morning,’ he said at last. ‘Will you come out with me tonight, Angela?’
    ‘I can’t,’ said Angela contritely. ‘I have to go to a charity ball. It’s been organized by some friends of mine and I agreed to go ages ago. They’ll never forgive me if I don’t turn up.’
    ‘That’s a pity,’ he said.
    ‘But you could come. They’ll be selling tickets at the door. You’ll have no trouble getting in, I’m certain of it.’
    ‘Should you like me to?’
    ‘Yes, very much,’ she said.
    ‘Will your husband be there? I don’t want to get you into trouble,’ he said.
    ‘No,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t know any of my friends and there’s no reason he should be there. It’s not his sort of thing, anyway.’
    ‘Isn’t he staying at the flat with you?’
    ‘No, of course not,’ said Angela. ‘He said something about staying at some club or other—Burkett’s, I think—with an old friend of his.’
    ‘Can I ask you to dance without anyone getting suspicious, do you suppose?’
    ‘I dare say. It’s easy enough to be inconspicuous in a crowd. One frequently ends up dancing with people one doesn’t know.’
    ‘Then I’ll come, and we can say goodbye tonight,’ he said.
    She looked at her watch.
    ‘I’d better go,’ she said, and made to rise from the seat, but he had spotted something.
    ‘What’s that on your arm?’ he said.
    She rearranged her sleeve hurriedly.
    ‘Nothing,’ she said.
    Before she could stop him he took hold of her hand and pushed back her coat sleeve to reveal a row of ugly bruises, black and purple, on her forearm. He looked questioningly at her but she would not meet his eye.
    ‘Did he do this to you?’ he said.
    She pushed the sleeve down again and set her jaw, but said nothing.
    ‘He did, didn’t he?’
    ‘He doesn’t know his own strength,’ she said carelessly. ‘And I’ve always bruised easily.’
    They both knew she was lying. His face darkened and a look of anger passed across it.
    ‘Oh, Angela, I’m so terribly sorry,’ was all he said.
    ‘Don’t be,’ she said. ‘He won’t be here long. He’ll get tired of plaguing me and go back to America, and then I’ll divorce him and be rid of him at last.’
    ‘But what if he doesn’t?’
    ‘Then I’ll have to think of some other way of getting rid of him,’ she said.
    ‘Yes, but—’
    ‘Enough,’ she said. ‘Listen, we’ve agreed he’s an ass so let’s leave it at that. I don’t want to talk about him any more—as a matter of fact we’ve wasted far too much time in talking about him already. Now, I really must go as I have a lot to do. You will come this evening, won’t you?’
    ‘Try and stop me.’
    ‘Splendid,’ she said, and smiled suddenly. ‘Then I’ll see you tonight.’
    And with that, she stood up and walked off briskly, leaving him sitting on the bench, gazing after her.

FOUR
    The White Rabbit Ball was a charity event that had been