Aunt Bessie Joins (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 10) (13 page)

Mary chuckled.
 
“She’s so used to having staff that she
simply doesn’t think to thank people.”

“Do you thank your staff?” Bessie asked.

Mary frowned.
 
“Well, yes, I do, really.
 
But Carolyn isn’t the type.”

“No, she isn’t,”
Bessie
agreed.

Mark had set aside several large rooms that
weren’t part of “Christmas at the Castle” for everyone to use.
 
Bessie and Mary changed, and then Bessie
combed her hair and added a bit of lipstick to her lips.
 
That was more makeup than she usual
wore, and it was quite enough for her.
 
Mary spent a good deal longer fussing over her hair and face, but she
was ready with time to spare anyway.

“Let’s go down and see if Mark needs any
help,” Bessie suggested after she’d admired Mary’s dress.

“I’m not even certain what we’re meant to be
doing tonight,” Mary whispered as they walked through the castle.

“Hopefully we’re meant to be eating lots of
lovely canapés,” Bessie replied.
 
“I
know I ate a huge amount of lunch, but I’m starving again.”

“Lunch does seem to have been a rather long
time ago,” Mary said.

In the courtyard, Mark looked extra handsome
in his tuxedo, and Bessie was surprised to see Henry in one as well.

“Don’t you look dashing,” she said to the
man, who
coloured
brightly.

“It’s not very comfortable,” he hissed at
her.
 
“But Laura seems to like it.”

Bessie smiled.
 
“Where is Laura?” she asked.

“She’s taking tickets at the entrance,”
Henry told her.
 
“Or she will be in
a few minutes, when we open.
 
Wait
until you see how gorgeous she looks.”

“I’m sure she looks wonderful,” Bessie
replied.
 
She frowned as her mobile
rang.
 
She’d only just managed to
cram it into the small evening bag that went with her black dress.
 
At least that made it easy to find, she
thought as she pulled it out of the bag.

“Hello?”

“Bessie?
 
It’s Pete
Corkill
.
 
What’s this I hear about someone
disappearing from down there?”

“It’s Michael Beach,” Bessie explained.
 
“He had a few too many glasses of wine
with lunch and then went for a walk with Natasha.
 
He was meant to be back for a press
conference, but he missed it.”

“What does Natasha say?”

“That he told her he was coming back to the
castle and left her sitting by the sea.”

“You should have rung me,” he told her.

“Mark rang the local station,” Bessie
replied.

“But I’m investigating Christopher Hart’s
murder.”

“Surely this doesn’t have anything to do
with that,” Bessie argued.

“I certainly hope not.
 
We’ll know more once we find the missing
man.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t ring you.”

“Please ring if he suddenly turns up,” Pete
said.
 
“I’m going to start doing
some checking around.”

After Bessie put her phone away, she
rejoined the party.
 
Everyone was
busy complimenting one another.

“I feel as if I’m playing dress-up,” Liz
confessed to Bessie.
 
“I never wear
long gowns.”

“Well, you look lovely and very comfortable
in it,” Bessie told her.

“It certainly isn’t that,” Liz laughed.
 
“It’s quite tight and I can barely walk
in it.”
 
She leaned in close to
Bessie and whispered.
 
“I was really
worried about fitting into it, actually.
 
We just found out we’re having another baby and I feel as if I’ve grown
two sizes already.”

“Congratulations,” Bessie exclaimed,
delighted for her young friend.

Liz flushed.
 
“We aren’t really telling anyone yet,”
she told Bessie.
 
“But some days I
feel as if I’ll burst if I don’t tell someone.”

Bessie laughed.
 
“Well, I’m
honoured
and delighted that you told me, and I won’t say a word to anyone else about
it.”

“Thanks,” Liz said.
 
“I’ve only a few weeks to go before
we’ll feel more comfortable telling people, but I feel as if I’m gaining so
much weight that people are going to start to notice anyway.”

“I don’t think you look like you’ve gained
weight,” Bessie told her.
 
“And
anyway, this time of year you can always blame mince pies and Christmas
pudding.”

Liz laughed.
 
“I hadn’t thought of that.
 
What a great idea.”

“What’s a great idea?” Mary asked as she
joined them.

“Having another mince pie before it gets
busy,” Liz told her.
 
She turned and
walked away, leaving Bessie with Mary.

“Only a few minutes before the doors open,”
Mary said.
 
“Are you nervous?”

“Not really,” Bessie said after a moment’s
thought.
 
“I know the rooms look
good.
 
The only worry is that people
won’t know what to expect and might be disappointed, but I think Mark did a
great job in describing the event in all of the publicity, so we should be
fine.”

“I wish Michael were here,” Mary said.
 

Bessie glanced around the space and
sighed.
 
“I’m trying not to worry
about him,” she said.
 
“Carolyn’s
not here, either.”

“She’ll be waiting to make an entrance,”
Mary predicted.

A moment later, Mark cleared his throat
loudly.
 
“I know I thanked you all
at lunch today, but I just wanted to say it one more time.
 
You should all be really proud of what
we’ve accomplished here.
 
Now let’s
just hope we raise lots of money for all of our respective groups.”

While everyone was clapping, Carolyn made
her entrance.
 
She swept into the
courtyard with a long red cape flapping in the wind behind her.
 
Stopping a few paces into the courtyard,
she paused and smiled before unhooking the cape and dropping to the ground
behind her.
 
Bessie nearly gasped
when she saw the tight-fitting and very short black dress Carolyn was wearing.
 
It didn’t seem at all appropriate for
the grand opening of an event that was being promoted as being family-friendly.
 
Before anyone in the courtyard spoke, a
voice came from behind Carolyn.

“Wow-wow-wow!
 
That is some dress,” Michael said.
 
He took a step forward and then stumbled,
but caught himself before he fell to the ground.
 
“We need some wine, darling Carolyn,” he
said, slurring his words.
 

Carolyn laughed.
 
“Come along, then,” she said.

Michael slid an arm around her waist and the
pair headed straight towards the bar that was set up in one corner of the
space.
 
Mark was quick to follow
them, and Bessie was sure he was planning to have a serious conversation with
Michael.
 
Now Bessie needed to ring
Pete.

Chapter Seven

It was a short conversation, as all Bessie
could tell him was that Michael was at the castle.

“See if you can find out where he’s been,”
Pete said before Bessie disconnected.

An hour later, the castle was full of people
and Bessie was overwhelmed by how much everyone seemed to be enjoying the
event.

“It’s going well,” Mark whispered to her as
they passed one another in one of the rooms.

“The door to Carolyn’s room isn’t open,”
Bessie told him.
 
“I’d almost rather
it stayed shut, but Carolyn will be upset when she finds out.”

“One of the staff locked all the rooms while
we were getting ready, at least the rooms that can be locked.
 
When Henry unlocked everything just
before we opened, he didn’t
realise
that room was finished.
 
I’ll have someone get it opened as soon
as I can, but it isn’t really a high priority for me right now.”

Bessie hid a smile.
 
If she were in Mark’s place, it wouldn’t
be a priority for her, either.
 
“Maybe Carolyn won’t notice,” she suggested.

Mark shrugged.
 
“She seems to be spending her evening
with Michael.
 
Last time I saw them,
they hadn’t left the courtyard.”

With that in mind, Bessie headed towards the
courtyard.
 
It took her a while to
get there, as she knew many people and they all wanted to stop her and
congratulate her on the event.
 
When
she finally reached the large outdoor space, it was nearly empty.
 
Henry was hard at work, clearing up
rubbish and collecting glasses.
 
Laura was standing near the entrance, watching for late arrivals.
 
A man was behind the corner bar, idly
polishing glasses and watching his only two customers.
 
Carolyn and Michael were standing very
close together and talking quietly.

“’Christmas at the Castle’ seems to be a
success,” Bessie said as she reached the couple.
 
“I’ve heard nothing but compliments from
the guests.”

“Have a glass of wine,” Michael
suggested.
 
“Surely you’ve earned
one.”

Bessie smiled and nodded at the man behind
the bar.

“Red or white?” he asked.

Bessie couldn’t have cared less.
 
“White,” she said, as that was what
Michael and Carolyn were drinking.

“We were worried about you,” she said to
Michael as she took the glass from the bartender.

“Carolyn was telling me,” Michael
replied.
 
“I didn’t
realise
I had to account for all of my movements to your
committee.”

Bessie flushed.
 
“We probably overreacted,” she admitted.
 
“But Mr. Hart’s murder is still on
everyone’s mind.
 
Since we’ve no
idea who killed him or why, I think we’re all worried about everyone who is involved
with ‘Christmas at the Castle.’”

“And yet here we are at the grand opening,”
Michael said, waving his drink.
 
“If
the police were worried about it, they wouldn’t have let us carry on, surely.”

Bessie shrugged.
 
“I’m just glad you turned up safe and
sound.”

“If a little bit drunk,” the man said,
laughing.

“Maybe you should have a walk around the
castle,” Bessie suggested.
 
“The
lights on the trees are much more effective now that it’s dark outside.
 
We were always working in daylight.
 
I’ve never seen it quite like this.”

Michael shrugged.
 
“I’m enjoying the courtyard,” he told
Bessie.
 
“And the company.”
 
He waved his glass again, this time
towards Carolyn.
 
She giggled.

“It is nice and quiet out here,” she
agreed.
 
“Or it was.”
 
She gave Bessie a pointed look.

“We were sorry you missed the press
conference,” Bessie said to Michael, ignoring Carolyn.

“Couldn’t be helped,” Michael told her.
 
“I tripped on the castle steps on my way
in, you see.
 
Tore the knee in my
trousers.
 
I had to go home and
change.
 
I couldn’t possibly have
stayed like that for tonight.”

“Mark has more press events coming up, in the
lead up to the auction on Christmas Eve.
 
I’m sure you’ll be able to get lots of publicity for your charity
anyway,” Bessie told him.

“What time does all of this finish?” Carolyn
demanded.
 
“I’m getting quite
bored.”

“You should go around the castle and talk to
the guests,” Bessie suggested.
 
As a
committee member, it was what she should have been doing all night.

“Or we could get out of here,” Michael said
in a low voice.
 
“We could go back
to my flat and relax.”

“Is that a proposition?” Carolyn asked, giggling.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” Michael
told her with a wink.

“I need to get back to our guests,” Bessie
said stiffly.
 
She put her almost untouched
glass of wine on the bar and turned to walk away.

“Oh, Bessie, don’t mind us,” Carolyn called after
her.
 
“We’re just playing.”

Bessie didn’t bother to reply.
 
She was nearly back to the castle
entrance when she heard Carolyn yell.

“Richard?
 
What are you doing here?”

Bessie turned and walked back to the bar,
where Richard
Teare
was smiling
humourlessly
at his wife.

“I was invited,” he told her.
 
“It’s the grand opening and I thought it
would be interesting to see exactly what you’ve been doing for the last month
or so.”
 
He turned and looked at
Bessie.
 
“Bessie
Cubbon
,
you look beautiful tonight.”

Bessie smiled and offered her hand.
 
As the man shook it, she studied
him.
 
He was tall, with broad
shoulders.
 
His expensive suit had
clearly been made for him.
 
His hair
was silver grey and his brown eyes, when they met Bessie’s, looked both tired
and angry.

“Richard, it’s lovely to see you again.
 
Let me take you on a tour,” Bessie
suggested.

“I think that’s a job for my devoted wife,”
he growled.
 
“Come on, darling, show
me around.”

“I’m too tired,” Carolyn said.
 
“Let Bessie do it.
 
She knows far more about it all than I
do, anyway.”

“I don’t believe that.
 
After all the hours and hours that you
devoted to the site, you must know every inch of it,” Richard said mockingly.

“I’m going back to my hotel,” Carolyn
said.
 
“Bessie can show you around
or you can just go home and stop being silly.”

“Silly?
 
What’s silly about wanting to see what my wife has been doing for the
month?” Richard asked.
 
“I thought
you liked it when I showed an interest in your little projects.”

“I’ll walk you to your hotel,” Michael
offered.
 
“I’ve had enough ‘Christmas
at the Castle’ for today.”

Richard turned and looked the man up and
down.
 
“I do hope you aren’t
serious,” he said sharply.
 
“I know
my wife has had a few drinks, but she isn’t about to fall into bed with someone
like you because of it.”

Michael flushed.
 
“I was just offering to escort her to
her hotel, nothing more.”

Richard chuckled.
 
“Yes, of course,” he said.
 
“Just remember that I control the purse
strings in our house.
 
My darling
wife isn’t in a position to buy expensive presents for her little diversions
and she isn’t going to convince me to make a huge donation to your charity,
either.”

“I was just trying to be helpful,” Michael
said through gritted teeth.

“Don’t argue over little old me,” Carolyn
simpered.
 
“I’m sure Michael’s
intentions were
honourable
,” she told her
husband.
 
“He’s kind and sweet,
really.”

“And far too young for you, dear,” Richard
said.
 

Carolyn’s face reddened.
 
“You know I’m devoted to you,” she said.

Richard laughed.
 
“I know you’re devoted to my money,” he
said.
 
“I don’t think you care about
me in the slightest.”

“There you all are,” Mary’s voice floated
across the courtyard.
 
“You’re
missing all of the fun.”

She and Natasha crossed over to the bar and
Mary smiled brightly at everyone.
 
“Ah, Richard, how wonderful that you were able to make it.
 
Come and see what we’ve done.
 
I’m sure you’ll be impressed,” she said,
taking Richard’s arm.

“I thought I would have Carolyn show me
around,” he said.

“Oh, leave her here to relax,” Mary replied.
 
“She worked hard all day to get the last
room finished.
 
She’s earned a break
and a glass of wine.”

Bessie sighed with relief as Mary pulled
Richard away into the castle.

“He’s very handsome,” Natasha remarked with
a sly smile.

“And he’s very married,” Carolyn snapped at
her.

“Maybe I should walk you to your hotel
before he gets back,” Michael suggested to Carolyn.

“I don’t know,” she replied.
 
“I think maybe I should stay and see
what he thinks of it all.”

“Mary and I can look after him,” Natasha
said.
 
“He’ll be in very good hands.”

Carolyn narrowed her eyes at the younger
woman.
 
“You need to keep your hands
off my husband,” she hissed.

“I hope you aren’t implying that I would
chase after a married man,” Natasha said angrily.
 
“There are plenty of men out there; I
don’t have to chase after yours.”

Carolyn didn’t reply
,
she just stared hard at Natasha.
 
After a moment, Natasha laughed and turned her attention on Michael.

“Maybe you could buy a girl a drink?” she
said, winking at him.

“I’d be happy to,” he said.
 
“There’s a great little pub just across
the road.”

Natasha laughed again.
 
“I think I’ll settle for a glass of wine
here for now,” she said.
 
“But the
night is still young.”

The bartender poured wine for Natasha and
she moved to stand close to Michael.
 
Carolyn sipped her drink while glaring at the pair of them.
 
Bessie wanted to head back into the
castle, but she worried about leaving the unhappy little group behind.
 
The last thing they needed during the
grand opening was a huge altercation, and with tensions as high as they were,
it seemed like that could happen at any moment.

“Do you think we should close the bar?”
Henry whispered to Bessie as he passed used glasses to the bartender.

“Mark wanted drinks available until the end
of the night,” Bessie said.
 
“He
thought people might like to stop for another glass of wine before they
leave.
 
It’s meant to be a party,
after all.”

“Doesn’t feel too festive with that lot
bickering,” Henry grumbled.

Bessie patted his arm.
 
“You’re doing a wonderful job.
 
Don’t you worry about anything.
”

“I can’t help but worry,” he replied.
 
“I keep thinking someone’s going to find
a body somewhere.”

Bessie shook her head, even though she’d had
the same feeling.
 
“It’s going to be
fine,” she insisted.
 
“Even better
once we get Carolyn and Richard out of here.”

“Preferably not together,” Henry muttered.

People were beginning to leave now and
Bessie wasn’t surprised to find that Mark had been correct.
 
A number of guests stopped at the bar on
their way out to have a quick drink before heading home.

“It was wonderful,” one of Bessie’s friends
told her.
 
“I’d have loved to see
the whole castle decorated, not just a few rooms.”

“Maybe next year,” Bessie replied.
 
“We started planning far too late to do
any more than what we did.”