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The Room on the Second Floor
T A Williams
Douglas Scott finds nothing more exciting than doing what he shouldn’t. So when he discovers an irresistibly devilish ancient royal decree he’s determined to put it to good use. After all, opening the country’s only legal brothel right under his best friend’s nose is just the latest in a list of tricks he’s pulled – and he always comes out on top!But the further Douglas gets into the oldest profession, the more he realises what a complicated game it is to play. And when an attempted murder wreaks havoc on Toplingham Manor, he wonders if he might just have made the biggest mistake of his life…Praise for TA Williams'…not your usual romantic comedy… If you fancy your love stories racy, with a few drops of murder attempts, peppered with serious issues such as prostitution and hemmed with historical facts: this is your book.' - Chick Lit Reviews and News'…a very funny story… If you want to read a story with a real plot, and characters that have that real feel to them, and still have some nice fluffiness on the pages of your read, you should definitely pick up Dirty Minds. It was a truly enjoyable read, and I can only recommend it!' - (un)Conventional Bookviews on Dirty Minds'…not your usual romantic comedy… If you fancy your love stories racy, with a few drops of murder attempts, peppered with serious issues such as prostitution and hemmed with historical facts: this is your book.' - Chick Lit Reviews and News
Secrets at Toplingham Manor
T A Williams
Copyright (#ue3d15b17-1674-5758-b578-9805e2ebcf7c)
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014
Previously published as The Room on the Second Floor
Copyright © T A Williams 2014
T A Williams asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © June 2014 ISBN: 9781472074508
Version date: 2018-07-23
TREVOR WILLIAMS
lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He has taught people from all over the world, among them Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, live fish and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. He has written historical novels, humorous books and thrillers. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing. You can follow him on Twitter, @TAWilliamsBooks (http://twitter.com/TAWilliamsBooks), or visit his website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com (http://www.tawilliamsbooks.com)
Contents
Cover (#u8e202acc-1bd4-56f8-880e-0d718c7bb15c)
Title Page (#u09954cef-69d0-5889-875e-64068c2b504c)
Copyright
Author Bio (#u895a1d5f-95e3-5644-9abf-35a662eac068)
Acknowledgement (#u25f7bd8f-2124-52de-b7e2-1de68ce983e1)
Dedication (#u951286a5-0dd4-54a7-986f-1f712885bd06)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Epilogue
Excerpt (#litres_trial_promo)
Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher
My thanks to Tony Stevenson and David Bricknell for their classical and legal expertise
And thanks, as ever, to my editor, Clio Cornish, whose input is always so valuable.
With thanks to Mariangela and Christina for their support
With love
HENRICUS dei gratia rex Angliae dux Normannorum praemio pro hospitio abundanti sibi praebito ab Arturo Toplinghamensi necessario DECERNIT ut manerium Toplingham in Devoniae comitatu in perpetuum ad praeclarum quaestum meretricium faciendum iure ac merito nemine obstante neque impediente permaneat et hic subscribit die xiii julii anno regni nostri xxxi.
Chapter 1 (#ue3d15b17-1674-5758-b578-9805e2ebcf7c)
The campus clock struck four. She went over to the post tray and started collecting the day’s letters. As she bent forward, she sensed eyes on her. Turning round, her heart sank. She saw it was Edgar Lean, lurking at the open door of her office. She wasn’t the sort of girl who would ever want to be rude to anybody, but his habit of sneaking up on her had started to give her the creeps. Nevertheless, she managed to summon up a weak smile. Confrontation wasn’t her way.
‘Afternoon, Linda.’
‘Good afternoon, Edgar.’
‘Anything I can help you with?’ He was staring at her fixedly. His eyes were wide open, unblinking.
‘No, I’m fine thanks.’ As always, she felt uncomfortable in his presence. She nodded towards the pile of letters. ‘Sorry I can’t stop and talk. I’m afraid I’m busy.’ She turned her back on him, hoping he would take the hint.
All was quiet for a minute or two. Then, behind her, she heard steps. There was a movement and, to her horror, she felt a touch on her bottom. She squeaked with indignation and spun round.
But Edgar Lean had left. In his place, she was confronted with the tall figure of Roger Dalby, an expression of embarrassment on his face. Now, he was a very different kettle of fish. Her indignation left her and she gave him a warm smile.
‘Hi, Linda, sorry if I startled you.’ He was carrying a large cardboard box. The dog-eared label read, 12
