The Mysterious Disappearance of the Chevalier Valmont - стр. 14
– Похоже, вы не оставляете мне выбора. Хорошо, я принимаю ваше приглашение. Но лишь на пару дней, не более.
Chapter 6
It was about ten o’clock in the morning when the carriage came to a halt at the house of the Baron San Simón da Costa.
“Is the baroness up yet?” the baron asked the butler who had come out to welcome him home.
“I’m afraid Her Excellency might still be asleep, Milord. Shall I wake her up?”
“No, no, let her sleep. The more so that our guest here (24) is tired after a long journey, and may also need to rest. Tell Maribel to prepare the blue bedroom. After breakfast, I shall set off for the palace. See to it that our guest doesn’t need anything.”
“I will, Milord.”
halt остановка ◊ come to a halt остановиться; be up встать (с постели); butler дворецкий; welcome приветствовать (вновьприбывшего), встретить; the more so тем более (что); set off отправиться; palace дворец; see to it проследите за тем (чтобы)
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At breakfast, the baron put away several cheese rolls and two cups of hot chocolate. His guest ate very little. Soon after breakfast, the baron left for the palace, and the Chevalier Valmont went up to his rooms. He suddenly felt very tired – the sleepless night was beginning to tell on him.
Once in the blue bedroom, he ran into a pretty maid.
“I have run you a hot bath, Sir,” the mouse girl said with a sudden blush.
“A hot bath is just what I need, cutie,” answered Valmont, “especially if you stick around and give me a nice backrub.”
put away умять, съесть; roll булочка; sleepless бессонный; tell on sb сказываться на ком-либо; run into sb натолкнуться на кого-либо; pretty хорошенький, симпатичный, миловидный; maid горничная; run a bath наполнить ванну, приготовить ванну; blush румянец, краска смущения или стыда; cutie милашка; stick around не уходить, остаться, задержаться; rub тереть ◊give sb a backrub потереть кому-либо спинку
The maid blushed even more at this offer.
“If you wish someone to rub your back, I can call Matthias,” she muttered.
“It won’t be necessary. I was just joking. I think I’ll manage somehow. You can go now. No, wait! If you have my clothes washed (25), how fast, do you think, they can get dry? My luggage hasn’t arrived yet, and I have nothing to change into,” he explained.
“It might take about four hours. (26) If it takes longer, I could simply iron them dry.”
“Fabulous. You can come back for them in half an hour. I will leave the door unlocked. And, don’t forget to wake me up as soon as your master gets home.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And, one more thing. The window shutters – could you close them? It’s too light in the room.”