My Girl (Dead Reckoning series - Part 10)

Continued from Episode 9  (Standing in the Shadows of Love)

The story so far:  Archibald and Samantha are concerned about Josiah's apparent infatuation with an old flame, Jeanette DeVille.  His decision to wine and dine her at the new French restaurant, 'L'eau Bleu' being a particular issue.  What news will the following day bring?:

 

“Psst, Archie!”  Samantha hissed from her perch beside him, on the shelf in the stock room.

Archibald Thurble, engrossed in polishing some brass coffin handles, carried on without responding.

“Archie!” Samanth hissed, somewhat louder this time.

Archibald visibly jumped and spun around.

“What?”

“Are you doing Josiah’s tea, this morning?”  She whispered.

“Well, I don’t know” Archibald looked thoughtful, “’cause you reckoned I shouldn’t be just a ‘tea boy’, didn’t you?”

“That is true, Archie, and I still think that…”

“There you are then!” Archibald looked triumphant.

“…but, don’t you want to know what happened last night?” Samantha tilted her head and looked at Archibald, pleadingly.

“Not particularly” Archibald shrugged.

“Oh, come on!  Be a pal”

“It’s you that wants to know” Archibald pointed out, “why don’t you take him his tea?”

“And how likely do you think it would be that he would tell me about his ‘date’?” Samantha made the ‘inverted comma’ sign with her fingers, and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, fair point” Archibald nodded, “Alright, I’ll do it” He added, wearily.

Which is why, once again, Archibald found himself knocking on Josiah’s door, tea and biscuits in hand.

“Come in, Archibald” Josiah boomed.

Archibald edged his way in, set the tea things on the desk, and immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and nose.

“Oh my God!” Archibald said, in muffled tones, “Has there been a gas leak or summat?”

“Gas leak?” Josiah looked puzzled, “We do not have gas here, how could there be a…ah, I think I might have an explanation” He looked a little sheepish.

“Worrisit then?” Archibald asked, hand still covering his face.

“Ah, well, as you know, myself and Jeanette, Mrs. DeVille that is, had dinner at L’eau Bleu last night”

“Yeah” Archibald agreed, still muffled.

“And French cuisine is somewhat noted for its use of garlic,” Josiah blushed somewhat, “the chef at L’eau Bleu having a particular penchant for that ingredient”

“Strewth!” Archibald backed away and carefully moved the visitor’s chair some way from the desk.

“I appreciate that it can be a little anti-social” Josiah admitted.

“Not half!” Archibald nodded, “What did that Mrs. Devil think?”

“It’s DeVille” Josiah snapped, “and, as she had also partaken of the same cuisine, I very much doubt that she was aware of any lingering odours”

“Just as well you’re not seeing her today, then” Archibald said, from a safe distance.

“As a matter of fact, I am!” Josiah looked rather smug, “She will be joining me for luncheon”

“Luncheon?” Archibald looked puzzled, “what’s that, when it’s at home?”

“It is the correct and proper term for ‘lunch’, which is a foreshortened version of that same word”

“Oh, right” Archibald conceded, “Hold up, though, is she coming back, just for that?”

“No, in fact she stayed over last night” Josiah admitted, coyly.

“She…she stayed over?” Archibald looked shocked.

“Oh, no, not with me!” Josiah chuckled, “She took a room in town”

“Oh, right” Archbald looked relieved, “only, I was going to say…”

“Would that have offended your sensibilities, Archibald?” Josiah smirked.

“Well…it’s just a bit…you know…on your first date, and stuff” Archibald looked decidedly embarrassed.

“I do take your point, Archibald, and you can rest assured that nothing untoward happened between us” Josiah smiled, happily, at the memory.

“I should think not!” Archibald said, primly.

“Was there anything else?  Only, I do have work to do as, I am sure, do you” Josiah pointed out.

“No, no, nothing else” Archibald took the hint and made for the door, “you’re not going to that Blue place for lunch, are you?”

“No, Archibald” Josiah smiled, “I think the local tearooms will suffice, for a light luncheon”

“That’s a relief!” Archibald grinned and made his way out.

* * * *

“What did he say?” Samantha asked, as soon as Archibald reappeared.

“Well, it’s like he said, he took that Mrs. Devil to that French place and they had a ton of garlic between them, if the air in the office is owt to go by!” Archibald reported, “Oh, and she stayed over”

“She what?” Samantha looked shocked.

“Not with him, like” Archibald explained, “she stayed in town, somewhere”

“Oh, thank heavens for that” Samantha sighed.

“Yeah, but he’s taking her out for ‘luncheon’ an’ all, today” Archibald said, gloomily.

“It’s all a bit…intense, wouldn’t you say?” Samantha looked concerned.

“I dunno what to make of it, to be fair” Archibald shrugged.

“I wonder,” Samantha looked thoughtful, “if we were to stroll into town, in our lunch break, whether we might catch a glimpse of them, what do you say, Archie?”

“Oh no, leave me out of it” Archibald shook his head, firmly.

“Oh come on, be a sport!” Samantha grinned, “I’ll stand you a bag of chips”

“Go on then” Archibald agreed, reluctantly.

Which is why, a little while later, Samantha and Archibald were walking out of the premises, together, when Archibald came to a sudden stop.  Samantha looked at him with concern but then became aware that a slender, rather tall girl, dressed all in black, with long copper hair, was standing on the pavement, directly before them.

“Bloody hell!” Archibald exclaimed.

“Hello, Archie” Precious said, sweetly.

“What the…what erm, what are you doing here?” Archibald asked, ungraciously.

“Mama wishes to go shopping, later, and she asked me to join her” Precious explained, “Dear Hames kindly drove me in” She indicated a dilapidated vehicle, parked across the road, that might once have been a luxury car.  Hames, in the driver’s seat, glowered at Archibald.  “I wondered if we might have a bite to eat?” Precious asked.

“You want to go for summat to eat?  With me?” Archibald looked astounded.

“You really should do that, Archie” Samantha said, firmly, “forgive me, I’m Samantha Knight” Samantha extended her hand to Precious, who looked at it in distaste and made minimal effort to shake it.

“Precious DeVille” She nodded, perfunctorily.

“Well, you youngsters should cut along” Samantha said, with forced jollity, “I’ll take myself off into town” She strode off, looking back at Archibald from time to time.

“Well, she seemed…nice” Precious offered, with very little sincerity, “where might we eat?”

“Oh, erm, well, I dunno!” Archibald looked puzzled, “Do you like doughnuts?”

“I don’t believe I have ever tried such a thing”

“Only, there’s a shop, just down the road, what does doughnuts and coffee and stuff” Archibald explained, “we could go there?”

Precious looked unconvinced but nodded, reluctantly.

Ten minutes later they were ensconced at a table.  Before them, a box of doughnuts each and a coffee in a cardboard cup.

Precious looked at the food offering, doubtfully, and prodded one with a well-manicured fingernail.

“The girl behind the counter seemed to know you” She ventured.

“Ah yeah, that’s Fanny, she owns the place now” Archibald nodded, attacking his first doughnut, “her dad, Dick, used to run it but he had health problems and stuff”

“I’m not surprised!” Precious delicately tore a morsel from one of her doughnuts and consumed it, thoughtfully.

“He had this slogan, did Dick” Archibald chuckled, “It’s not a proper doughnut if it ain’t been made by a Dick”

“How…different!” Precious responded, carefully.

“’Cause, that’s all changed now, what with his daughter taking over” Archibald explained.

“One would hope so” Precious agreed.

“Like it says on the box” Archibald pointed at the lid, “’They’re only doughnuts if they look like Fanny’s!’”

“Very…memorable” Precious agreed, tearing off another slight morsel.

“Yeah, it’s catchy, right enough” Archibald concurred, eating with gusto, “but I’m not sure it means what she thinks it does. People could take it the wrong way, style of thing” He went on to explain.

“I imagine that could be a possibility…whatever that might be” Precious said, seriously.  “I do hope you have no objection to my joining you, today, Archie?  I do realise it was somewhat…presumptuous of me to just appear in the way that I did.  Hames was very dubious about my proposal”

“Nah, it’s no bother” Archibald responded, cheerfully, “we could have gone to the chip shop, only…well, I’ve got a bit of history there, so perhaps best not” He blushed a bit.

“History?  Really? How intriguing!” Precious smiled, “You must tell me all”

“Oh, well, one of these days, eh?” Archibald answered, sheepishly.

“You think we might meet again, then?” Precious teased.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t presuming owt” Archibald flustered, “I just meant…you know…”

“I am sure we will meet again, Archie” Precious beamed in his direction, “Mama is somewhat…fond of Mr. Oakshott, so I do not see how it could not be so”

“Yeah, it’s an ill wind, innit?” Archibald grinned.

“Is it?” Precious looked puzzled, “perhaps it’s the doughnuts?” She suggested.

For the background to all this, you really need to read 'Bring Out Your Dead' (link is external) available now in both Kindle and paperback versions.

Now read Episode 11