Read Murder on the Moor for Free Online

ball-and-claw-footed Victorian tub occupied the upper landing. A cloakroom—or as the interior decorator had pretentiously described it, a “powder room”—was located downstairs off the hall.
    Savoring the last of his pipe, he tapped the contents from the bowl into a flowerbed, with a final wish that all the guests could go home so he and Helen could salvage some time to themselves. When he returned inside, he found the center of the living room emptied of furniture.
    “We’re having a ceilidh ,” Shona Allerdice whispered to him conspiratorially.
    Rex didn’t see the need for all the secrecy, until he saw her slide a surreptitious look in her daughter’s direction. Flora stood in a corner with her brother in apparent nervous anticipation.
    “What sort of music would you like for the dance?” Rex asked Shona.
    “Oh, I looked through your CDs and found some compilations of traditional Scottish tunes that’ll do grand.”
    Rex, who had two left feet, would have preferred some other form of entertainment, but Shona was obviously not to be deterred. The others sat expectantly on the pushed back burgundy velvet chairs and matching sofas, clasping glasses of wine and whisky.
    “All Shona’s idea,” Helen murmured, moving close to him as the lady in question busied herself with the stereo system. “The wine must have emboldened her.”
    “Blast the woman.”
    “Yes, I know how much you hate dancing.”
    “She could have consulted with me first.”
    “She seems to have some scheme up her sleeve. Don’t look so put out, Rex. The party is a raving success.”
    “They’re all staying, I suppose?”
    “Alas, yes. Shona asked me if it would be an imposition. What could I say? It’s still pouring outside and, in any case, I don’t think we could find one designated driver among them. The Scots drink like fishes.”
    “Och, well, we might as well make the most of it.” Rex looked around the room. “Where’s Moira?”
    “She said something about Alistair being kind enough to give up his room, and he went to help her with her suitcase. Looks like she planned on staying for at least a few days.”
    “Over my dead body.”
    “Here they are now.”
    Moira and Alistair entered the room, looking pleased with themselves. Moira went to the stereo to consult with Shona on the music. “The Gay Gordons, followed by some softer music for slow dancing,” she suggested.
    Shona concurred with a gleam in her eyes. “So how long were you with Rex?” she asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.
    “A few years. Right up until I went to Baghdad, in fact. I was heartbroken to find when I returned that he had met someone else.”
    Rex itched to set the record straight, but good manners prevailed. He would just have to withstand the withering gazes branding him a cad.
    “Well, I imagine you and Rob Roy must have a lot in common,” Shona said, dragging Moira toward the journalist. “You’re both well travelled. And both from Glasgow, I heard.”
    “She’s a right Mrs. Bennet, isn’t she?” Helen whispered in Rex’s ear. “She’ll have all the single women married off by the end of the evening.”
    “One in particular, I’ll be bound—if she could.” He cocked his head in Flora’s direction.
    Helen shook her head slowly and sighed. “It’s pathetic the way her poor daughter looks at Alistair.”
    “He is a catch. A handsome advocate from a rich family—what more could a mother like Shona wish for?”
    “Perhaps we should set her straight, so to speak.”
    “Och, let’s not meddle. I hate gossip and silliness.”
    “You’re right. We’ll just see how it all plays out.”
    Shona Allerdice pressed the button on the CD remote and a burst of bagpipes issued forth.
    “Let the games begin,” Rex muttered under his breath.

“Grab your partners, ” Shona announced, pushing Flora at Alistair.
    Moira and Rob Roy, who had no choice but to dance together since they were standing side by side, joined Flora and