Rainbird's Revenge

 

 

 

M. C. Beaton
is the author of the hugely successful Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series, as well as a quartet of Edwardian murder mysteries featuring heroine Lady Rose Summer, the Travelling Matchmaker, Six Sisters and School for Manners Regency romance series, and a stand-alone murder mystery,
The Skeleton in the Closet
– all published by Constable & Robinson. She left a full-time career in journalism to turn to writing, and now divides her time between the Cotswolds and Paris. Visit
www.agatharaisin.com
for more, or follow M. C. Beaton on Twitter:
@mc_beaton.agatharaisin.com
for more.

Praise for A House for the Season:

‘Plot intricacies, colourful domestics and characteristic attention to period details . . . an entertainment that will please fans.'

Publishers Weekly

‘Entertaining light romance for fans of the series.'

Booklist

‘[Beaton] is adept at character portrayal and development . . .
Plain Jane
is sure to delight Regency enthusiasts of all ages.'

Best Sellers

‘A witty, charming, touching bit of Regency froth. Highly recommended.'

Library Journal

‘A romp of a story . . . For warm-hearted, hilarious reading, this one is a gem.'

Baton Rouge Sunday Advocate

 

 

 

Titles by M. C. Beaton

A House for the Season

The Miser of Mayfair
•
Plain Jane
•
The Wicked Godmother

Rake's Progress
•
The Adventuress
•
Rainbird's Revenge

The Six Sisters

Minerva
•
The Taming of Annabelle
•
Deirdre and Desire

Daphne
•
Diana the Huntress
•
Frederica in Fashion

The Edwardian Murder Mystery series

Snobbery with Violence
•
Hasty Death
•
Sick of Shadows

Our Lady of Pain

The Travelling Matchmaker series

Emily Goes to Exeter
•
Belinda Goes to Bath
•
Penelope Goes to Portsmouth

Beatrice Goes to Brighton
•
Deborah Goes to Dover
•
Yvonne Goes to York

The Agatha Raisin series

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death
•
Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener
•
Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley

Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
•
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist

Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
•
Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham

Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam
•
Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came

Agatha Raisin and the Curious Curate
•
Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House

Agatha Raisin and the Deadly Dance
•
Agatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon

Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor

Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye

Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison
•
Agatha Raisin: There Goes the Bride

Agatha Raisin and the Busy Body
•
Agatha Raisin: As the Pig Turns

The Hamish Macbeth series

Death of a Gossip
•
Death of a Cad
•
Death of an Outsider

Death of a Perfect Wife
•
Death of a Hussy
•
Death of a Snob

Death of a Prankster
•
Death of a Glutton
•
Death of a Travelling Man

Death of a Charming Man
•
Death of a Nag
•
Death of a Macho Man

Death of a Dentist
•
Death of a Scriptwriter
•
Death of an Addict

A Highland Christmas
•
Death of a Dustman
•
Death of a Celebrity

Death of a Village
•
Death of a Poison Pen
•
Death of a Bore

Death of a Dreamer
•
Death of a Maid
•
Death of a Gentle Lady

Death of a Witch
•
Death of a Valentine
•
Death of a Sweep

Death of a Kingfisher

The Skeleton in the Closet

Also available

The Agatha Raisin Companion

 

 

 

Constable & Robinson Ltd

55–56 Russell Square

London WC1B 4HP

www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the US by St Martin's Press, 1987

This paperback edition published in the UK by Canvas,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2013

Copyright © M. C. Beaton, 1988

The right of M. C. Beaton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in

Publication Data is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78033-310-6 (paperback)
eISBN: 978-1-47210-447-2

Typeset by TW Typesetting, Plymouth, Devon

Printed and bound in the UK

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Cover design and illustration:
www.kathynorrish.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Mr Albert Sinclair

For ennui is a growth of English root,

Though nameless in our language: – we retort

The fact for words, and let the French translate

That awful yawn which sleep cannot abate.

LORD BYRON

‘What do you mean, fellow, by telling me there is no room to be had in this inn?' The landlord of The Bell glanced nervously up at the tall figure on the inn threshold.

‘Just like I said, sir. An assembly is being held here tonight, and folks have come from far and wide to attend it. All the rooms are taken, Mr—?'

‘John,' said the tall gentleman. ‘Mr John. Double your price, landlord, if you find me a room. I shall wait in the tap while you go about arranging it.'

He strode into the tap with his servant at his heels, leaving the landlord, Mr Sykes, looking after him open-mouthed.

‘What was all that about?' asked his wife, coming up behind him.

‘Some gentleman called Mr John demanding a room. Says he'll pay double.'

‘Well, could be done,' said his wife cautiously. ‘There's young Mr Partridge and his friend, Mr Clough. They'd rack up together at a pinch.'

‘Don't like this Mr John's high-handedness, and that's a fact,' said the landlord.

‘Money's money,' said his practical wife. ‘You know the Assembly Committee won't pay us anything till Martinmas.'

‘Very well,' said the landlord reluctantly. ‘But you go and tell him he can more than likely have a room. He's in the tap. Something about him makes my flesh creep.'

Mrs Sykes straightened her cap and opened the door of the tap while her husband made his way upstairs.

A few of the locals were looking sulky, as if they had just been ejected from their customary place, at two men who were seated in the best chairs in front of the fire.

Mrs Sykes was perfectly prepared to give the strangers a piece of her mind and tell them they were very lucky indeed if they could get a room, double fee or no double fee; but, at her approach, the taller of the two men rose to his feet, and the angry words died on her lips.

A pair of ice-blue eyes in a tanned face looked down at her haughtily from above the snowy folds of an exquisitely tied cravat. His hair was the colour of burnished guineas. His mouth was firm and classically shaped. He exuded an air of wealth and power. Mrs Sykes sank into a curtsy.

‘My husband has gone to see if two of our guests will agree to share a room,' she said. ‘That will leave a room free for you, sir and . . . ?' She looked inquiringly at the smaller man.

‘For my servant,' said the tall man. ‘Thank you. You are most kind.' He smiled suddenly, a smile of dazzling sweetness that was suddenly at odds with his chilly grandeur.