Read Online The Ozark trilogy by Suzette Haden Elgin - Free Book Online
Authors: Suzette Haden Elgin
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I can just see him thinking himself fit to be an exception and sitting around his supper table bragging that he’s shown Brightwater a thing or two! But he’s a pool; pitiful, pathetic, puny fool. He couldn’t sour milk any way but spitting in it.”
Whew! She was outspoken. Too outspoken. There were still staff near us, and what their family allegiance might be was unknown to me. And children, who are not always good at guarding their tongues.
“Want me to hush,” she said, her mouth twitching, “you pass the Smiths by. Or I’ll say the rest, to convince you—and I know a passel more, young woman.”
I was sure she did, and it was clear that she was prepared to lay it all before us, and the devil take the consequences.
“Granny Golightly,” I said, “I’ll make a bargain with you, if you’ll hush now.”
“State it!”
“You spread the word for me,” I said, “with a suitable story ... some good reason why I did not go to Castle Smith. You know the conditions on a Quest—mere refusal of admittance to a location is no excuse. I need a plague, or a dragon, or a bomb, or whatever you like, I leave it to you. But something that will be sufficient to make by-passing that Castle not a spoiling of my Quest! Something clearly and wholly beyond my control, you understand me?”
“I do,” she said. “And I’ll see to it.”
“Your word on it? And nobody else harmed, mind!”
“My word, given already,” she said impatiently, “and done as it should be. I’ll spread the story and it will be ample, and no edges lopping over. My promise on it, Responsible of Brightwater!”
I stood up then, too, and it was like a congregation following the choir; they all followed the Granny and me and stood along with us, and the servingmaids moved in to clear away the tablestuff.
“Then I’ll stay the night here, if you’ll have me for supper; too,” I said, “and then go on sometime tomorrow to Castle Airy. The matter of Castle Smith I’ll leave to Granny Golightly, with my thanks.”
“Make it good, Granny,” said Una—the first time she’d spoken all that time except to chide or cosset a child.
“Never you mind,” said the old woman. “I’ve been a Granny a very long time now, I know my doings.”
Maybe.
Since she would cover my tracks for me, it made no difference if the guilty one was at Castle Smith; as had been plainly stated, I had not even needed to leave home to find out who that was. But the Smiths now ... I’d seen Delldon Mallard Smith at meetings, and for sure had always found him a pompous bore, with an “uh ... uh ... uh ... “ for every other word out of his mouth. But I didn’t know there was dry rot in his brain, which was how the Granny made it sound, and it was of course a credit to the Smith women that I didn’t. If the men at the Castle were as foolish as Granny Golightly had said them to be, plain out and aloud in front of one and all, then there might be one or more of them fool enough to be mixed up in this somewhere, or to prove a weak link at an inconvenient moment.
It didn’t matter; I decided. I felt quite confident about Granny Golightly’s powers of invention. By the time I landed Sterling at Castle Airy some truly wondrous tale would have spread from one end of Ozark to the other to explain why I had not favored Castle Smith with a visit, and that was all that was of any present importance. The rest of it could wait rill a later time.
I followed them into the Castle, looking forward to my room and a rest and a proper bathroom, and as a show of solidarity I scooped up a random baby from a low bench in the hall under a round window.
When in Clark ...
CHAPTER 4
CASTLE CLARK DID very well by me; a small formal supper for twenty-four interesting couples, and the young man provided for me able to discuss several other subjects besides Mules and the weather and then a truly impressive breakfast on the Castle balcony with what appeared to be half the county
Whew! She was outspoken. Too outspoken. There were still staff near us, and what their family allegiance might be was unknown to me. And children, who are not always good at guarding their tongues.
“Want me to hush,” she said, her mouth twitching, “you pass the Smiths by. Or I’ll say the rest, to convince you—and I know a passel more, young woman.”
I was sure she did, and it was clear that she was prepared to lay it all before us, and the devil take the consequences.
“Granny Golightly,” I said, “I’ll make a bargain with you, if you’ll hush now.”
“State it!”
“You spread the word for me,” I said, “with a suitable story ... some good reason why I did not go to Castle Smith. You know the conditions on a Quest—mere refusal of admittance to a location is no excuse. I need a plague, or a dragon, or a bomb, or whatever you like, I leave it to you. But something that will be sufficient to make by-passing that Castle not a spoiling of my Quest! Something clearly and wholly beyond my control, you understand me?”
“I do,” she said. “And I’ll see to it.”
“Your word on it? And nobody else harmed, mind!”
“My word, given already,” she said impatiently, “and done as it should be. I’ll spread the story and it will be ample, and no edges lopping over. My promise on it, Responsible of Brightwater!”
I stood up then, too, and it was like a congregation following the choir; they all followed the Granny and me and stood along with us, and the servingmaids moved in to clear away the tablestuff.
“Then I’ll stay the night here, if you’ll have me for supper; too,” I said, “and then go on sometime tomorrow to Castle Airy. The matter of Castle Smith I’ll leave to Granny Golightly, with my thanks.”
“Make it good, Granny,” said Una—the first time she’d spoken all that time except to chide or cosset a child.
“Never you mind,” said the old woman. “I’ve been a Granny a very long time now, I know my doings.”
Maybe.
Since she would cover my tracks for me, it made no difference if the guilty one was at Castle Smith; as had been plainly stated, I had not even needed to leave home to find out who that was. But the Smiths now ... I’d seen Delldon Mallard Smith at meetings, and for sure had always found him a pompous bore, with an “uh ... uh ... uh ... “ for every other word out of his mouth. But I didn’t know there was dry rot in his brain, which was how the Granny made it sound, and it was of course a credit to the Smith women that I didn’t. If the men at the Castle were as foolish as Granny Golightly had said them to be, plain out and aloud in front of one and all, then there might be one or more of them fool enough to be mixed up in this somewhere, or to prove a weak link at an inconvenient moment.
It didn’t matter; I decided. I felt quite confident about Granny Golightly’s powers of invention. By the time I landed Sterling at Castle Airy some truly wondrous tale would have spread from one end of Ozark to the other to explain why I had not favored Castle Smith with a visit, and that was all that was of any present importance. The rest of it could wait rill a later time.
I followed them into the Castle, looking forward to my room and a rest and a proper bathroom, and as a show of solidarity I scooped up a random baby from a low bench in the hall under a round window.
When in Clark ...
CHAPTER 4
CASTLE CLARK DID very well by me; a small formal supper for twenty-four interesting couples, and the young man provided for me able to discuss several other subjects besides Mules and the weather and then a truly impressive breakfast on the Castle balcony with what appeared to be half the county
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