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

As she passed reception, Maeve was on yet another call. Frank was right, it looked as if the coming week was going to be busy.

Bess poked her head round the kitchen door and saluted the chef. ‘I’m going in to breakfast,’ she shouted. He muttered something in reply that Bess couldn’t hear above the clatter of pots and pans, so she left.

Sylvie, on her way to the kitchen balancing a stack of empty plates took Bess’s order. Two eggs and bacon, toast and tea. She was always hungry the morning after a late night, especially if she’d had too much to drink, which she’d definitely had last night.

‘Morning, darling,’ Bess said to Frank. She looked at Aimee, pretending to frown. ‘Who slept in my bed last night?’

‘I did!’ she squealed.

Bess put her forefinger to her lips and pulled a wide-eyed face. ‘Not too loud darling. People are eating.’ She looked at the half-eaten piece of toast on a side plate next to Aimee. ‘Where’s Mummy?’

‘Taken Nancy to the lav,’ Aimee piped up, loudly. Bess looked prudishly at Frank and bit her bottom lip to stop herself from correcting her niece.

‘Well you did ask,’ Frank said. Leaning down until his mouth was level with Aimee’s ear he whispered, loud enough for Bess to hear, ‘She did ask didn’t she, Aimee.’ Aimee looked at Bess very seriously and nodded.

‘Stop encouraging your niece to be cheeky,’ Claire said, returning to the table with Nancy. Claire pulled out Nancy’s chair and the little girl sat down.

‘Hello, Nancy,’ Bess said, looking across the table at Maeve’s niece who was waiting for Claire to push her chair nearer to the table. ‘How nice to see you again.’ When she was within reaching distance of her toast, Nancy looked up at Bess with big eyes, whispered hello and turned to Frank for what looked to Bess like approval.

Aimee took a slice of toast from her plate and ripped it in two, giving one piece to Nancy who, still looking at Frank, said, ‘Thank you.’

‘Jam?’ Aimee asked. Pulling a small glass dish on a silver tray towards her she stuck in a spoon.

‘I think I’d better do that,’ Frank said. ‘It wouldn’t do to get jam on your clothes, would it?’

As Sylvie brought in Bess and Claire’s breakfasts, Ena and Henry arrived. Seeing what her sisters were having, Ena asked if she could have the same.

Sylvie looked enquiringly at Henry. ‘Not for me, thank you.’ When the waitress had left, Henry turned to Bess and Frank. ‘Inspector Masters pushed a note under the bedroom door, asking me to meet him at Lowarth police station. I’ll have something to eat afterwards,’ he said, and, kissing Ena, dashed out.

‘Have the children had something savoury to eat?’ Bess asked, wrinkling her nose as Frank spooned a dollop of strawberry jam onto Nancy’s toast.

‘Boiled eggs,’ her husband replied.

‘And I collected them. You have to get up ever so early to collect the eggs,’ Aimee informed Nancy.

Bess looked at Claire and raised her eyes. The two women shook their heads and laughed.

When they had finished eating, Claire said, ‘I’ll take the girls up to the nursery. While they’re playing, I’ll write to Edith Belland, ask her if we can visit.’

‘We’ll talk about how best to approach the subject with Mitch later.’

‘Mm. That’s a conversation I am not looking forward to,’ Claire said.

‘Coffee?’

‘Lovely,’ Bess murmured, absentmindedly, as she listed figures in the accounts ledger.

‘What time are you going to see Margot and the baby?’ Frank asked, putting Bess’s coffee on her desk.

Bess lifted her head from the pile of receipts that Frank had planned to enter the night before. ‘What’s the time?’

‘Just gone twelve.’

‘I’d better make a move.’ She picked up the telephone, ‘Maeve, would you give the kitchen a ring and ask Chef to get one of the girls to make a selection of sandwiches?’ She put her hand over the mouth piece. ‘Are you having lunch in here, or in the dining room, Frank?’ He pointed to the work in front of him. ‘Six rounds should be enough. As soon as possible, please.’

‘What fillings do you want in them?’ Maeve asked.

‘Whatever Chef’s got. And some cake if there is any.’

‘See what I can do.’

‘Thank you. Oh, Maeve?’ Bess said quickly, before the receptionist had time to put down the telephone, ‘have you seen either of my sisters?’

‘They’re still in the nursery with the children.’

‘Thanks, I’ll go up.’ Bess put down the receiver. ‘I’d forgotten Aimee and Nancy were going to be here today when I told Bill I’d go to the hospital this afternoon.’

‘I don’t see the problem.’

‘There isn’t one. It’s just that Margot will be expecting me, but with Claire and Ena having come up specially to see her and the baby, they ought to go in my place. I’ll stay here and take care of the children. I’ll visit Margot next week.’

‘You go with your sisters,’ Frank said, ‘I’ll look after the children.’

‘You!’ Bess declared, slapping her hand down on the mound of papers on her desk, ‘can finish what you started, or rather didn’t start, last night. Enter this lot into the accounts ledger, and then file it.’

Frank lifted the pile of receipts from Bess’s desk, plonked them down on his own desk, and saluted. Bess left him to it and went upstairs to her sisters.

‘I’ve ordered sandwiches. You’ll need something to eat before you go to the Walsgrave to see Margot,’ she said. ‘Bill’s expecting you at three o’clock.’

‘Aren’t you coming?’

‘No. I can go anytime. Claire’s going home tomorrow, so you go with her today and I’ll stay here with the children. Oh, and Mam’s expecting to go today too, so will you call and pick her up on the