Nanda cast him a look of withering contempt, and returned her attention to the inspector.
‘When she said no clucking and flapping,’ Konrad said to Tasha, ‘she really meant it.’
A vague feeling of discomfort finally filtered through to his awareness: a protruding shape underneath his legs. He discreetly felt around beneath himself until he encountered the culprit: a small, rectangular object, very solid indeed, which he discovered to be wrapped in paper. It had a bow neatly tied around it in ribbon.
He raised an eyebrow at Nanda.
‘What?’ she said, all innocence.
A dangling label read: Konrad. He checked the reverse, but the name of the giver did not appear.
‘Yours?’ he asked Nanda.
‘I deny all knowledge.’
‘Hm.’ Konrad tore off the paper, and a neat little leather-bound book fell into his hands. It was a beautiful thing, tinted dark rose-red, with glossy gilded lettering.
The title read, The Scarlet Petticoat.
He opened the book, and scanned the first few lines. ‘This,’ he said slowly, ‘is a romance.’
Nanda’s smile turned seraphic. ‘Why, yes. Yes it is.’
His eyes narrowed.
‘Are you not pleased?’ said Nanda, her face falling in mock dismay. ‘But I consulted Eetapi and Ootapi about your literary tastes. I was sure we’d got it right.’
Konrad noted the author’s name, discreetly printed in small type on the inside front page: Lady Balov, who was a favourite of his. But he would rather have died than admit it, especially in such company, for Nuritov looked faintly amused and Tasha was openly grinning.
Nanda leaned towards him. ‘It’s new,’ she whispered. ‘Published last week.’
Konrad gave a tiny sigh, and hid the book away again. ‘You could not have given it to me more privately?’ he whispered.
‘Where would be the fun in that?’
Konrad rolled his eyes, grabbed Nanda’s hand, and bestowed upon it a flourishing kiss. ‘Very well, then. Thank you, good lady.’
‘You are very welcome,’ she replied, beaming broadly. Then she added, in a loud whisper, ‘I hope it is steamy.’
Too afflicted with sudden coughing to form words, Konrad could muster no reply.
Look out for Konrad’s next case, A Deadly Drama, coming up soon!
If you'd like to be the first to know when the next Malykant Mysteries book is released, sign up to my email newsletter at http://www.charlotteenglish.com/newsletter (and get a free book or two, to boot!)
Find me online:
Website: www.charlotteenglish.com.
Twitter:@charlottenglish
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CharlotteEEnglish
Also by Charlotte E. English:
The Malykant Mysteries:
The Rostikov Legacy
The Ivanov Diamond
Myrrolen’s Ghost Circus
Ghostspeaker
The Corpse Thieves
The Spirit of Solstice
Tales of Aylfenhame:
Miss Landon and Aubranael
Miss Ellerby and the Ferryman
Bessie Bell and the Goblin King
The Draykon Series:
Draykon
Lokant
Orlind
Llandry
For a full, up-to-date list of current titles visit my bibliography at www.charlotteenglish.com/my-books/
The Spirit of Solstice Page 11
