The sound of dogs barking their welcome made her smile as Myra flung the front door open. “Charlotte! So good to see you!” Big, big hugs, and kisses on both cheeks. Myra stepped back to take a good look at her friend. “My dear, I think you’ve come to the right place.” Charlotte looked weary, but there was still a gleam in her eyes.
“Myra, I cannot thank you and Charles enough for rescuing me from God knows what.”
“You just relax, and we’ll sort it all out. Come. Follow me. We’ll get you settled, and then we can have an aperitif.”
“Sounds divine.” Charlotte linked arms with Myra as Annie flew into the foyer.
“I have an arm, too,” she announced, linking herself to the two other women, with Charles toting the luggage behind them.
“Leave it to Fergus to be invisible when it comes to heavy lifting,” Charles teased Annie.
“I think he’s minding the roast,” Annie poked back.
“If that’s how to describe what he’s doing, then indeed. I fear that Fergus’s only talent in the kitchen is stuffing his mouth,” Charles reminded everyone.
“Charles, be kind. Fergus is the best cleanup man for your KP duty!” Myra chided him.
“I will leave you women to chat and unwind before Fergus has a chance to ruin my dinner.” With that, Charles chuckled and left the three women to gab.
Myra and Annie helped Charlotte unpack as they caught each other up on superficial things. Myra was careful not to prod Charlotte too much. She wanted Charlotte to offer the information they needed freely and not feel that she was being grilled for it. If only to save her any embarrassment.
Myra gave Charlotte a big hug, and Annie wrapped her arms around both of them.
“Freshen up, dear. Charles will call us when we are about to start the festivities.”
“I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble. The tickets and the limo service were over the top.”
Myra and Annie gave her a wry look. “You can’t be serious,” Annie hooted. “You’re dealing with us, remember?”
Loud laughter filled the room.
“I cannot tell you how much better I feel right now.” Tears started to well in Charlotte’s eyes.
“And you just got here. Just wait until dinner! You will feel like you died and went to heaven,” Annie said, smacking her lips.
* * *
When Myra made her way back to the kitchen, she noticed a slightly grim expression on Charles’s face. “What is it, dear?”
Charles cleared his throat. “We have some new information about the ‘miracle doctors.’ Avery sent it a short while ago. Fergus is downstairs, sorting it out.”
“Charles, you know the rules,” Myra admonished him.
“Yes, old girl, I do. My point is, we are going to have to think seriously about this situation, gather the intel from Nikki, then read Avery’s report. There is definitely something amiss.”
Myra took a deep breath. “At least she’s here and out from under them.”
“For now,” Charles reminded her.
“Yes, for now, and she isn’t leaving until we get to the bottom of this.” Myra pecked him on the cheek and patted his fanny. “That roast smells divine.” She knew how to change the subject, even if it was only on the surface she thought as she headed to the dining room.
In the meanwhile, Charlotte was making her way from the other side of the farmhouse toward the dining room. The aroma coming from the kitchen was calling to her. She realized that she hadn’t eaten much in the past fifteen hours.
When she approached the dining room, she gasped at the beautiful table setting. In the middle of the table was a large vase with branches of cherry blossoms surrounded by white peonies. The arrangement had to be at least four feet high. “This is breathtaking,” she gasped. Glancing at the place settings, she could barely speak. “Myra! This is spectacular! You didn’t tell me this was going to be a formal affair. Who on your A-list is coming?”
Myra put her arm around her friend. “You are my A-list. And, of course, the girls, Charles, and Fergus.” Lady barked, as if to say, “What about us?” Myra reached down and rubbed the dog’s ears. “You, too, of course!” Lady gave an approving woof.
Soon after that, Annie returned after her leisurely bath and started pouring the Aperol and prosecco. Within a few minutes, the rest of the guests arrived: Kathryn, Yoko, Isabelle, Nikki, Maggie, and Alexis. Annie greeted them at the dining room door with a tray of beautiful flutes filled with the colorful beverage.
There were hugs all around, each trying not to splash the other with her freshly mixed drink.
Shortly thereafter, Fergus appeared with a tray of hors d’oeuvres: miniature crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, mini quiche. A plate of foie gras was nestled on the side table, next to a crystal bowl of caviar, with all the accompaniments. It was the opening act for one of Charles’s masterpiece culinary performances.
Maggie dived into the first thing she could touch on the tray. “Easy, girl. There is a lot more to come.” Charles gave her a disapproving look and handed her a linen cocktail napkin.
“Oh, Charles. You know how much I love food, especially your food,” she said, going into defensive mode.
“Yes, dear, but do try to slow down. We have many courses, and many hours to indulge ourselves.” Suddenly, Charles’s British accent made him sound very formal.
Maggie elbowed him and faked an Italian accent. “Capisce!”
Everyone took their regular place at the table, with the guest of honor in the center.
They all bowed their heads, said grace, and gave thanks, after which Charles and Fergus began serving the meal. With each course, groans of delight filled the room.
Charlotte raised her glass to make a toast. “To the finest, most generous people I have ever met. Thank you so very much for this wonderful experience.”
Everyone clinked everyone else’s glass. Nikki, Charles, Myra, Alexis, and Annie gave each other the look that said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
By eleven o’clock, the dishes had been cleared and dessert and brandy were being served in the drawing room. Charlotte could barely keep her eyes open, which meant she would soon be sound asleep. Myra, Nikki, Annie, Alexis, Fergus, and Charles were going to burn the midnight oil to uncover what they could about the likely not-so-good or good-for-nothing doctors.
Myra and Annie linked arms with Charlotte once again and walked her to her room.
“This was a wonderful evening.” Charlotte affectionately squeezed their arms. “I cannot thank you enough.”
“Sleep well, dear friend. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and press the intercom button.” Myra kissed her friend on the cheek, and Annie followed suit.
Charlotte was weary yet felt satisfied. She was looking forward to hours of slumber in the sumptuous bed.
Chapter 7
London
“What do you mean, she left town?” Dr. Julian Marcus shouted into the phone.
“My mother decided to go back to the States.” Maryann was slightly embarrassed that her mother had not contacted the doctor personally.
“But the treatment! The protocol!” He sounded frantic. “This will not bode well for the scientific legitimacy of our findings if she does not complete the series of treatments!” He sounded as if he were close to foaming at the mouth.