MIDNIGHT - HarperCollins NZ

JOSEPHINE COX
‘No eggs or bacon? Well, it won’t do, my girl. It won’t
do at all!’ Raking her hands through her hair, the older
woman began stamping her foot. ‘No eggs or bacon!
You’re worse than useless! Can’t even mek a bed properly!
However hard I try, you never learn, do you?’
Turning her attention on the stranger, she stared him
up and down. ‘An’ who the hell are you?’
Peter Scott gave a sly, gappy grin. ‘Oh, now I see
what yer at!’ The grin slipped into a scowl. ‘Don’t play
the innocent with me, you old cow,’ he hissed. ‘Oh,
an’ I can tell you now – lying in bed with you turned
my stomach!’
‘What d’you mean?’ Looking from the man to her
daughter, Eileen was obviously confused. ‘What does
he mean?’ she repeated worriedly. ‘What’s he saying?’
‘I’m warning yer, don’t try that on me!’ he snarled.
‘I don’t tek kindly to being conned!’
All the same, this time he thought he might have
fallen on his feet. First the old one sidles up and asks
him to go home with her, and now he discovers there’s
an even better opportunity to get away with his pockets
full. Maybe after he’s given the younger one a good
seeing-to, an’ all.
Twisting the tale, he said, ‘Nice try, ladies – I’ll give
you that. But it won’t work. Y’see, I ‘appen to be in the
same line of business.’
‘What are you getting at?’ This time, Libby sensed
real trouble. Like before, her mother had obviously
thought this man was her husband and promised him
the earth to come back home with her. It was not the
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