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

Morven estate. CalтАЩs father had been hired as gamekeeper to help JamesтАЩ father,
who was managing more and more of the estate, and suddenly James had a new
friend. Two wild young bucks, they had gone through school together, skipping
classes at every opportunity to ride ponies and go hunting and fishing. Loyal,
irritating, diverting, and exasperating тАФ Cal was the brother JamesтАЩ parents never
got around to giving him.
Douglas Charmichael was also a long-time friend, and the three of them, bachelors
all, often met of an evening at the Pipe & Drum for a pint and a little football. Like
everyone else that night, they sat and absorbed the shocking news. For, whatever a
person might think of Edward the man, and in spite of the inevitability of Magna
Carta II, the nation was confronted that night with the end of a long history of
monarchical rule, and that was something that could not be digested in the space of a
sound bite.
Quickly bored with the unenlightening coverage of what was already being termed
the National Tragedy and since football was not going to return, Gordon, the
landlord, switched off the TV, and James braved the crush at the bar to fetch the
table another round. тАЬGood day on the moors?тАЭ Douglas was asking Cal when he
returned with the drinks.
тАЬOh, aye, good enough. We let one real trophy get away, and two others bolted
before we could get close. But the punters seemed happy enough. They each got a
kill тАФ thatтАЩs what matters.тАЭ
тАЬWhoтАЩve you got this week?тАЭ James asked, handing the drinks around.
тАЬA couple of flash solicitors all the way up from London-town.тАЭ Calum accepted his
pint. тАЬTa, Jimmy.тАЭ
тАЬDonтАЩt talk to me about solicitors,тАЭ James grumbled. тАЬIтАЩve spent most of the day
with them, and IтАЩve got a mountain of stuff to plow through tonight.тАЭ
тАЬThese are a right pair, IтАЩll tell you,тАЭ Cal continued blithely. тАЬThink theyтАЩre on safari.
Matching macs and field glasses, designer sunglasses on little strings around their
necks, and silver whisky flasks in their plus fours. TheyтАЩre driving a purple Range
Rover, for cryinтАЩ out loud, with tinted windows, bull bars, and state-of-the-art
audio.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs parked outside,тАЭ Douglas informed him, taking a sip from the foaming pint. тАЬI
saw it when I came in.тАЭ
Cal glanced guiltily around the room. тАЬI donтАЩt see тАЩem тАФ must be in the dining
room,тАЭ he concluded. тАЬYou should haтАЩ seen the two of them when the first stag
came charging over the hill this morning тАФ almost wet themselves trying to get a
shot off.тАЭ He chuckled. тАЬOh, theyтАЩre all right, I suppose. A bit toff, but good
tippers. TheyтАЩve been up before.тАЭ He took a long pull on his pint, and then shook
his head. тАЬMan, how about that King, eh? What a sorry end to the whole rotten
business.тАЭ
They drank in silent agreement, each deep in his own thoughts. Then Douglas
suggested, тАЬWe should go out some weekend. Just the three of us. It would be like
old times.тАЭ
тАЬSure,тАЭ allowed Cal diffidently. тАЬMaybe after Christmas.тАЭ
тАЬAfter Christmas maybe,тАЭ James agreed.
Cal and James both knew, if Dougie didnтАЩt, that it was far too likely that there would
be no more hunting on the estate; by Christmas the DukeтАЩs will would be probated,
Cal would be out of a job, and JamesтАЩ erstwhile inheritance would be swallowed by
an Australian development consortium тАФ the very reason James had spent yet
another day in Braemar with the solicitors, trying to hold on to the little piece of the