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

way. If she’s dressed for the occasion, take her with you. If she’s forgotten, tell her I’ll take her on Monday. Who’s hungry?’ Bess called to Nancy and Aimee. Both girls jumped up, discarded their toys and led the way downstairs.

‘Now girls, what do you want to do?’ Bess asked, when Claire and Ena had left to visit Margot and the baby. Aimee lifted her shoulders and swayed from left to right. Nancy copied her. ‘Shall we… play with the doll’s house? You could take the furniture out of each room and put it back where you think it looks best.’

Neither child was impressed by Bess’s idea. ‘Or, we could get the train set down. I bet Uncle Frank would put the railway tracks together for us.’ Bess looked at Frank for support, but didn’t get any. ‘We could go on a magical journey. Hooray!’ Bess clapped her hands. ‘What do you think? Is that a good idea?’ she asked, nodding madly in the hope that her enthusiasm would rub off on the two girls and they would agree to play with the train. They didn’t.

‘I want to go outside and play,’ Aimee said, ‘I want to see the pony.’

‘And the pigs?’ Nancy said. ‘Can we play outside, please?’

‘Er… Yes, of course we can.’ The pony was one thing. Bess loved horses and was more than happy to lead old Donnie round the paddock, but she would do anything to avoid the pigs. ‘The pony it is then!’

‘And the pigs,’ Nancy reminded.

‘And the pigs.’ Bess grimaced. ‘I know,’ she said, as if a sudden thought had just popped into her mind. ‘We’ll get Uncle Frank to come out with us.’ The girls cheered and ran to Frank. ‘How about it, Uncle?’ Bess put her hands together, as if in prayer.

‘But my paperwork,’ Frank said, raising his eyebrows.

‘Touché!’ Bess said, laughing. ‘Tell you what, I’ll help you with your work later, if you’ll help me with mine, now.’ She looked from Aimee to Nancy. ‘Besides, you’re much better than I am with the pigs.’

‘You mean I don’t mind getting my boots mucky.’

‘What a cheek! How many years was I a Land Girl?’

Bess and Frank followed the two chattering children outside. It was a lovely afternoon. An Indian Summer the BBC’s newsreader had called it. It hadn’t rained for several weeks so the ground was dry. Frank forked hay into the pony’s manger and filled the water trough in the small stable. ‘We’d better leave Donnie to eat in peace.’ There was a moment of complaint until Frank said they would go back to the pony. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘we need to give the pigs some water.’

‘Do the hens need water?’ Aimee asked.

‘Yes. All animals need water. Same as us humans.’

Aimee wrinkled her nose and Nancy copied her. ‘By the time we’ve fed and watered the other animals, Donnie will have finished eating and be ready for a walk round the paddock.’ Both girls shouted their approval.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Hand in hand, Bess and Frank followed Aimee and Nancy across the peacock lawn. Rounding the north side of the lake and strolling down the east side, the children disappeared every now and then to collect leaves. In contrast to the neatly mown lawn, which had been tailored since the days of the present Lord Foxden’s great-grandfather, the grass on the east side of the lake was left to grow to encourage wild flowers.

‘Don’t go near the water, girls,’ Bess called to the children. ‘Come on, let’s catch them up.’ Still holding Frank’s hand, Bess started to run. Frank pulled her back, put his arms around her and kissed her. Bess looked up at him, ‘What was that?’

‘Has it been so long you’ve forgotten?’

‘No!’ Bess laid her head on her husband’s chest. ‘We’ve been so busy lately we haven’t had time for us.’

‘Then we’ll have to make time,’ Frank said, kissing her again.

Bess giggled. ‘Stop it, the girls will see us.’ She looked over her shoulder. The children were engrossed in making patterns with different coloured leaves. ‘We are going to have to organise our time better.’ Frank pulled her close. ‘I mean it, Frank. Because it’s half-term this week the hotel is full, and with Maeve taking the week off we’re going be busier than ever.’

‘Do you think Maeve would change her week?’

‘No. She specifically asked for next week off because it is half-term. The Reverend and Mrs Sykes are somewhere up north visiting a sick relative and Nancy will be at home every day. Maeve doesn’t have anyone to look after her.’ Bess looked up at Frank and kissed him on the cheek. ‘We’ll be all right. Claire has to go home and sort things out with Mitch, but Ena will be here. I’ll work on reception and Ena can oversee the kitchen and dining room.’

‘Chef will love that,’ Frank said sarcastically.

‘He will actually. He has a soft spot for Ena. His cheeks go pink like a china doll’s when she’s around. And Ena likes it because he does as she asks, instead of debating every issue, which is what he does with me. Chef is putty in our Ena’s hands.’

Bess turned at the sound of someone calling her name. Maeve was running across the peacock lawn. They walked back to meet her. ‘What on earth’s the matter, Maeve?’

‘My holiday, Mrs Donnelly. I booked the week off starting on Monday, because it’s half-term and the Reverend and Mrs Sykes are away. However, I have just taken a phone call from my brother in Ireland. My mother is seriously ill. She had a stroke yesterday and has been rushed to hospital. Would it be possible for me to start my holiday today? The doctor told my brother it’s touch and go. He said she only has a fifty-fifty chance of recovering. I need