gazed at her shiny brown hair and narrow, darting eyes, he couldn’t help comparing the lithe woman to a ferret. Pulling two sets of keys from the top drawer of an antique desk, Eleanor handed one key to James and one to Lindy. “I’ve got you two gentlemen in the Hunt Room and you ladies in the Equestrian Suite.”
James stared at the weighty brass tag stamped with the image of a fox head and then met Bennett’s eyes.
“Hope you don’t mind the light bein’ on ’til real late.” Bennett grinned. “I can’t take time off from my studies.”
“Um, excuse me.” Lindy cleared her throat as she held out her key. “Are all three of us sharing one bathroom?”
Eleanor Fiennes nodded. “That’s the best I could do, I’m afraid. Why, this inn’s been booked for Hog Fest weekend since last year! I had to push a whole family into one of my older cabins simply to accommodate you five on such incredibly short notice.” She grinned humorlessly. “Fortunately, a few tickets to the festival stopped them from being dissatisfied.”
Sensing that she had offended their hostess, Lindy immediately backpedaled. “Oh, we really appreciate that, Mrs. Fiennes, and we are grateful to be staying at your beautiful inn. Thank you so much for your trouble.”
Eleanor eyed the suitcase on the floor next to Lucy. “Can you manage your luggage?” When Lucy nodded, the proprietress looked relieved. “Good, good. Well, your rooms are on the second floor and lunch is being served as we speak, so shake out the wrinkles in your clothes and come on down for some of our famous hot chicken salad sandwiches.”
James was quite hungry, and the idea of lunch was more appealing than spending more than a few minutes examining his room. As it turned out, there wasn’t much to see in any case. The room was masculine and had a set of twin beds covered by ivory quilts stitched with maroon stars. The walls were a forest green and held three oil paintings depicting fox hunts. James had never been fond of the idea of a pack of dogs and a group of armed horsemen tracking down and cornering a terrified fox. He viewed foxes as beautiful and clever animals and wished that the tradition of shooting them for sport had become illegal years before it actually did.
As James hung up his favorite jeans and two pairs of khaki pants, Bennett dumped a pile of books on the single nightstand and poked his head into the bathroom.
“Kinda feels like home,” he said, pleased with their cozy room.
Without wasting any more time, the two friends hustled downstairs and out the back door where the wooden porch was crowded with glass-top tables, white metal chairs, and dozens of guests, all chewing contentedly or drinking tea from tall, clear glasses.
Several children frolicked in the pool and a young woman in a minuscule black bikini sunned herself on a lounge chair on the emerald lawn adjacent to the porch.
Eleanor appeared alongside James and Bennett but didn’t speak to them right away. Instead, she cast a brief and disapproving stare in the direction of the gorgeous girl and then, with a slightly clenched jaw, gestured at a laden buffet table. “Please help yourself to our lunch buffet. We’ve got a watercress and mint salad with walnuts, our delicious warm chicken salad on toasted croissants, fresh berries, and Key lime or lemon tartlets for dessert. Pitchers of tea, ice water, or limeade are on the sideboard. Enjoy your lunch, now.”
The two men watched her march off in the direction of the sunbather in the bikini.
After James had dished food onto a china plate decorated with a rim of running foxes and settled himself at the only available table, he realized that he had forgotten to get himself something to drink. As he headed back to his table with a glass of limeade, he noticed Eleanor berating the young woman in the bikini. The girl stood and, draping her yellow and white striped towel over one shoulder, slid her feet into flip-flops and sauntered
James stared at the weighty brass tag stamped with the image of a fox head and then met Bennett’s eyes.
“Hope you don’t mind the light bein’ on ’til real late.” Bennett grinned. “I can’t take time off from my studies.”
“Um, excuse me.” Lindy cleared her throat as she held out her key. “Are all three of us sharing one bathroom?”
Eleanor Fiennes nodded. “That’s the best I could do, I’m afraid. Why, this inn’s been booked for Hog Fest weekend since last year! I had to push a whole family into one of my older cabins simply to accommodate you five on such incredibly short notice.” She grinned humorlessly. “Fortunately, a few tickets to the festival stopped them from being dissatisfied.”
Sensing that she had offended their hostess, Lindy immediately backpedaled. “Oh, we really appreciate that, Mrs. Fiennes, and we are grateful to be staying at your beautiful inn. Thank you so much for your trouble.”
Eleanor eyed the suitcase on the floor next to Lucy. “Can you manage your luggage?” When Lucy nodded, the proprietress looked relieved. “Good, good. Well, your rooms are on the second floor and lunch is being served as we speak, so shake out the wrinkles in your clothes and come on down for some of our famous hot chicken salad sandwiches.”
James was quite hungry, and the idea of lunch was more appealing than spending more than a few minutes examining his room. As it turned out, there wasn’t much to see in any case. The room was masculine and had a set of twin beds covered by ivory quilts stitched with maroon stars. The walls were a forest green and held three oil paintings depicting fox hunts. James had never been fond of the idea of a pack of dogs and a group of armed horsemen tracking down and cornering a terrified fox. He viewed foxes as beautiful and clever animals and wished that the tradition of shooting them for sport had become illegal years before it actually did.
As James hung up his favorite jeans and two pairs of khaki pants, Bennett dumped a pile of books on the single nightstand and poked his head into the bathroom.
“Kinda feels like home,” he said, pleased with their cozy room.
Without wasting any more time, the two friends hustled downstairs and out the back door where the wooden porch was crowded with glass-top tables, white metal chairs, and dozens of guests, all chewing contentedly or drinking tea from tall, clear glasses.
Several children frolicked in the pool and a young woman in a minuscule black bikini sunned herself on a lounge chair on the emerald lawn adjacent to the porch.
Eleanor appeared alongside James and Bennett but didn’t speak to them right away. Instead, she cast a brief and disapproving stare in the direction of the gorgeous girl and then, with a slightly clenched jaw, gestured at a laden buffet table. “Please help yourself to our lunch buffet. We’ve got a watercress and mint salad with walnuts, our delicious warm chicken salad on toasted croissants, fresh berries, and Key lime or lemon tartlets for dessert. Pitchers of tea, ice water, or limeade are on the sideboard. Enjoy your lunch, now.”
The two men watched her march off in the direction of the sunbather in the bikini.
After James had dished food onto a china plate decorated with a rim of running foxes and settled himself at the only available table, he realized that he had forgotten to get himself something to drink. As he headed back to his table with a glass of limeade, he noticed Eleanor berating the young woman in the bikini. The girl stood and, draping her yellow and white striped towel over one shoulder, slid her feet into flip-flops and sauntered
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