someone.’
‘But we’re such a small community. The risk of being caught is too great,’ Dame Pamela said. ‘Especially with us all being snowed in.’
‘I don’t think that would put anybody off,’ Robyn said. ‘Not somebody who was serious about it.’
‘Don’t you?’ Dame Pamela said, her eyes wide with worry.
Robyn shook her head. ‘If we can’t find the first edition anywhere and nobody comes forward with it then perhaps we’d better think seriously about what we’re going to do next.’
Chapter 14
Roberta was fidgeting and it wasn’t because of the itchy tweed skirt she was wearing although that was enough reason to make anybody fidget. She was fidgeting because she was nervous and she couldn’t concentrate any more on the talk.
‘What is it?’ Rose demanded of her sister, nudging her in the ribs with an angry elbow.
‘Don’t do that! You know I hate it!’ Roberta whispered.
‘Then stop fidgeting!’
Roberta sighed. Rose could be such a bully sometimes. Honestly, they were both in their seventies now but, sometimes, it was as if they were still children.
Roberta stood up abruptly and grabbed her sister’s arm and marched her out of the library and into the hallway.
‘What do you think you’re doing? I wanted to stay and ask that nice Dr Roberts some questions,’ Rose said.
‘But this is important.’
Rose sighed. ‘What have you done?’ She’d learned over the years that, whenever her sister, Roberta said ‘this is important’, she’d done something wrong.
‘It’s about the first edition,’ Roberta said.
‘Of Pride and Prejudice ?’
‘No, the latest Warwick Lawton novel! Of course of Pride and Prejudice !’
‘Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Roberta,’ Rose said.
Roberta sighed. ‘I’m sorry but I’m really worried. I think I’ve done something terrible.’
‘You’d better tell me what’s going on right now,’ Rose said, pushing her up the stairs. Once they’d arrived in their twin bedroom and closed the door, Roberta walked over to her bedside table and picked up three old books and brought them over for Rose to see.
‘What are these?’ Rose asked.
‘I think it’s the first edition.
Rose’s face paled. ‘You took it?’
‘I found it in the library. Dame Pamela said we could borrow any of the books in there. I didn’t think I was doing any harm.’
‘Is it the first edition?’ Rose said, taking one of the volumes from her sister.
‘I don’t know,’ Roberta said. ‘How do you tell these things?’
‘I have no idea,’ Rose said. ‘I wasn’t wearing my glasses when Dame Pamela held it up at dinner.’
‘Neither was I but it certainly looks old.’
Rose opened the cover and looked inside. ‘I can’t see a date anywhere but it’s quite badly damaged. Maybe the page with the date has been torn out. Are there dates in the other two volumes?’
Roberta sat on the edge of the bed and opened the other volumes. ‘No. I can’t see anything. This page is awfully damaged. Maybe the date was on here.’
‘We’ve got to return it to Dame Pamela right away,’ Rose said.
Roberta looked truly terrified. ‘Oh, please don’t make me!’
‘Tell her you took it by mistake. She’ll be so relieved to have it back that she won’t care about anything else.’
‘I’ll be arrested!’ Roberta shrieked. ‘They’ll put me in prison!’
‘Nobody’s going to put you in prison,’ Rose said. ‘Now, get a grip of yourself.’
‘Can’t I just put it back in the library? That is where I got it from.’
Rose looked thoughtful for a moment. There was some sense in what Roberta was saying and she didn’t want to cause a fuss – not on Christmas Day. Maybe returning it to the library – quickly and quietly – was the best option.
‘Okay,’ Rose said. ‘We’ll return it to the library.’
‘And then maybe we could alert somebody to it – pick it out from the shelves and ask if it’s the first edition?’ Roberta
‘But we’re such a small community. The risk of being caught is too great,’ Dame Pamela said. ‘Especially with us all being snowed in.’
‘I don’t think that would put anybody off,’ Robyn said. ‘Not somebody who was serious about it.’
‘Don’t you?’ Dame Pamela said, her eyes wide with worry.
Robyn shook her head. ‘If we can’t find the first edition anywhere and nobody comes forward with it then perhaps we’d better think seriously about what we’re going to do next.’
Chapter 14
Roberta was fidgeting and it wasn’t because of the itchy tweed skirt she was wearing although that was enough reason to make anybody fidget. She was fidgeting because she was nervous and she couldn’t concentrate any more on the talk.
‘What is it?’ Rose demanded of her sister, nudging her in the ribs with an angry elbow.
‘Don’t do that! You know I hate it!’ Roberta whispered.
‘Then stop fidgeting!’
Roberta sighed. Rose could be such a bully sometimes. Honestly, they were both in their seventies now but, sometimes, it was as if they were still children.
Roberta stood up abruptly and grabbed her sister’s arm and marched her out of the library and into the hallway.
‘What do you think you’re doing? I wanted to stay and ask that nice Dr Roberts some questions,’ Rose said.
‘But this is important.’
Rose sighed. ‘What have you done?’ She’d learned over the years that, whenever her sister, Roberta said ‘this is important’, she’d done something wrong.
‘It’s about the first edition,’ Roberta said.
‘Of Pride and Prejudice ?’
‘No, the latest Warwick Lawton novel! Of course of Pride and Prejudice !’
‘Sarcasm doesn’t become you, Roberta,’ Rose said.
Roberta sighed. ‘I’m sorry but I’m really worried. I think I’ve done something terrible.’
‘You’d better tell me what’s going on right now,’ Rose said, pushing her up the stairs. Once they’d arrived in their twin bedroom and closed the door, Roberta walked over to her bedside table and picked up three old books and brought them over for Rose to see.
‘What are these?’ Rose asked.
‘I think it’s the first edition.
Rose’s face paled. ‘You took it?’
‘I found it in the library. Dame Pamela said we could borrow any of the books in there. I didn’t think I was doing any harm.’
‘Is it the first edition?’ Rose said, taking one of the volumes from her sister.
‘I don’t know,’ Roberta said. ‘How do you tell these things?’
‘I have no idea,’ Rose said. ‘I wasn’t wearing my glasses when Dame Pamela held it up at dinner.’
‘Neither was I but it certainly looks old.’
Rose opened the cover and looked inside. ‘I can’t see a date anywhere but it’s quite badly damaged. Maybe the page with the date has been torn out. Are there dates in the other two volumes?’
Roberta sat on the edge of the bed and opened the other volumes. ‘No. I can’t see anything. This page is awfully damaged. Maybe the date was on here.’
‘We’ve got to return it to Dame Pamela right away,’ Rose said.
Roberta looked truly terrified. ‘Oh, please don’t make me!’
‘Tell her you took it by mistake. She’ll be so relieved to have it back that she won’t care about anything else.’
‘I’ll be arrested!’ Roberta shrieked. ‘They’ll put me in prison!’
‘Nobody’s going to put you in prison,’ Rose said. ‘Now, get a grip of yourself.’
‘Can’t I just put it back in the library? That is where I got it from.’
Rose looked thoughtful for a moment. There was some sense in what Roberta was saying and she didn’t want to cause a fuss – not on Christmas Day. Maybe returning it to the library – quickly and quietly – was the best option.
‘Okay,’ Rose said. ‘We’ll return it to the library.’
‘And then maybe we could alert somebody to it – pick it out from the shelves and ask if it’s the first edition?’ Roberta
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