Page 46 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
What was all that about?I think as I’m left standing in the middle of the library. Why is Benji so interested in my love life, or more accurately, the lack of it?
Eighteen
‘How’s it going, Dorothy?’ I ask as I put my head around the kitchen door.
Dorothy jumps. ‘Ooh, m’lady, don’t you be making me jump like that, not when I’m getting ready to prepare one of me soufflés.’
‘Sorry, is that for dinner?’ I ask, my mouth watering. I hadn’t had time to prepare anything for Charlie and me yet, and the smells in Dorothy’s kitchen right now are amazing.
‘It is, yes. I’m going to try a new cheese soufflé recipe as a starter tonight. It’s a bit fancy for Arthur, but I’m sure the others will like it.’
‘I’m sure they will.’
‘You’d be more than welcome to join us, you know,’ Dorothy says coyly, not looking up at me, but concentrating instead on her ingredients. ‘I know it isn’t the done thing, the family dining with the staff, but I don’t like to think of you and young Charlie eating up in that tower all on your own.’
I cringe at her words. I wasn’t avoiding eating with the others because I thought I was of a higher standing than them, far from it. I’d avoided it because I didn’t want Dorothy to make a fuss. But eating in the kitchen with all the others wasn’t exactly being waited on hand and foot, now, was it? Arthur wasn’t going to don his old butler gear and put on white gloves. What harm could one night do?
‘I’d love to if you’ve enough to go around,’ I reply eagerly. ‘I know Charlie will jump at the chance, he’s always going on about your cooking, Dorothy. I don’t think mine quite lives up to your high standard.’
‘Nonsense!’ Dorothy says, shaking her head dismissively. ‘I’m sure it does. We’d be delighted to have you both dine with us though,’ she adds, flushing with pride. ‘Ooh, perhaps we could get Arthur to set up the dining room if there’s to be enough of us.Wewouldn’t eat in there of course, but—’
‘No, no dining room,’ I insist. ‘We’ll eat right here in the kitchen with everyone else. It’s cosier,’ I add when Dorothy looks surprised at my outburst.
‘Of course, m’lady.’
‘Dorothy . .. please call me Amelia,’ I beg.
But Dorothy’s mind is already elsewhere. ‘I wonder whether the silver is clean?’ she mutters, popping her head in a cupboard.
‘Dorothy, no fuss, please,’ I sigh. ‘Just carry on as you usually do. Charlie and I will fit in with everyone else.’
‘Of course, m— I mean, Miss Amelia.’
It’s better than ‘m’lady’, I suppose.
‘Great, we’ll both see you later then. Ooh, Dorothy, you’ve been here at the castle a long time, haven’t you?’
‘Born in the very cottage me and Arthur live in now, miss.’
‘Gosh, really? I had no idea you’d been here that long . . . Anyway, I was wondering if you knew any stories about the castle’s past residents – you know, gossipy stories?’
‘Gossipy stories?’ Dorothy repeats as though she’s never passed on a bit of gossip in her life.
I smile. ‘Yes, Benji is looking for some to pass on to the new tour guides when they start, but we’re having trouble finding any.’
Dorothy’s face immediately fills with joy at the mention of Benji’s name. ‘Lovely young man that Benji is,’ she says knowingly. ‘Polite, knows his manners. Very clean looking too – if you know what I mean?’
I didn’t, but I nod anyway.
‘I know a few stories . . . ’ Dorothy says, thinking. ‘But the place you want to go is up in the west wing.’
‘The west wing?’
‘Yes, in them corridors at the back of the office. There’s rooms filled with stuff up there. I’ve wanted to get up there for years and sort through it all – but there’s never been the time. It’s on my list of things to do one day.’
‘But isn’t that all junk?’ I ask. ‘I saw some of those rooms when we were looking for Charlie that day he went missing.’
‘A lot of it probably is,’ Dorothy agrees, ‘but I think I saw some diaries and books the last time I was up there. The last Earl had a fancy dress party to go to and we were looking for his old robes for him to wear. Ah, he looked mighty fine that night—’
