British Manor Murder Read Free

his lordship if I could bring a friend and he said, ‘Why ever not? We’ve got a hundred and twenty rooms.’ So there it is, Lucy. You know how much you loved England when we went there a couple years ago.”
    â€œIt’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Pam with a sigh. “Imagine staying in a stately home and hanging out with nobility.”
    â€œA change of scene can have a positive impact on the psyche,” said Rachel. “New places, new people, new ideas—they can be very stimulating. However,” she added, in a warning tone, “the effect can be quite short-lived. For real change, I still think Lucy needs to talk to a qualified therapist.”
    â€œStuff and nonsense,” snapped Sue. “There’s nothing the matter with Lucy that a cream tea and a breath of spring won’t cure. You know spring comes earlier in England than it does here. Remember the daffodils?”
    Lucy took the last bite of her marmalade-covered toast and thought of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of naturalized daffodils with their nodding blooms she’d seen overrunning acres and acres of woodland at Hampton Court. “I’ll go,” she said, surprising her friends and even herself as the words flew out of her mouth, apparently of their own accord.
    But that wasn’t really true; deep down, she knew she’d been looking for something that would help her break out of this depression. She was ashamed that she was unhappy, even miserable, and she didn’t want to go on like this. It wasn’t fair to the kids who’d grown up hearing her repeat her mother’s favorite adage that “you can find sympathy in the dictionary” all too often. Whenever she’d suspected they were feeling sorry for themselves, she had advised them to count their blessings, and though she’d tried to follow her own advice, it hadn’t worked. Even worse, she felt that it wasn’t fair to Bill to have a mopey wife who neglected him. But most of all, it wasn’t fair to herself. This was her one life. It wasn’t a dress rehearsal, it was showtime and she needed to take center stage. Maybe a trip, a change of scene, was just what she needed to perk herself up. “When do we leave?” she asked.

Chapter Two
    â€œT he show opens May eighth, but Perry wants us to have a nice visit, so he suggests we come a week or two before,” said Sue as Norine stopped by their table to present their checks.
    â€œBluebells might be in bloom then,” said Lucy, who remembered seeing a photograph of an English bluebell walk in a travel magazine she’d read in the dentist’s waiting room. The photo showed a woodland where the ground was covered in a gorgeous carpet of blue blooms.
    â€œJo Malone’s Bluebell was Princess Diana’s favorite scent.” Sue was an avid magazine reader and knew about such things.
    â€œWouldn’t it be wonderful to smell bluebells,” said Lucy, checking the tab and putting down a five dollar bill.
    â€œMaybe we will.” Sue stood up and was buttoning the luxurious shearling coat Sid had given her for Christmas.
    â€œI’m sure there’ll be bluebells,” said Pam, digging into her enormous African basket purse in search of her wallet. “Be sure to take a photo and send it to us.”
    â€œWe’ll want to hear all about it,” said Rachel, wrapping her plum-colored pashmina scarf around her neck.
    â€œDo you think you’ll meet royalty?” asked Pam as they made their way through the café to the door. “Maybe Perry is friends with Prince Charles or somebody.”
    â€œOh!” exclaimed Lucy. Assailed by second thoughts, she stopped at the door. “I wouldn’t know what to do!”
    â€œI think you curtsey,” said Pam, opening the door.
    â€œI know you’re not supposed to touch royalty unless they touch you first,” said Rachel as they