"Stephen R. Lawhead - Avalon, The Return Of King Arthur (v4.0)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lawhead Stephen)

and khakis were laid out for the evening. The balcony doors were open, and the
glass-and-aluminum table prepared with a gleaming white cloth. There was a
sweating bucket beside the table, a crystal champagne flute on a tray in the center,
and a large parcel wrapped in brown paper to one side.
Padding barefoot onto the balcony, Teddy seized the dark-green bottle from the ice
bucket and glanced approvingly at the pale yellow-gold label as he poured his first
glass. He collapsed into his chair, propped his feet on the railing, and, raising his
glass to the empty air, said, тАЬHereтАЩs to Mister Mo├лt and Mister Chandon!тАЭ He threw
back his head and drank deeply, savoring the icy bite of the bubbles on his tongue.
тАЬAh! Many thanks, chaps.тАЭ
Tossing down the rest of the glass, he quickly poured another; this one he nursed,
watching the last of the sunset as the colors faded into deepening shades of gray and
blue out over the bay. The air was warm and perfumed with the sweetly intoxicating
scent of wild gardenia. Below him, among the palms and bougainvillaea, the lights of
the stylish villas and verandas of Funchal were beginning to glimmer. The
diamond-spangled hostesses were, he imagined, wheeling out the hors dтАЩoeuvres
and dishing up the first juicy tidbits of what passed for society gossip.
He poured another glass of champagne, and felt the familiar glow rising from
stomach to head. тАЬWhere has that blasted Cozu got to?тАЭ he murmured.
As if in answer to this question, the servant knocked on the door and backed into
the room carrying a covered tray. He stepped silently around the table, placed the
tray on the table, and made to remove the parcel. тАЬLeave it,тАЭ said Teddy, whereupon
the manservant busied himself with the dishes. тАЬDonтАЩt bother,тАЭ Teddy told him. тАЬIтАЩll
help myself when IтАЩm ready.тАЭ
тАЬOf course, sir.тАЭ The butler straightened. тАЬWill sir require anything else?тАЭ
тАЬNo, Cozu, sir does not require anything else but to be left bloody alone.тАЭ
тАЬVery good, sir.тАЭ The servant inclined his head, bade his employer good night, and
departed, pulling the door shut after him.
When he had gone, Teddy took the cover off the tray and picked up a slice of cold
smoked salmon with his fingers. He dangled it above his mouth, dropped it in, and
chewed thoughtfully. He slid another slice of salmon onto a triangle of buttered
brown bread, took a bite, and washed it down with icy champagne.
Then, taking up the parcel, he walked back into the bedroom, placed it on the bed,
and unwrapped it. Under the plain paper was a simple box of white cardboard.
Teddy opened the box to see a handsome facsimile of EnglandтАЩs royal crown, and a
white envelope. Ignoring the envelope, he took the crown out of the box and studied
it more closely. The Star of Africa was zirconium, of course, and the crown itself
was gold-plated; but the trimming was real ermine, and the red velvet hand sewn. To
the untutored eye, it looked for all the world like the real thing. It ought to, he
thought, it had cost enough.
Teddy lifted the crown and balanced it on his head. The weight of the piece made
his head slightly wobbly тАФ that, and three glasses of champagne. Steadying himself,
he picked up his drink and walked to the mirror in the bathroom; he rubbed the
steam from the glass with his sleeve, let his robe drop to the floor, then stood back
to regard himself.
Beneath the crown was a ruddy-faced, balding man with a receding chin, a bulbous
nose, and a wattled neck running to jowls; but his gray eyes looked out from under
low, even brows, his teeth were straight, and his skin nicely tanned from many idle
days on his boat. Turning sideways he sucked in his stomach and slapped his belly
three times with a satisfied grunt. All in all, not bad for fifty-eight years, he decided.