Page 61 (1/1)
Ireneand yes, I slept very well, thank you for asking and please pass the marmalade as she took a seat She then inhaled coffee by the cupful until she felttheht’s rain had passed, and outside thethe sky was – well, as clear as could be expected, given the constant s down No doubt birds were singing in the countryside Things weren’t too bad
She wondered if she could actually get to quite like this alternate
The door banged downstairs, and two sets of feet ca toast cru aside the spoon and egg which he’d been using to demonstrate the finer points of zeppelin control ‘That would be Singh I know his step And no doubt Madame Bradamant with hinore feelings of i, too ‘They’re up early,’ she coh is alelcome here for breakfast,’ Vale said cheerfully ‘Especially when I’ on a case that involves hih had allowed Brada her at the station Irene wondered a bit nervously if there had been any coone to bed She stiffened her spine and was sh ca dress, neat and pristine in dove grey with violet cuffs and jabot, and had an uh, behind her, was still in the saht, but his moustache and beard had a spruce, freshly combed look to them He carried a well-stuffed black briefcase that looked as though it had seen an investigation or two
‘Ah!’ Singh said, his eyes fixing on the breakfast table
‘My dear Singh,’ Vale said, springing to his feet and seizing the coffee pot, ‘we rock, please excuse us Miss Winters, please do invite your friend to some breakfast We will be back in a h out of the roo Bradamant in the process
‘Would you like so to his feet
‘By all means’ Bradamant furled her skirts and seated herself on the sofa next to Irene ‘Is our host usually prone to such dra to Inspector Singh,’ Irene replied Her feeling of i worse She passed the toast and butter ‘They’re old friends, and no doubt they wanted to discuss things without us listening Quite reasonable’
‘Oh, absolutely’ Bradaloves, picked up a knife, and swiped butter across the toast ‘So what do we all have to say to each other while they’re out of the rooes and their applicability to this alternate She wouldn’t put it past Vale to be listening to the conversation Imperial Russia had conquered China and Japan a while back in this alternate, so the odds were against Vale knowing Japanese However, Bradaht Kai would as well ‘Last night I told Vale the basics of the Library,’ she said bluntly in Japanese
The toast cracked and splintered in Bradalare ‘We were attacked by Alberich on our way back here’ She decided to leave Kai’s contribution out of it ‘He trapped us in a carriage in the river and left us to drown We escaped, but after that I had to give Vale so in her guts, the uncertainty in her et when reporting to Bradamant, decades back, when she had been a student and Brada her in the field It was, apparently, soure out how
Bradamant hadn’t been the type to insist on forether or facing each other, as comfortable as one could possibly ask And every ti Always
Brada for holes ‘You could have given him a story about a secret society,’ she said ‘That’s what I told Inspector Singh’
Irene was going to answer in the negative again, say so like I didn’t think that it would work or I couldn’t think of a way to , when she felt Kai’s eyes on her He clearly understood what they were saying He was looking at her with so that took her a moment to identify as trust, as expectation that she could handle things She had to deserve that trust
She corip on her cup of coffee, and turned to meet Bradamant’s eyes ‘I took a field decision that Vale would be more useful and cooperative if he knew the truth – well, some of the truth,’ she said ‘In this place and ti, but a general in the field, expected to handle things as they arise for the good of the Library Vale is a highly intelligent man, well infor discrepancies Alberich had already made reference to the Library, and I was forced to use my own abilities to break free from his trap’ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kai relax a fraction, leaning back into his chair ‘An incomplete story would only have roused Vale’s distrust We have enough eneor’