![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nineveh_ukAgain, the usual disclaimers and spoiler warnings. I’ve been a bit nicer to them all this time.
Strong Poison
Harriet Vane, a free woman, found Eiluned Price and Sylvia Marriott waiting for her as she descended the stairs.
‘Darling!’ said Sylvia.
‘Three loud cheers!’ said Eiluned.
Harriet greeted them a little vaguely.
‘Where is Lord Peter Wimsey?’ she inquired. ‘I must thank him.’
‘I'm not sure,’ said Eiluned. ‘He was talking to that policeman but he got pulled away by somebody from the court, and I didn’t see where Lord Peter got to.’
Sylvia craned her neck extravagantly and scanned the room. ‘There he is! Lurking by that pillar. I think he’s seen us.’
‘He’d have to be blind not to,’ Eiluned said drily, ‘with you rubber-necking like that.’
Harriet, detecting Wimsey melting into the fake marble column, smiled encouragingly at him and he sidled unobtrusively across the room, holding his felt hat in one hand.
‘How are you?’
‘Still reeling a bit, I think. I’ll probably wake up tomorrow wondering if it’s all been a dream.’
‘Well, it’s over now.’
‘Thanks to you. No – really, Lord Peter. I know very well that if it hadn’t been for your efforts I’d be facing a very different – ’
‘Don’t talk about that now.’
‘There’s no point in running away from it. You’ve almost certainly saved my life. I really am most tremendously grateful and I can’t possibly repay you.’
‘But – dash it all – I don’t want repaying. I mean, it’s what I do, donchaknow, I’d have done the same for anybody. I’m only that happy it could be for you, not of course that you were in the whole ghastly mess in the first place, of course, but that, well...’
Sylvia took pity on him and interrupted.
‘Harriet, Eiluned’s gone to get the car. Will you be ready to make a dash for it in a minute or two?’
‘What? Oh, yes, of course.’
‘Don’t mind me,’ said Lord Peter. ‘I need a word with old Collins there. Look here, Miss Vane, we never finished that story. Will you lunch with me one day? I’ve so enjoyed talking with you, you know, though I can’t say that the environs have always been conducive to mutual confidence. Do say that you will.’
Harriet looked rather uncertain. ‘I’m not sure that I shall want to lunch anywhere just a present. The press –’
‘- will have something else to occupy them before the end of the week. They always do. It needn’t be the Ritz if you don’t like it. We’ll go somewhere quiet and then you can be sure that nobody will scoop the plot.’
‘In that case, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt –’
‘Splendid! I’ll write to you, if I may? I have to go down to Denver for a day or two, but don’t worry, I’ll be in touch.’
‘Very well.’ She held out her hand. ‘Thank you, Lord Peter.’
‘Good-bye.’ He took her hand, raised his hat, set it back on his head, and pattered off, Harriet staring vaguely after him and straightening her gloves. Sylvia grinned.
‘That man fancies you.’
Harriet turned away from Wimsey’s retreating back with a jerk. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’m not. Honestly, Harriet, he couldn’t take his eyes off you in the courtroom, poor darling, and goodness knows his brain must have been occupied with something when he was talking just now because I don’t believe for a moment that he’s nearly as much of a silly ass as he pretends.’
‘He’s not,’ said Harriet quickly.
‘There you are. There’s only one possible explanation.’
‘I’m sure you’re wrong.’
‘You may think what you like,’ said Sylvia, leading the way to the steps and the waiting throng of photographers, ‘but I am quite certain; I was right about who did the murder, and I’m going to be right about this.’
*
ETA: To those (looking at you,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
azdak), who think that Harriet Vane can’t vamp, the German publishers of Strong Poison disagree with you.
Strong Poison
Harriet Vane, a free woman, found Eiluned Price and Sylvia Marriott waiting for her as she descended the stairs.
‘Darling!’ said Sylvia.
‘Three loud cheers!’ said Eiluned.
Harriet greeted them a little vaguely.
‘Where is Lord Peter Wimsey?’ she inquired. ‘I must thank him.’
‘I'm not sure,’ said Eiluned. ‘He was talking to that policeman but he got pulled away by somebody from the court, and I didn’t see where Lord Peter got to.’
Sylvia craned her neck extravagantly and scanned the room. ‘There he is! Lurking by that pillar. I think he’s seen us.’
‘He’d have to be blind not to,’ Eiluned said drily, ‘with you rubber-necking like that.’
Harriet, detecting Wimsey melting into the fake marble column, smiled encouragingly at him and he sidled unobtrusively across the room, holding his felt hat in one hand.
‘How are you?’
‘Still reeling a bit, I think. I’ll probably wake up tomorrow wondering if it’s all been a dream.’
‘Well, it’s over now.’
‘Thanks to you. No – really, Lord Peter. I know very well that if it hadn’t been for your efforts I’d be facing a very different – ’
‘Don’t talk about that now.’
‘There’s no point in running away from it. You’ve almost certainly saved my life. I really am most tremendously grateful and I can’t possibly repay you.’
‘But – dash it all – I don’t want repaying. I mean, it’s what I do, donchaknow, I’d have done the same for anybody. I’m only that happy it could be for you, not of course that you were in the whole ghastly mess in the first place, of course, but that, well...’
Sylvia took pity on him and interrupted.
‘Harriet, Eiluned’s gone to get the car. Will you be ready to make a dash for it in a minute or two?’
‘What? Oh, yes, of course.’
‘Don’t mind me,’ said Lord Peter. ‘I need a word with old Collins there. Look here, Miss Vane, we never finished that story. Will you lunch with me one day? I’ve so enjoyed talking with you, you know, though I can’t say that the environs have always been conducive to mutual confidence. Do say that you will.’
Harriet looked rather uncertain. ‘I’m not sure that I shall want to lunch anywhere just a present. The press –’
‘- will have something else to occupy them before the end of the week. They always do. It needn’t be the Ritz if you don’t like it. We’ll go somewhere quiet and then you can be sure that nobody will scoop the plot.’
‘In that case, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt –’
‘Splendid! I’ll write to you, if I may? I have to go down to Denver for a day or two, but don’t worry, I’ll be in touch.’
‘Very well.’ She held out her hand. ‘Thank you, Lord Peter.’
‘Good-bye.’ He took her hand, raised his hat, set it back on his head, and pattered off, Harriet staring vaguely after him and straightening her gloves. Sylvia grinned.
‘That man fancies you.’
Harriet turned away from Wimsey’s retreating back with a jerk. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I’m not. Honestly, Harriet, he couldn’t take his eyes off you in the courtroom, poor darling, and goodness knows his brain must have been occupied with something when he was talking just now because I don’t believe for a moment that he’s nearly as much of a silly ass as he pretends.’
‘He’s not,’ said Harriet quickly.
‘There you are. There’s only one possible explanation.’
‘I’m sure you’re wrong.’
‘You may think what you like,’ said Sylvia, leading the way to the steps and the waiting throng of photographers, ‘but I am quite certain; I was right about who did the murder, and I’m going to be right about this.’
*
ETA: To those (looking at you,
azdak), who think that Harriet Vane can’t vamp, the German publishers of Strong Poison disagree with you.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-10 07:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-11 09:48 am (UTC)The daughter of one of Helen's guests, perhaps, who she rather disapproves of but can't say anything about because of Saint-George.
The multiple publishers of Sayers books in German would explain why there seem to be alternate titles for some of them (incl. Strong Poison). I shall have to take your word on the translation being good!