Page 27 of The Laudanum Ladies' Society

‘A trace of nutmeg, I fancy. Presumably there are other ingredients.’

‘Yes, on both counts,’ Gwen answered.

‘Although, no manufacturer would give away the complete recipe,’ Miss Rosewood interrupted. Gwen smiled at her gratefully. That hadn’t even occurred to her, but it was a very good point.

‘Very wise,’ Miss Salisbury said. ‘Will three spoonsful suffice? Mind that I only want to sample the effects, not to be completely incapable of action for the rest of the afternoon.’

‘Three should work perfectly,’ Miss Rosewood assured her.

Miss Salisbury inserted the syringe into the bottle and drew up the plunger until it was full. The liquid was almost clear, but with a slightly sludgy tinge to it that made Gwen think of dirty snow. Something a little more interesting would be more appealing. If they made another batch, she would suggest adding a little of the colouring she used in cake icing.

Miss Salisbury injected each sugarplum and held two of the dishes out to her guests.

They all met each other’s eyes then, on a nod from Miss Salisbury, ate the sugar plums. Despite Gwen’s misgivings, she enjoyed the warming flavour of nutmeg and cloves. It was definitely more interesting than simply drinking the mixture.

‘While we wait, shall we play a game of Hearts?’ Miss Salisbury suggested.

She was already reaching for the deck of cards, so the question was rhetorical. She removed the two of spades and dealt with a proficiency that was impressive. It was an effective way of passing the time and discovering when exactly the tincture began to take effect, because before too long Gwen’s eyes began to glaze and she found it harder to focus on the game, becoming transfixed by the patterns the pips made on the cards.

‘I think there are two Jack of hearts,’ Miss Rosewood murmured in a dreamlike voice. ‘You’ve played one already, Miss Salisbury.’

Miss Salisbury rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Jenny dear. I’m cheating. Never play with a straight hand when you can win an advantage.’

Miss Salisbury’s voice was slurred, too, and Gwen covered her mouth with a hand to hold back a giggle. The admission, never mind the idea of the elderly woman cheating, was more hilarious than it had any right to be. She looked at Miss Rosewood to see what she thought and saw that she was waving a finger in the air as if she was conducting an imaginary orchestra and humming softly beneath her breath.

Miss Salisbury let her cards fall to the table and stood. ‘I believe the effects are now underway, so I shall take my leave as I have a diversion prepared that I intend to take advantage of. There are refreshments on the table, and you may avail yourself of the piano if the mood takes you. We shall reconvene at length.’

She swept out of the room grandly, leaving the door ajar and her footsteps indicated she had gone upstairs. Gwen walked over, slightly unsteadily, to close the door, but Jenny caught her by the sleeve.

‘Leave it. I want to hear what she is doing. Do you think she’s going to play an instrument?’

Gwen sat back down and shook her head. Doing so made her dizzy, and she moved instead to a sea-green velvet chaise and lay back, turning her head to stare at the tiger who stared back glassily.

‘Tiger, tiger, burning bright,’ she crooned, to the tune of ‘Twinkle Twinkle’.

Her limbs felt wonderfully light, and she was just deciding a nap would be pleasant when the distant sound of moaning floated from above. Gwen’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. She glanced at Miss Rosewood, who was sitting beside a vase filled with peacock feathers, smiling beatifically as she ran her finger over the vanes of a particularly lustrous one.If she was aware that Miss Salisbury appeared to be engaging in enthusiastic sexual intercourse, she showed no signs of it, though Gwen would have been shocked if a spinster understood the nature of the sounds.

Unfortunately, the next series of cries made it almost impossible to ignore as the moaning became deeper and faster, turning to short exclamations.

Miss Rosewood glanced upwards. ‘Whatever is that noise? Do you think she’s ill? Should we go help?’

‘No!’ Gwen fumbled her way upright, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. ‘No, I don’t think she’s ill, and no, we definitely should not go up there.’

‘Then what is… Oh! Is she… Surely, she isn’t?’ Miss Rosewood’s eyes grew wide. Gwen nodded, pressing her lips together.

‘Oh.’ Miss Rosewood looked upwards again and her expression grew thoughtful. ‘I wonder if she is with a man or a woman?’

‘Miss Rosewood!’ Gwen exclaimed, more shocked by Miss Rosewood’s lack of shock and her speculation regarding the sex of the other participant than by what was happening upstairs.

Miss Rosewood looked hesitant then spoke. ‘Mrs Walters, will you do the honour of calling me Jenny? I feel that as we are starting a venture together, we should be more intimately acquainted. Though when I say intimately, I do not mean in the way Miss Salisbury is being intimate.’

She sniggered and covered her mouth with her hands. Gwen burst into wild laughter. There was something artfully endearing about Miss Rosewood’s directness. Perhaps this was what having a sister would have been like.

‘Gladly. And you must call me Gwen.’

‘I’d be delighted.’ Miss Rosewood tottered over to the chaise and dropped back onto it heavily. She laid her head on Gwen’sshoulder and yawned. A clock sounded three with a high, melodic chime and the sounds from above ceased. Gwen closed her eyes. The euphoria hadn’t been as strong this time, but she felt pleasantly tranquil.

‘Jenny, I’m not sure I want to be collected by Miss Salisbury,’ she confided.