"Freda Warrington - A Taste of Blood Wine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Warrington Freda)

miserable about it, are you, Charli? Please don't be. Not on the best
birthday of my life."
Charlotte forced a smile onto her face and shook her head, but her

file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Freda%20Warrington%20-%20A%20Taste%20of%20Blood%20Wine.html (78 of 711)28-12-2006 21:38:58
A Taste


heart felt thick and cold. She felt ashamed of ill-wishing Maddy's
happiness. While her sisters lived deep in the stream of life,
Charlotte remained on the riverbank, watching life flow past,
fleeing from anything new. And she envied them.
A french window opened, and Elizabeth—a passable imitation of
Marie Antoinette—came out onto the terrace. "Charlotte, will you
come inside a minute? Your father wants a word with you."
I'd like a word with him, too, she thought. I suppose he's going to
break it gently to me about Karl whatever-his-name-is.
Her father was waiting in the drawing room on the southwest corner
of the house; 'the Blue room, named for the hues of its lavish carpet
and its Wedgwood-glazed walls. The furniture was marble and
rococo gilt; a chandelier hung from an elaborate ceiling rose. French
windows opened onto a double flight of stairs which curved down
into the orangery, where fountains pattered like rain under a mass of
foliage.
"Good evening, m'dear," said her father. "How's the flu?"
"Oh, I'm quite better now, thank you. Did you have a good
journey?" They sat together on the blue chaise-longue, Elizabeth in
a chair opposite, and made some small talk; he had arrived late, and
this was the first time she had seen him since she had come to
Parkland two weeks ago. He seemed ill-at-ease; his expression was
grave, he kept fiddling with his pipe and glaring at Elizabeth.
Eventually Charlotte said, "Father, I know what you're going to say."
"Oh, do you?"
"Madeleine told me." She sounded calmer than she felt. "About you

file:///K|/eMule/Incoming/Freda%20Warrington%20-%20A%20Taste%20of%20Blood%20Wine.html (79 of 711)28-12-2006 21:38:58
A Taste


inviting this Austrian scientist to work with us. It's not true, is it?"
He looked guilty, embarrassed and flummoxed. "Oh lord, now look,
my dear, it is only a temporary arrangement and he is a very
pleasant young man, nothing for you to worry about. Just think of
him as an undergraduate. You've never minded helping them, have
you?"
"No, but—"
"In fact," Elizabeth interrupted sharply, "that's not what you wanted
to talk about, is it, George?"
Now Charlotte was bewildered. What could be worse? And yet,
logically, the tension between her aunt and father was unlikely to