Sowing Poison Read Online Free

relief to me,” she said when he read the letter to her. “I’ve been worrying about how much we ask of Seth and Minta, though they’ve never said a word to me. Minta has enough to do, what with looking after Henry and little Rachel, and we’ve trespassed on Seth’s generosity long enough. I’ll be sorry to leave here, but I don’t see how we can stay, do you?”
    He didn’t, and so he had written to his sister to accept their invitation.
    The newly named Temperance House Hotel was a large, rambling three-storey building with a graceful double verandah fronting on Wellington’s main street. It was perfectly situated to offer accommodation to travellers on the Danforth Road, the main route between Toronto and Kingston, or to farmers bringing their produce to the wharves at the nearby harbour. A hotel situated on such a well-travelled thoroughfare should have been a going concern, but Daniel had decided to offer only wines and ale at the hotel, and to forego the sale of hard liquor, and, furthermore, to advertise that fact in the hotel’s name. Lewis approved of his brother-in-law’s decision. There was too much drunkenness in Canada West, liquor too easily obtained, and at the hotels that also served as taverns the noise of rowdy patrons was a constant source of annoyance to those trying to sleep in the rooms above.
    â€œPeople need a place to stay where they won’t be accosted by drunks,” Daniel had said. “Someplace that’s respectable enough for a lady to stay. Clean beds, good food, quiet rooms. You’ll see — it will be appreciated by the more discerning customer.”
    But temperance was not a particularly popular concept with the majority of people in the Province of Canada, and so far only one customer had proved discerning enough to appreciate the quiet rooms — a Mr. Gilmour, who had been with them now for more than a week. This gentleman neatly fit Daniel’s notion of what a desirable guest should look like, for he wore a fine tweed chesterfield coat over a brown suit of superior cloth, topped with one of the tall hats that had lately come into fashion. He further accessorized his elegant costume with an orange silk cravat tied into a wide bow at his throat and a matching handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket. He carried a gold pocket watch, which he consulted frequently. He did not, however, state his business in Wellington, although Daniel had done his best to find out.
    â€œI ask him every morning if he’s going out and he always says yes,” Daniel reported to Lewis. “I ask him every evening if he’s had a satisfactory day, and the answer is the same, but he never elaborates any further. It’s very puzzling.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t be so curious,” Lewis told his brother-in-law. “People don’t want their innkeeper poking around in their business.”
    â€œI’m not poking, I’m just being polite. You know, expressing an interest in my customers.”
    â€œWell, they won’t thank you for it, you know. Just serve up their food and keep your questions to yourself. You don’t want to drive him away.”
    Lewis thought that Daniel would be less curious about the mysterious Mr. Gilmour if he had a few more guests to look after. But until that happened, the slow traffic at the hotel promised ample opportunity for Lewis to indulge in tea and papers, and with the search for the missing Nate Elliott disbanded, he had only to wait until their solitary guest departed for the afternoon, before he made for the dining room with his steaming cup and a sigh of contentment.
    As he spread the newspapers across the table, he noted that the front page of the new Toronto paper, The Globe , was full of the consequences of the recent election. Responsible government had seemed such a fine idea back in 1839 when Lord Durham had suggested that the two Canadian colonies be united