Catnip (Dunbarton Mysteries Book 1) Read Free Page B

then give her a ‘season’
in London or New York, but I’d have none of that nonsense, and since I hold the
purse strings there was nothing she could do about it. She might be able to
manage my son, but not me!”
    He could see she was tiring and
so he said, “Mrs. Dunbar, you don’t need to tell me all this ...”
    “Oh, yes, I do. You’ve got to
know all this if you’re going to be able to do what I want. Now, where was I?
Oh, yes, Alice and James. James was always a gentle man, and he really loved
that woman, so gradually she alienated him from me. While I was still able to
get around, I let them go their way and I went mine. But once I was confined to
this chair, I moved up here to be away from them. I put in that lift, though,
just to be able to keep an eye on what they were doing.”
    She winked mischievously and was
about to go on when there was a scrabble of claws on the vine growing up the
side of the house and an enormous orange cat leapt in through the open window.
He darted across the floor and then, surprisingly, climbed very gently into the
old lady’s lap and made himself comfortable.
    Seeing Chris’ expression, the
lady chuckled and announced, “Mr. Christopher Mallory, I’d like you to meet
Marmalade. Marmalade, say hello to Christopher.” The cat opened one large green
eye, looked at him for a moment, then, yawning, dismissed him as of no
consequence.
    “Marmalade, I gather, is your
cat.”
    “Well, actually, you might say
that I’m his person. He climbed in that window one day five years ago when he
was just a kitten and made himself at home.” She stroked the sleek head. “We
hit it off right from the start. I can’t say the same for the others, though.
He detested Alice from the moment he first laid eyes on her and he never sees
her now but that he spits. For James he has only contempt and he treats Alicia
with an affectionate tolerance. Since that is precisely how I feel about them,
we get along swimmingly. He’s the only friend I’ve got now and I’m glad to see
he doesn’t dislike you.”
    “He doesn’t seem to have much use
for me either,” Chris remarked dubiously.
    “I’m hoping that will change once
he gets to know you. It would be quite awkward otherwise because, you see, once
I’m gone, Marmalade will be your client.”
    She waited for the impact of what
she’d said to sink in, watching him with impish eyes. Chris could see by her
satisfied, Cheshire cat grin that he hadn’t disappointed her.
    “Do you mean to tell me that you’re
leaving part of your estate to that cat?” he asked, astonished, rapidly
reassessing his impressions of the old lady.
    “Not part of it, Christopher, all
of it! And I want you to manage the estate for him. Act as his trustee.” She
was clearly enjoying his amazement.
    “But ... why?”
    “I’ve told you why. They’ve been waiting
like vultures for the day I die so they can get their hands on my money. Once
they have, they’re going to sell my house to a developer, shut down the
furniture factory and move to Toronto. It’s all that Alice’s idea and I won’t
have it! One of the reasons I’ve kept such a tight rein on the finances is
because I knew they’d squander it. I won’t see the things my husband spent a
lifetime building destroyed by that woman!”
    Her angry excitement woke the cat
who mewed reproachfully, sprang to the floor and dashed off down the stairs.
    In a calmer tone she went on. “I
know you’re thinking, I’m a vindictive old woman, and to a certain extent I
suppose I am. But I still can’t help feeling there’s some hope for my son and
grand-daughter, if not for my daughter-in-law, and giving them the money isn’t
going to help them. I know James’ company is in trouble, and has been for some
time, but I’ve refused to bail him out. I’ve been hoping and praying that he’d
find his own solution and save it himself, become the man his father and I knew
he could be. As for Alicia, somebody’s got