Page 64 of The Other Lady Vanishes

“I gave you the antidote as soon as we got back here last night,” she said. “I managed to get you up the stairs to your bed before you collapsed. Otherwise you’d have awakened on the floor downstairs. I made some strong coffee for you. Trust me, it will help.”

“If you say so.”

He sat up slowly and swung his legs over the edge, planting both feet on the floor. He was still wearing the trousers and the white shirt that he had worn to the Paradise Club. Somewhere along the line he had lost his jacket, his tie, and his shoes.

He wrapped one hand around the mug and took a cautious swallow. It tasted very good. He took another swallow.

“What did you say about an antidote?” he finally asked.

“I think that you were drugged with a dangerous hallucinogen called Daydream. My parents discovered it. As soon as they realized its dangerous properties, my mother created an herbal antidote. I did the research in the botanical literature for her so I know the ingredients.”

“This is going to be a very complicated story, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Adelaide said. “How do you feel?”

He considered the question closely. More memories trickled back.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “All right, I think. Did I have too much to drink last night?”

“No. You didn’t have anything to drink except sparkling water. You were drugged and it’s my fault.”

He eyed her closely. “You didn’t drug me, did you?”

“No, of course not. Look, I hate to say this, believe me, but I think you should leave as soon as possible.”

He contemplated her for a long moment. She looked anxious, stricken with guilt, and quite desperate.

“Let me get this straight,” he said. “You’re kicking me out?”

“I think it’s for the best.”

“For me or for you?”

“For you. It’s clear now that I’ve put you in terrible danger.”

“Believe it or not, I figured out at the start of this thing that you were running from something or someone. It’s too late to ditch me. We’re in this together.”

“You don’t understand.”

“No, but I will just as soon as you explain it to me. What time is it?”

“What? Oh.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s just going on six thirty. Why?”

“That means we’ve got plenty of time before you have to go to work at the tearoom.”

“Time for you to pack?”

She sounded almost hopeful, he thought.

“No,” he said. “Time for you to tell me what’s going on.”

Adelaide hesitated. “All right. After what happened, you have a right to some answers. I was going to tell you some of it last night but then you started hallucinating—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “Not so fast. I am going to clean up, shave, and put on some fresh clothes. Then we’ll talk.”

She hesitated. “All right. I’ll make breakfast while you’re getting ready.”

“That sounds like a very good plan.”