Chapter Five

Penny was on her knees picking up the last of the shattered glasses and plates and dropping them into a grey plastic tub while Lane wiped the floor with a damp mop when Gwennie rejoined them.

“Well, at least the main course is on the table now,” sighed Gwennie. “We lost a waiter right in the middle of the dinner, would you believe.”

Penny gave her a sharp look. “You what? How could you lose a waiter?”

“He didn’t come back. He served the starter, apparently went to the kitchen with the rest of the servers to wait for the second course to be ready to bring out, and then he must have just up and left. Nobody’s seen him. Disappeared. It’s true what they say about not being able to get good help these days.”

“So you were one waiter short for the main course?” asked Penny.

“That’s right. We managed, but thank goodness the dessert and tea and coffee will be buffet style in the sitting room so we don’t have to worry about any more table service. There’s still the matter of clearing away the dining room table, though. We’ll be one short for that. Never mind. We’ll get through this. We always do.” She stepped out of the way as Lane approached with his mop. “And I’m sure the guests will really enjoy Victoria’s harp playing before they go into the library to see the exhibit. They’ll all get a really good look at that famous Black Chair, and what a delightful way to end the evening. I’m sure they’ll talk of nothing else all the way home.”

“Oh, they might also be talking about Florence’s delicious dinner, too,” said Penny. “She’s outdoing herself tonight with that beef Wellington. I hope there’s enough left over for me to take some home.”

Lane stopped his work and stood with both hands clutching the top of the mop handle. “I’m done now. You can’t really tell in this light, but I don’t think there are even any streaks.”

“Thank you, Lane,” said Penny. “You’ve been a wonderful help, and if you’re sure you’re up for it, it’s time to set up the after-dinner beverage service. We’ll get the waiters to help you, and once that’s done, you can take a break and maybe have a quick bite to eat, and then be back here in half an hour at your coffee station.”

*   *   *

After one last check of the sitting room to make sure the desserts, coffee, tea, and liqueurs were set up properly, Penny wished Victoria good luck with her after-dinner harp performance and exchanged a few final words with Gwennie and Mr. Carter, who were ready to oversee the dessert and beverage service. She was concerned because Lane had not arrived at his coffee station.

“This is not like him,” Penny said. “I hope he didn’t have a delayed reaction to the fall and he’s collapsed somewhere. I’ll have a wander round to see if I can find him.”

“He must be somewhere,” said Gwennie. “He may yet turn up. Late is better than not at all.”

Florence looked up as Penny entered the kitchen, then returned to her task of dividing up the remains of the cheesecake. She placed neat slices into plastic takeaway containers, dropped a few raspberries on each one, and stacked them to one side. “You and Victoria can each take one of these home with you. I’ve also set aside servings of the main course for you. You just have to heat it up.”

Penny nodded her thanks as she looked around the empty kitchen and then, cupping her hands around her eyes, peered out a darkened window. With the light from the room behind her, all she could see were droplets of water running down the glass.

Turning back to Florence, she asked, “What’s happened to the waitstaff? Where are they?”

“I expect they’re outside smoking and checking their phones.”

“Smoking? In that rain? It’s bucketing down.”

Florence shrugged. “They’ll be back in a few minutes to clear the dining room, get their pay, and then they’ll be off, or so Gwennie said. There are just three of them now because the one fellow left in the middle of service. Gwennie wasn’t best pleased about that.”

“And it’s not just the waiter who went missing,” said Penny. “Lane was supposed to set up and help with the coffee and dessert and he’s nowhere to be found. Have you seen him? Could he be outside with the waiters, I wonder?”

“Well, he could be, I suppose. I couldn’t say. I haven’t taken any notice of his comings and goings, or anyone else, for that matter. I’ve been that busy with the cooking, and had my back to the room for most of the time.”

She leaned against the work top and removed her glasses, closed her eyes, and gently massaged her forehead.

“Oh, Florence,” said Penny. “Of course you have. You’ve been on your feet, working nonstop for hours, and you must be exhausted. It’s almost over and the clearing up can wait. Why don’t you sit down and put your feet up for a few minutes? Can I get you anything?”

“I am suddenly very tired, but I must say I loved every minute of this. I’ve never had the opportunity to cook for such a group before, and I really enjoyed it. And with the help of a sous chef from the hotel, it wasn’t that much work. But I did find the time management a bit stressful. Making sure everything was ready when it was supposed to be.”

Penny nodded sympathetically as she cast an anxious glance in the direction of the door that led to the back passageway.

“I don’t think you need to worry that he’s not there,” Florence said. “Lane, I mean. Gwennie and Mr. Carter can manage perfectly well overseeing the guests while they help themselves to dessert and coffee. There’s really not much they need to do. It’s not that difficult.”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” said Penny. “Of course they can manage. It’s not so much the service I’m worried about; it’s Lane himself. He was really looking forward to working his own coffee station, so it’s puzzling that he’s not there. Wherever he is, I hope he’s all right.”

As Florence sank gratefully into a chair, Penny poured white wine into two small glasses and carried them to the table.

After a friendly chinking of glasses, Penny took a grateful sip. “Oh,” she moaned, “if I’d known how demanding this event was going to turn out to be, I’m not sure I’d have volunteered to help with it.”

“You didn’t have to. So why did you?”

“I knew it would be a lot of work, but at the same time, I thought it would be rather fun being part of a country house dinner party. And it was, sort of. I enjoy organizing events. And as a thank you, Emyr’s giving our local Stretch and Sketch Club enough money for several of us to have a little painting holiday on Anglesey next summer, so you could say I’m doing it for them.” She shrugged. “And besides, he’s a friend, and sometimes, as you know from living with Mrs. Lloyd, it can be hard saying no to a friend.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“And what about you, Florence? Why did you agree to do it?”

“Well, like I said earlier, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at cooking for a large dinner party—catering, as it were—and since no one sent their plate back to the kitchen, I reckon they enjoyed their meal. So that’s rewarding for me. And like you, Emyr’s making a donation to something that’s important to me—the cooking class I run for new mothers. Now I can get our group a lovely set of new pots and pans, so seeing the looks on their faces will have made all this worthwhile.” She waved at the remains of the dinner on the work top and then stood up. “I’d best get back to it.”

“Me, too,” said Penny.