5:30 AM
MIRANDA felt uneasy about the weird1 threesome of Nigel, Elton, and Daisy. Were they what they claimed to be? Something about them made her wish she were not wearing her nightdress.
She had had a bad night. Lying uncomfortably on the sleepchair in Kit2's old study, she had drifted in and out of consciousness, dreaming of her stupid, shameful3 affair with Hugo, and waking to feel resentful of Ned for failing to stand up for her once again. He should have been angry with Kit for betraying the secret, but instead he just said that secrets always come out sooner or later. They had acted out a rerun of the quarrel in the car early that day. Miranda had hoped this holiday would be the occasion for her family to accept Ned, but she was beginning to think it might be the moment when she rejected him. He was just too weak.
When she heard voices downstairs, she had been relieved, for it meant she could get up. Now she felt perturbed4. Did Nigel have no wife, family, or even girlfriend who wanted to see him at Christmas? What about Elton? She was pretty sure Nigel and Elton were not a gay couple: Nigel had looked at her nightdress with the speculative5 eyes of a man who would like to see underneath6 it.
Daisy would seem weird in any company. She was the right age to be Elton's girlfriend, but they seemed to dislike each other. So what was she doing with Nigel and his driver?
Nigel was not a friend of Daisy's family, Miranda decided7. There was no warmth between them. They were more like people who had to work together even though they did not get on very well. But if they were colleagues, why lie about it?
Her father looked strained, too. She wondered if he was also having suspicious thoughts.
The kitchen filled with delicious smells: frying bacon, fresh coffee, and toast. Cooking was one of the things Kit did well, Miranda mused8: his food was always attractively presented. He could make a dish of spaghetti look like a royal feast. Appearances were important to her brother. He could not hold down a job or keep his bank account in credit, but he was always well dressed and drove a cool car, no matter how hard up he was. In his father's eyes, he combined frivolous9 achievements with grave weaknesses. The only time Stanley had been happy about Kit was when he was in the Winter Olympics.
Now Kit handed each of them a plate with crisp bacon, slices of fresh tomato, scrambled10 eggs sprinkled with chopped herbs, and triangles of hot buttered toast. The tension in the room eased a little. Perhaps, Miranda thought, that was what Kit had been aiming at. She was not really hungry, but she took a forkful of eggs. He had flavored them with a little Parmesan cheese, and they tasted delightfully11 tangy.
Kit made conversation. "So, Daisy, what do you do for a living?" He gave her his winning smile. Miranda knew he was only being polite. Kit liked pretty girls, and Daisy was anything but that.
She took a long time to reply. "I work with my father," she said.
"And what's his line?"
"His line?"
"I mean, what type of business does he do?"
She seemed baffled by the question.
Nigel laughed and said, "My old friend Harry12 has so many things going, it's hard to say what he does."
Kit surprised Miranda by being insistent13. In a challenging tone he said to Daisy, "Well, give us an example of one of the things he does, then."
She brightened and, as if struck by inspiration, said, "He's into property." She seemed to be repeating something she had heard.
"Sounds as if he likes owning things."
"Property development."
"I'm never sure what that means, 'property development.'"
It was not like Kit to question people aggressively, Miranda thought. Perhaps he, too, found the guests' account of themselves hard to believe. She felt relieved. This proved that they were strangers. Miranda had feared in the back of her mind that Kit was involved in some kind of shady business with them. You never knew, with him.
There was impatience14 in Nigel's voice as he said, "Harry buys an old tobacco warehouse15, applies for planning permission to turn it into luxury flats, then sells it to a builder at a profit."
Once again, Miranda realized, Nigel was answering for Daisy. Kit seemed to have the same thought, for he said, "And how exactly do you help your father with this work, Daisy? I should think you'd be a good saleswoman."
Daisy looked as if she would be better at evicting16 sitting tenants17.
She gave Kit a hostile glare. "I do different things," she said, then tilted18 up her chin, as if defying him to find fault with her answer.
"And I'm sure you do them with charm and efficiency," Kit said.
Kit's flattery was becoming sarcastic19, Miranda thought anxiously. Daisy was not subtle, but she might know when she was being insulted.
The tension spoiled Miranda's breakfast. She had to talk to her father about this. She swallowed, coughed, and pretended to have something stuck in her throat. Coughing, she got up from the table. "Sorry," she spluttered.
Her father snatched up a glass and filled it at the tap.
Still coughing, Miranda left the room. As she intended, her father lollowed her into the hall. She closed the kitchen door and motioned him into his study. She coughed again, for effect, as they went in.
He offered her the glass, and she waved it away. "I was pretending," she said. "I wanted to talk to you. What do you think about our guests?"
He put the glass down on the green leather top of his desk. "A weird bunch. I wondered if they were shady friends of Kit's, until he started questioning the girl."
"Me, too. They're lying about something, though."
"But what? If they're planning to rob us, they're getting off to a slow start."
"I don't know, but I feel threatened."
"Do you want me to call the police?"
"That might be an overreaction. But I wish someone knew these people were in our house."
"Well, let's think—who can we phone?"
"How about Uncle Norman?" Her father's brother, a university librarian, lived in Edinburgh. They loved each other in a distant way, content to meet about once a year.
"Yes. Norman will understand. I'll tell him what's happened, and ask him to phone me in an hour and make sure we're all right."
"Perfect."
Stanley picked up the phone on his desk and put it to his ear. He frowned, replaced the handset, and picked it up again. "No dial tone," he said.
Miranda felt a stab of fear. "Now I really want us to call someone."
He tapped the keyboard of his computer. "No e-mail, either. It's probably the weather. Heavy snow sometimes brings down the lines."
"All the same ..."
"Where's your mobile phone?"
"In the cottage. Don't you have one?"
"Only in the Ferrari."
"Olga must have one."
"No need to wake her." Stanley glanced out of the window. "I'll just throw on a coat over my pajamas20 and go to the garage."
"Where are the keys?"
"Key cupboard."
The key cupboard was on the wall in the boot lobby. "I'll fetch them for you."
They stepped into the hall. Stanley went to the front door and found his boots. Miranda put her hand on the knob of the kitchen door, then hesitated. She could hear Olga's voice coming from the kitchen. Miranda had not spoken to her sister since the moment last night when Kit had treacherously22 blurted23 out the secret. What would she say to Olga, or Olga to her?
She opened the door. Olga was leaning against the kitchen counter, wearing a black silk wrap that reminded Miranda of an advocate's gown. Nigel, Elton, and Daisy sat at the table like a panel. Kit stood behind them, hovering25 anxiously. Olga was in full courtroom mode, interrogating26 the strangers across the table. She said to Nigel, "What on earth were you doing out so late?" He might have been a delinquent27 teenager.
Miranda noticed a rectangular bulge28 in the pocket of the silk robe: Olga never went anywhere without her phone. Miranda was going to turn and tell her father not to bother to put his boots on, but she was arrested by Olga's performance.
Nigel frowned with disapproval29, but answered all the same. "We were on our way to Glasgow."
"Where had you been? There's not much north of here."
"A big country house."
"We probably know the owners. Who are they?"
"Name of Robinson."
Miranda watched, waiting for an opportunity to quietly borrow Olga's phone.
"Robinson doesn't ring a bell. Almost as common as Smith and Brown. What was the occasion?"
A party.
Olga raised her dark eyebrows30. "You come to Scotland to spend Christmas with your old friend, then you and his daughter go off to a party and leave the poor man alone?"
"He wasn't feeling too well."
Olga turned the spotlight31 on Daisy. "What sort of a daughter are you, to leave your sick father at home on Christmas Eve?"
Daisy stared back in mute anger. Miranda suddenly feared that Daisy could be violent. Kit seemed to have the same thought, for he said, "Take it easy, Olga."
Olga ignored him, "Well?" she said to Daisy. "Haven't you got anything to say for yourself ?"
Daisy picked up her gloves. For some reason, Miranda found that ominous32. Daisy put the gloves on then said, "I don't have to answer your questions."
"I think you do." Olga looked back at Nigel. "You're three complete strangers, sitting in my father's kitchen filling yourselves with his food, and the story you tell is highly implausible. I think you need to explain yourselves."
Kit said anxiously, "Olga, is this really necessary? They're just people who got stranded—"
"Are you sure?" she said. She turned her gaze back to Nigel.
Nigel had seemed relaxed, but now anger showed as he said, "I don't like being interrogated33."
"If you don't like it, you can leave," Olga said. "But if you want to stay in my father's house, you need to tell a better story than this farrago."
"We can't leave," Elton said indignantly. "Look out the window, it's a fucking blizzard34."
"Please don't use that word in this house. My mother always forbade obscenities, except in foreign languages, and we've kept her rule since her death." Olga reached for the coffeepot, then pointed35 to the burgundy briefcase36 on the table. "What's this?"
"It's mine," Nigel said.
"Well, we don't keep luggage on the table." She reached out and picked it up. "Not much in it—ow!" She yelled because Nigel had grabbed her arm. "That hurts!" she cried.
Nigel's mask of urbanity had gone. He spoke21 quietly but distinctly. "Put the case down. Now."
Stanley appeared beside Miranda in a coat, gloves, and boots. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he said to Nigel. "Take your hands off my daughter!"
Nellie barked loudly. With a quick movement, Elton reached down and grabbed the dog's collar.
Olga stubbornly kept hold of the briefcase.
Kit said, "Put the case down, Olga."
Daisy grabbed the case. Olga tried to keep hold of it, and somehow the case flew open. Polystyrene packing chips scattered37 all over the kitchen table. Kit gave a shout of fear, and Miranda wondered momentarily what he was so frightened of. Out of the case fell a perfume bottle in two Ziploc bags.
With her free hand, Olga slapped Nigel's face.
Nigel slapped her back. Everyone shouted at once. Stanley gave a grunt38 of rage, pushed past Miranda, and strode toward Nigel. Miranda shouted: "No—"
Daisy stood in Stanley's way. He tried to push her aside. There was a blur24 of movement, and Stanley cried out and fell back, bleeding from his mouth.
Then, suddenly, both Nigel and Daisy were holding guns.
Everyone went quiet except Nellie, who was barking frantically39. Elton twisted her collar, throttling40 her, until she shut up. The room was silent.
Olga said, "Who the hell are you people?"
Stanley looked at the perfume spray on the table and said fearfully, "Why is that bottle double-bagged?"
Miranda slipped out through the door.
收听单词发音 |
1
weird
|
|
| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
kit
|
|
| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
shameful
|
|
| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
perturbed
|
|
| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
speculative
|
|
| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
mused
|
|
| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
frivolous
|
|
| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
scrambled
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
delightfully
|
|
| 大喜，欣然 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
harry
|
|
| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
insistent
|
|
| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
impatience
|
|
| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
warehouse
|
|
| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
evicting
|
|
| v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
tenants
|
|
| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
tilted
|
|
| v. 倾斜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
sarcastic
|
|
| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
pajamas
|
|
| n.睡衣裤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
treacherously
|
|
| 背信弃义地； 背叛地； 靠不住地； 危险地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
blur
|
|
| n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
interrogating
|
|
| n.询问技术v.询问( interrogate的现在分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
delinquent
|
|
| adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
bulge
|
|
| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
disapproval
|
|
| n.反对，不赞成 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
spotlight
|
|
| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
ominous
|
|
| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
interrogated
|
|
| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
blizzard
|
|
| n.暴风雪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
briefcase
|
|
| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
throttling
|
|
| v.扼杀( throttle的现在分词 )；勒死；使窒息；压制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |