village at once, my Lord, to procure that which I shall need.’
‘Don’t put yourself to too much trouble, Winston,’ Wade tried to head off the cook’s obvious panic.
‘Oh, it’s no trouble.’ Winston removed his apron and replaced it with his coat. ‘It’s an excuse,’ he chuckled, placing a hat on his head. ‘Besides, my reputation demands it,’ Winston informed, heading out the back door.
As most of the servants were getting on in years, Wade roped Hugh into helping Andrew and himself shift the dining furniture into the middle of the room.
The long, slender table separated into four sections. These divisions enabled them to manoeuvre the table around the four huge columns that ran parallel to the wall where the table was positioned. In the end only one section of the heavy wooden piece was required, this section being more than adequate to accommodate a party of five.
‘I’ve never been to a dinner party before,’ Andrew remarked, as they finished placing the chairs around the table in the middle of the huge marble dining room.
‘That’s okay,’ said Wade, ‘I’ve never thrown one.’
When Hannah arrived back at the manor, she was more suitably attired for dinner. Talbot led her to the lower drawing room, where the others making up the party were indulging in a few pre-dinner drinks.
‘Wow,’ commented Wade as he moved to greet her, ‘you look amazing.’ As Hannah only smiled, a little awkward about his comment, Wade changed the subject. ‘You remember my friend, Hugh?’
Hugh stood, unable to place her. If he had met such a beauty, surely he would recall. ‘Sorry, we met when?’
‘This is Hannah Martin, the Contessa’s assistant.’ Wade jogged his memory.
‘Oh, of course.’ Hugh could hardly believe the transformation. ‘I do apologise. You appear quite different out of business hours.’
‘I try,’ was Hannah’s droll reply.
‘Louisa you know.’ The two women smiled at each other sweetly, so Wade skipped quickly to his remaining guest. ‘And I’m sure you must have met Andrew.’
‘Yes.’ Hannah reached out and shook his hand. ‘How are you, Mr Jenkins?’
‘Very well, Miss Martin. And yourself?’
‘Stop, stop, stop!’ Wade objected. ‘This is my dinner party, therefore we dine by my rules.’
‘Ah, I don’t think you usually have rules for a dinner party, old boy,’ advised Hugh.
‘Then what do you call all that using the right fork rubbish?’
‘Fair enough,’ Hugh shrugged. ‘State your rules?’
‘There is only one,’ Wade informed them, ‘and that is, everyone must call each other by their first name.’
‘And if we don’t comply?’ Louisa toyed.
‘Then there’s the door,’ gestured Wade, just as playfully.
This rule worked wonders; everyone relaxed rather quickly. Only the two women seemed to be avoiding each other, but even their animosity mellowed after a few drinks.
As they finished the main course, Wade rose to make a toast. ‘To my new friends, and my old one.’ He acknowledged Hugh, who tipped his head in appreciation. ‘And to my new-found home and wealth. May we all profit greatly from the acquisition.’
‘Here, here.’ Everyone drank to that.
‘That means you, too,’ Wade commented to the butler and the maid, as they cleared the dishes onto a trolley.
‘Thank you, my Lord.’ Talbot glanced briefly at his son, who was deep in conversation with Lady Sinclair. ‘I am a content and happy man.’
A second later, a dish shattered on the marble floor. Wade turned to discover that Talbot had dropped the object, but before he could inquire after the problem he spied it.
Arthur McCloud was seated by the dining room doors leading into the Great Hall. One of the doors was opened just enough to allow a cat of his size to enter.
‘Andy …’ Wade looked at him. ‘You didn’t turn on my equipment, did you?’
‘Well, yes … you said to.’
As Rosia spied the cat she screamed and fled through the doors
‘Don’t put yourself to too much trouble, Winston,’ Wade tried to head off the cook’s obvious panic.
‘Oh, it’s no trouble.’ Winston removed his apron and replaced it with his coat. ‘It’s an excuse,’ he chuckled, placing a hat on his head. ‘Besides, my reputation demands it,’ Winston informed, heading out the back door.
As most of the servants were getting on in years, Wade roped Hugh into helping Andrew and himself shift the dining furniture into the middle of the room.
The long, slender table separated into four sections. These divisions enabled them to manoeuvre the table around the four huge columns that ran parallel to the wall where the table was positioned. In the end only one section of the heavy wooden piece was required, this section being more than adequate to accommodate a party of five.
‘I’ve never been to a dinner party before,’ Andrew remarked, as they finished placing the chairs around the table in the middle of the huge marble dining room.
‘That’s okay,’ said Wade, ‘I’ve never thrown one.’
When Hannah arrived back at the manor, she was more suitably attired for dinner. Talbot led her to the lower drawing room, where the others making up the party were indulging in a few pre-dinner drinks.
‘Wow,’ commented Wade as he moved to greet her, ‘you look amazing.’ As Hannah only smiled, a little awkward about his comment, Wade changed the subject. ‘You remember my friend, Hugh?’
Hugh stood, unable to place her. If he had met such a beauty, surely he would recall. ‘Sorry, we met when?’
‘This is Hannah Martin, the Contessa’s assistant.’ Wade jogged his memory.
‘Oh, of course.’ Hugh could hardly believe the transformation. ‘I do apologise. You appear quite different out of business hours.’
‘I try,’ was Hannah’s droll reply.
‘Louisa you know.’ The two women smiled at each other sweetly, so Wade skipped quickly to his remaining guest. ‘And I’m sure you must have met Andrew.’
‘Yes.’ Hannah reached out and shook his hand. ‘How are you, Mr Jenkins?’
‘Very well, Miss Martin. And yourself?’
‘Stop, stop, stop!’ Wade objected. ‘This is my dinner party, therefore we dine by my rules.’
‘Ah, I don’t think you usually have rules for a dinner party, old boy,’ advised Hugh.
‘Then what do you call all that using the right fork rubbish?’
‘Fair enough,’ Hugh shrugged. ‘State your rules?’
‘There is only one,’ Wade informed them, ‘and that is, everyone must call each other by their first name.’
‘And if we don’t comply?’ Louisa toyed.
‘Then there’s the door,’ gestured Wade, just as playfully.
This rule worked wonders; everyone relaxed rather quickly. Only the two women seemed to be avoiding each other, but even their animosity mellowed after a few drinks.
As they finished the main course, Wade rose to make a toast. ‘To my new friends, and my old one.’ He acknowledged Hugh, who tipped his head in appreciation. ‘And to my new-found home and wealth. May we all profit greatly from the acquisition.’
‘Here, here.’ Everyone drank to that.
‘That means you, too,’ Wade commented to the butler and the maid, as they cleared the dishes onto a trolley.
‘Thank you, my Lord.’ Talbot glanced briefly at his son, who was deep in conversation with Lady Sinclair. ‘I am a content and happy man.’
A second later, a dish shattered on the marble floor. Wade turned to discover that Talbot had dropped the object, but before he could inquire after the problem he spied it.
Arthur McCloud was seated by the dining room doors leading into the Great Hall. One of the doors was opened just enough to allow a cat of his size to enter.
‘Andy …’ Wade looked at him. ‘You didn’t turn on my equipment, did you?’
‘Well, yes … you said to.’
As Rosia spied the cat she screamed and fled through the doors
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