Read Online The Party Girl's Invitation by Karen Elaine Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Elaine Campbell
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then. I thought she had some fella out there in America, what’s happened to him then, did she bring him back here with her?”
“I didn’t ask. From the view I got of her the other night, I wouldn’a thought it, if it was her of course. The boss pulled y’on missy right up close he did, when he thought I was out of sight. He’s not one to let the grass grow under his feet, that’s for sure and she weren’t complainin’ none, I can tell ya. I reckon there was a few sparks flyin’ there, if you get my drift.”
Maude raised her eyebrows. “That’ll not please madam. She’s had a bee in her bonnet about him up at the factory ever since he first arrived. Had a dinner party on Saturday night, Hetty did, and didn’t invite him you know, so Maisie says. I bet it were Crystal alright. Maisie said she’s come home. Gone all blonde and tarty, Maisie says.”She thought for a moment, “Though Maisie’s got no clothes sense anyhow, so I don’t know how she’d know anything about it, and Crystal were always a blondie child, right from a baby, if you recall?”
“Oh ah, that she were. Bob brought her home from the station, Saturday, she’d been down Bath shoppin’. She couldn’t have brought much stuff with her on the plane, cos he said she came back with bags full of clothes. Dresses and such like, he recognised some of the names, right fancy stuff.”He paused, and squinted out of the window. “Eh-up, looks like that’s her comin’ along the road now. How do these youngsters walk in those heels, eh? She’ll give herself bunions before she’s fifty, I’ll bet. I wonder where she’d be goin’ now then?”
Maude sniffed, “How would I know? I heard that she was up at the churchyard yesterday, paying her respects to her parents, according to the vicar. She won’t need many of those party dresses around here though, there’s ’owt to do here of an evening, a pair of wellies would be more sense, if you ask me. There’s the Hunt Ball coming up, if Lolly ever gets around to fixing things. Maybe Crystal’ll take that over for her, she were a fancy event organiser, weren’t she? It might get set up proper then, if she does. Last year were a right fiasco. The pig were cold and the drinks hot. Old Major ‘huff ‘n’ puff’, got right cross with Lolly and she blamed Hetty, do you remember?”
“That was the only highlight of the evening. Oh, apart from young Jeremy throwing up in the fountain, of course. Hetty was seriously cross with him. I overheard him tellin’ a few of the lads in the canteen about it after, he thought it was a real joke.”
Maude laughed. “Mark and Ruth hadn’t been married long, I bet that were a real eye-opener for Ruth, she was brought up proper like, a real lady was her mum. Bet she wondered what she’d let herself in for, taking on that lot. Now Crystal’s back, things will liven up around here for sure, she always brought out the worst in Jeremy. The terrible twins we used to call ’em, do you remember?”
Bernard went back to chewing on his sandwich. “I bet we don’t know the half of it, love, either.”
Maude smiled, fondly. “What a pair,” she said. “Now, hurry up, finish that off, there’s cake for afters. You don’t want to be late back for work now, do you? That Mister Silver doesn’t strike me as a man who will take much messing about. They reckon he’s a real taskmaster.”
“He won’t bother me too much, just so long as I do my job. I got brownie points on Friday night for turning up quickly when he called. I’d already de-activated the alarm on the front door before he got there, made me’self look good, that did.”
“You’re a good man, Bernard. He’s lucky to have you.”
Bernard smiled and scratched his belly through his shirt.“I do me best, dear, I do me best.”
Cousin Lolly looked older and slimmer, a bit more sleek than Crystal remembered. She’d always been the tubby one in their family, dark haired and doe eyed and
“I didn’t ask. From the view I got of her the other night, I wouldn’a thought it, if it was her of course. The boss pulled y’on missy right up close he did, when he thought I was out of sight. He’s not one to let the grass grow under his feet, that’s for sure and she weren’t complainin’ none, I can tell ya. I reckon there was a few sparks flyin’ there, if you get my drift.”
Maude raised her eyebrows. “That’ll not please madam. She’s had a bee in her bonnet about him up at the factory ever since he first arrived. Had a dinner party on Saturday night, Hetty did, and didn’t invite him you know, so Maisie says. I bet it were Crystal alright. Maisie said she’s come home. Gone all blonde and tarty, Maisie says.”She thought for a moment, “Though Maisie’s got no clothes sense anyhow, so I don’t know how she’d know anything about it, and Crystal were always a blondie child, right from a baby, if you recall?”
“Oh ah, that she were. Bob brought her home from the station, Saturday, she’d been down Bath shoppin’. She couldn’t have brought much stuff with her on the plane, cos he said she came back with bags full of clothes. Dresses and such like, he recognised some of the names, right fancy stuff.”He paused, and squinted out of the window. “Eh-up, looks like that’s her comin’ along the road now. How do these youngsters walk in those heels, eh? She’ll give herself bunions before she’s fifty, I’ll bet. I wonder where she’d be goin’ now then?”
Maude sniffed, “How would I know? I heard that she was up at the churchyard yesterday, paying her respects to her parents, according to the vicar. She won’t need many of those party dresses around here though, there’s ’owt to do here of an evening, a pair of wellies would be more sense, if you ask me. There’s the Hunt Ball coming up, if Lolly ever gets around to fixing things. Maybe Crystal’ll take that over for her, she were a fancy event organiser, weren’t she? It might get set up proper then, if she does. Last year were a right fiasco. The pig were cold and the drinks hot. Old Major ‘huff ‘n’ puff’, got right cross with Lolly and she blamed Hetty, do you remember?”
“That was the only highlight of the evening. Oh, apart from young Jeremy throwing up in the fountain, of course. Hetty was seriously cross with him. I overheard him tellin’ a few of the lads in the canteen about it after, he thought it was a real joke.”
Maude laughed. “Mark and Ruth hadn’t been married long, I bet that were a real eye-opener for Ruth, she was brought up proper like, a real lady was her mum. Bet she wondered what she’d let herself in for, taking on that lot. Now Crystal’s back, things will liven up around here for sure, she always brought out the worst in Jeremy. The terrible twins we used to call ’em, do you remember?”
Bernard went back to chewing on his sandwich. “I bet we don’t know the half of it, love, either.”
Maude smiled, fondly. “What a pair,” she said. “Now, hurry up, finish that off, there’s cake for afters. You don’t want to be late back for work now, do you? That Mister Silver doesn’t strike me as a man who will take much messing about. They reckon he’s a real taskmaster.”
“He won’t bother me too much, just so long as I do my job. I got brownie points on Friday night for turning up quickly when he called. I’d already de-activated the alarm on the front door before he got there, made me’self look good, that did.”
“You’re a good man, Bernard. He’s lucky to have you.”
Bernard smiled and scratched his belly through his shirt.“I do me best, dear, I do me best.”
Cousin Lolly looked older and slimmer, a bit more sleek than Crystal remembered. She’d always been the tubby one in their family, dark haired and doe eyed and
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