The Painted Dragon. Katherine Woodfine
Читать онлайн.| Название | The Painted Dragon |
|---|---|
| Автор произведения | Katherine Woodfine |
| Жанр | Учебная литература |
| Серия | The Sinclair’s Mysteries |
| Издательство | Учебная литература |
| Год выпуска | 0 |
| isbn | 9781780317489 |
First published in Great Britain 2017
by Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Copyright © Katherine Woodfine, 2017
Illustrations copyright © Karl James Mountford, 2017
First e-book edition 2017
ISBN 978 1 4052 8289 5
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1748 9
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
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For Jackie and Zoe, for all the mysteries and adventures
CONTENTS
CHAPTER NINE
PART III: Red Dragon
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
PART IV: Dragon Passant
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
PART V: Dragon Courant
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
PART VI: Dragon Combatant
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
PART VII: Dragon Regardant
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Visitors to London’s Bond Street galleries should not miss works such as Casselli’s The White Dragon, currently on display at the Doyle Gallery. This exquisite example of Italian painting has a fascinating history, having been owned by many of the crowned heads of Europe, including Philip II of Spain and Catherine the Great . . .
From Chapter IV of A Traveller’s Guide to London with 4 Maps and 15 Plans by the Reverend Charles Blenkinsop, 1906 (from the library at Winter Hall)
October 1909
She wasn’t sure exactly when she realised that someone was following her. The interview with Detective Worth had taken longer than she had expected, and when she stepped out on to the street, it was already dark. The daytime crowds had vanished and Piccadilly seemed unnaturally quiet, with only a few figures hurrying by in the rain, their faces hidden beneath their umbrellas.
In a different mood, she might have thought that the way the yellow light from the street lamps shimmered on the wet road was beautiful. She might have wondered about how she could paint the hazy reflections in the shop windows, or the headlamps glowing in the dark. But for once, she was not thinking about painting. She was too distracted by her conversation with Detective Worth to pay attention to anything around her.
The evening air was cold and dank: she found herself shivering in spite of her good coat. She thought longingly of tea and a warm fire, but she dared not hurry home too quickly – the pavement was slick with water, and slippery with damp leaves. Instead, she slowly picked her way towards the underground railway station.
When she became aware of the man walking behind her, she had the feeling that he must have been there for some time. Lost in her thoughts, sounds muffled by the rain, she had not noticed his presence. Now, she glanced up into a darkened shop window and saw his reflection for a split second: a shadowy shape with square shoulders and the outline of a bowler