"Barker, Clive - Books of Blood 06" - читать интересную книгу автора (Barker Clive)

with suspicion. He carried an envelope, which he clearly
had no desire to give up. Dorothea had to cross the
carpet and take it from his hands.
'Is this wise?' he said.
'Yes,' she told him.
He turned on his heel and made a smart withdrawal.

10
'He's grief-stricken,' she said. 'Forgive him his
behaviour. He was with Swann from the beginning of his
career. I think he loved my husband as much as I did.'
She ran her linger down into the envelope and pulled
the letter out. The paper was pale yellow, and gossamer-
thin.
'A few hours after he died, this letter was delivered
here by hand,' she said. 'It was addressed to him. I
opened it. I think you ought to read it.'
She passed it to him. The hand it was written in was
solid and unaffected.
Dorothea, he had written, if you are reading this, then I
am dead.
You know how little store I set by dreams and
premonitions and such; but for the last few days strange
thoughts have just crept into my head, and I have the
suspicion that death is very close to me. If so, so. There's
no help for it. Don't waste time trying to puzzle out the whys
and wherefores; they're old news now. Just know that I love
you, and that I have always loved you in my way. I'm sorry
for whatever unhappiness I've caused, or am causing now,
but it was out of my hands.
I have some instructions regarding the disposal of my
body. Please adhere to them to the letter. Don't let anybody
try to persuade you out of doing as I ask.
I want you to have my body watched night and day
until I'm cremated. Don't try and take my remains back to
Europe. Have me cremated here, as soon as possible, then
throw the ashes in the East River.
My sweet darling, I'm afraid. Not of bad dreams, or of
what might happen to me in this life, but of what my enemies
may try to do once I'm dead. You know how critics can be:
they wait until you can't fight them back, then they start the
character assassinations. It's too long a business to try and
explain all of this, so I must simply trust you to do as I say.
11
Again, I love you, and I hope you never have to read this
letter.
Your adoring,
Swann.'
'Some farewell note,' Harry commented when he'd
read it through twice. He folded it up and passed it