Halloween Parade Peril: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery Book 10) by Victoria Tait

Author:Victoria Tait [Tait, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kanga Press
Published: 2024-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

After lunch, Dotty checked on Earl Grey, giving him a Dreamies treat, before returning to the auction room to produce a shortlist of the items she thought most suitable for her hotel clients.

She returned to her hotel room at a quarter to three for her online meeting with them.

When she sat down at the desk, Earl Grey jumped onto her knee.

“You’ll have to get down boy, this is an important discussion.” She picked him up and placed him on the floor where he stood, regarding her with a vexed expression.

Guiltily, she said, “I know it’s boring for you, and I’ve been busy. How about a trip out in your backpack after my meeting?”

This seemed to placate Earl Grey, who jumped back onto the bed and settled himself down.

Dotty arranged the catalogue and pen beside her laptop, which she opened, and when she’d logged in she clicked the digital meeting link. She was told to wait until her host let her in.

A minute later, the faces of Stevan and Edwin, the owners of Foxley Hall, appeared on the screen. “How’s Ireland?” Edwin asked, smiling broadly on the screen.

“Interesting, but marred by the death of a band member who I’m here with.”

“That’s awful. Has it affected the auction?” Stevan asked.

“No, that’s still going ahead. And tonight, I’m having supper with Lady Veronica, the owner of Etar Castle.”

“Really!” Edwin sounded impressed.

“And she’s been really helpful. When I told her I was interested in an attractive king-size walnut inlaid bed, she recommended other furniture to go with it.”

“A whole bedroom suite. I like the sound of that,” remarked Stevan.

“I might have to bid aggressively to secure the bed, but I think the rest of the furniture will be reasonably priced. Some pieces need minor repairs, but it’s all of a high quality.”

“If you like it, and you think it’s what we need, go for it,” Edwin encouraged her. “And what about the antlers?”

“There are four sets. Two are huge, but they would make a real statement in the entrance hall or one of the public rooms. And my friend, Zach, thinks we should also consider a suit of armour. He’s American and likes that sort of thing.”

“And so, I suspect, will our guests. What have you valued it at?” Stevan asked.

“It’s hard to know how much it will make, but I don’t think I would pay much more than €2,000.”

“Fair enough.”

Dotty spent another half an hour discussing auction items with Stevan and Edwin.

As they were finishing their discussion about the auction, Stevan said, “We’ve been approached to run a Christmas fair on the first weekend in December. Another local country house usually hosts it, and it follows on from the fair held at Burghley House, but a large stone fell off one of their towers and they’re concerned about health and safety.”

“It would be a fabulous opportunity to showcase and promote the hotel,” Edwin added enthusiastically. “What do you think?”

“You only have a month to prepare for it! What about the works on

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