“Your poor eye,” said Agatha, touching the wound where the medics had taped the cut closed. “I thought it was never going to stop bleeding.”
“Cuts to the eyebrow,” said Chris. “They bleed like the devil.”
“And your mouth,” she said. “That looks sore, too.”
She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the mouth, then on the forehead. He took her face in his hands and kissed her on the lips.
“That must hurt,” she said, gasping for breath.
“I’m being brave,” he replied, and kissed her again, running his hands over her body. When he touched her breast, she winced.
“Ahh,” she said. “Bit of a bruise there … Oooh … and down there.”
She grabbed at his shirt buttons, clumsily fumbling to undo them.
“Ouch.” He breathed. “Ribs … I … I don’t know how this is going to work…”
“Don’t worry,” she said, pushing him slowly back onto the sofa. “I’ll be gentle with you.”
Also by M. C. Beaton
AGATHA RAISIN
The Dead Ringer: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Witches’ Tree: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Pushing Up Daisies: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Dishing the Dirt: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Blood of an Englishman: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Something Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Hiss and Hers: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
As the Pig Turns: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Busy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
There Goes the Bride: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Kissing Christmas Goodbye: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Love, Lies and Liquor: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Perfect Paragon: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Deadly Dance: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House
Agatha Raisin and the Case of the Curious Curate
Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came
Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell
Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfram
Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden
Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham
Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
The Walkers of Dembley: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Potted Gardener: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Vicious Vet: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Quiche of Death: An Agatha Raisin Mystery
The Skeleton in the Closet
EDWARDIAN MYSTERY SERIES
Our Lady of Pain
Hasty Death
Snobbery with Violence
About the Author
M. C. Beaton, who was the British guest of honor at Bouchercon 2006, has been hailed as the “Queen of Crime” (The Globe and Mail). In addition to her New York Times and USA Today bestselling Agatha Raisin novels—now a hit show on Acorn TV and public television—Beaton is the author of the Hamish Macbeth series and many Edwardian mysteries. Born in Scotland, she currently divides her time between the English Cotswolds and Paris. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Also by M. C. Beaton
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH. Copyright © 2019 by M. C. Beaton. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.minotaurbooks.com
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-15772-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-15774-4 (ebook)
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First Edition: December 2019
eISBN 9781250157744