Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

4 Kerry Greenwood
‘For spring,’ she replied, and he presented his hyacinths. Phryne
leaned forward and drank in the scent, and he had a dizzying feeling
that he was actually going to fall down her cleavage.
The maid uncovered the tray, taking the flowers and placing
them in a vase of exactly the right dimensions. She poured
Phryne a cup of coffee from the copper pot, opened the napkin
to reveal freshly made bread rolls, and left. Miss Fisher buttered
a roll lavishly and poured coffee for her fellow breakfaster. Then
she seemed to be struck by a thought.
‘Simon, I’m sorry—can you eat with me?’
‘Yes, of course,’ he said, ‘unless you were responsible for
dosing my co-religionist with rat poison,’ he added, taking a
roll and breaking it. ‘In fact, even if you were I would presume
that you haven’t a reason for killing me, eh?’
‘Aren’t you supposed to only eat kosher food?’
‘You’ve been researching us,’ he said slowly. ‘Yes, my mother
keeps a kosher house. No, I see no reason why your coffee, your
cherry jam and your bread should not be perfectly all right. I
can’t eat dairy food at the same time as meat, that’s all, and I’m
destined never to taste moules marinière or bacon, but that’s no
great loss. And we keep the Sabbath, so we don’t do anything
but rest on Saturday, which is something of an impediment in
a world which doesn’t do anything on Sunday…including get
up early, I had forgotten. But my father taught me never to be
negligent to beautiful ladies, so I came as soon as I decently could
to apologize for not returning your call yesterday.’
He gave her a lopsided smile which was very hard to resist,
and Phryne’s mood was already improving under the onslaught
of real coffee, hyacinths and charm.
‘I had a disturbed night, with all that wind; and the puppy
which the girls have wished on me started howling. I shall go
back to sleep presently, but for the moment I am pleased to
see you,’ said Phryne, sipping the black caffeine-rich brew and
surveying the young man.
He was very decorative. His hair was curly, and she wondered
idly what it might feel like under her hand. His bright brown eyes