Foxden Hotel (The Dudley Sisters Saga Book 5) by Madalyn Morgan (ebook reader ink txt) 📕

rest. ‘Come on love, I’m taking you upstairs for a lie down. You’re exhausted.’

‘But I need to---’

‘You don’t need to do anything, except take it easy for an hour or two. Come on, darling.’

Frank helped Bess to her feet and walked her to the door. ‘Wait a minute Frank, I must look dreadful. I don’t want the staff to see me looking a wreck. And what will the guests think if they see me like this?’

Frank opened the office door and stuck his head out. ‘There’s no one about.’ He took Bess by the arm, walked her quickly past reception, across the hall and past the kitchen to the staff stairs.

‘He knows, Frank. McGann knows about London.’

‘Confound the man!’

‘He suspects me of killing Sutherland. That’s why he came here, to accuse me.’

Frank took the key to their suite of rooms from his pocket and opened the door. Bess went in ahead of him and dropped onto the settee in the sitting room. ‘I think it would be best if you had a lie down on the bed,’ Frank said, from the doorway of the bedroom. ‘Come on love, have a proper rest.’

Bess forced herself off the comfortable settee and went into the bedroom. Frank had pulled back the eiderdown. ‘You’re right. I feel emotionally drained. I’m so tired I think I might even sleep. I’ll try anyway.’ Kicking off her shoes Bess fell onto the bed.

Frank lay beside her and held her until she dozed off. She slept fitfully, her eyes moving beneath their lids. She twitched, and a minute later jolted herself awake. Then she sighed heavily and, safe in Frank’s arms, drifted into sleep.

When he was sure Bess had settled, Frank slid off the bed, pulled the eiderdown up around her shoulders and quietly left the bedroom.

The last thing he wanted to do was leave Bess, but he needed to attend to the new arrivals, make sure the kitchen was prepared to feed eight extra people at dinner - none of whom had been in the hotel at lunchtime when everyone else had ordered their evening meal, and, more importantly, he needed to speak to Henry.

Arriving downstairs Frank acknowledged Jack, who was on reception with Maeve. ‘I didn’t realise you were on duty today?’

‘I’m not officially, sir, until tonight.’

‘I rang Jack and asked him to come in early,’ Maeve said. ‘I thought if he was here and you or Mrs Donnelly needed anything, I’d be on hand… I’ll leave when the guests go into dinner.’ Maeve looked anxiously at Frank.

‘She’s sleeping,’ Frank said. ‘I need to check everything’s okay in the kitchen, make sure the dining room’s ready for tonight, bring some wine up from the cellar, and take the float to the bar. Is Simon here yet?’

‘Just arrived.’

‘Right. I’ll do his float first.’ Frank went into the office, appearing minutes later with bags of change for the till in the public bar.

When Frank had finished in the kitchen he took a tray through to Maeve on reception. ‘Would you take this up to Bess? She probably won’t want to come down for dinner. She hasn’t eaten all day, so if you could get her to eat this soup and bread, it would be something. If she refuses, I’m sure she’ll enjoy a cup of tea.’

Frank left the tray with Maeve and set off to the cellar to choose a small selection of wines. Not many guests had wine with their evening meal, but Frank liked a variety of wines in the rack, in case. Besides which, he needed to keep busy.

Maeve took the tray up to Bess and Frank’s rooms and gently knocked on the bedroom door. ‘It’s Maeve, Mrs Donnelly. Are you awake?’

‘Yes, Maeve. Come in.’ Bess called.

‘I hope I’m not disturbing you, but Mr Donnelly thought you might like some soup.’ Maeve set the tray down on the dressing table.

‘He is a dear, but I’m not hungry. I’d love a cup of tea though,’ Bess said, seeing the teapot and smiling. ‘But there’s only one cup. Aren’t you going to join me?’

‘No, I’m fine. I’ve not long had my break.’

Bess pushed herself up into a sitting position and accepted the hot drink that Maeve had poured. ‘I needed that,’ she said, after taking several sips. ‘I suppose you heard what went on in the office?’

The receptionist’s cheeks flushed pink. ‘I wasn’t listening, but I did hear the odd word.’

‘I’m not surprised. I don’t mind you knowing what that bloody man said, but I hope none of the guests heard.’

‘There weren’t any guests around at the time. And to be honest, it was only when you gave Sergeant McGann a good telling off that your voice was loud enough to hear in reception.’

Bess couldn’t help but laugh. ‘I did tell the little b off, didn’t I?’

‘From what I could hear it was no more than he deserved. He’s a horrible man. I’ve a young brother in Ireland who would knock him down a peg or two. He’d soon wipe that smug grin off his face.’ Both women laughed. ‘That’s better,’ Maeve said. ‘You’re too good for the likes of him to bring you low. Right! I’d better go and let you get some rest.’

‘I’ve rested for long enough. You don’t have to go, not if you don’t want to.’ Bess craned her neck and looked out of the window. ‘The afternoon light is fading, so I must have slept. And your shift ended some time ago,’ she said, concerned that she was delaying Maeve. ‘I’m sorry, I’m being selfish. You get off home.’

‘I have nothing that will spoil at the vicarage. Mrs Sykes was taking Nancy to a school friend’s birthday party this afternoon and picking her up this evening. She’ll be in her bed by the time I get home, so I’ve