Herald of Death Read Online Free Page A

a last critical glance around the dining room to make sure everything was in order. Although there were only a handful of guests in the hotel until the Christmas rush, every table in the dining room had to be laid as if expecting a visitor to be seated there.
    Since every meal was laid differently, that meant clearing off the unused cutlery and china and replacing it with still more unused utensils, glasses, and dishes, all of which had to be washed and put away before being brought out again the next day.
    Gertie had never seen the purpose of all that. If nobody was going to sit at the table, why go to all the trouble of putting clean dishes and silverware on it every day? Bloody stupid, it was. All that work for nothing. She had enough to do without having to blinking wash clean dishes and knives and forks.
    Of course, when she’d told Chubby that, using her usual colorful expressions, all she’d got in answer was a box around the ears. Fat lot of good it did to complain.
    “Are you all right?”
    Pansy’s anxious voice jerked her out of her thoughts. “Yea, I’m all right. Just thinking how much work we’ve got ahead of us with Christmas and all.”
    “Still missing Dan?” Pansy straightened a pair of silver condiment shakers and stood back to gauge her work.
    “Nah.” Gertie snorted. “I don’t ever think of him anymore. After he went off to London I put him out of my mind.” That wasn’t exactly the truth. She’d missed the fun-loving, impulsive young man dreadfully the first few months, and the pain only gradually faded away until she could now say she didn’t miss him and really mean it.
    “You could have gone with him, you know. He wanted you to go.”
    “What? Leave my home and drag my twins all the way up to the city where they don’t know nobody and there’s no beach to play on and nothing but busy streets and all that smoke and noise? I don’t think so. No man is worth all that. Even if he did have money.”
    “You could have lived in luxury up there.”
    “Yeah, and been unhappy. It would never have lasted.”
    Pansy picked up her tray of serviettes and moved over to the next table. “What about Clive? Would you go with him?”
    For some strange reason, Gertie felt her stomach clench at the mention of the Pennyfoot’s handyman. She managed a light laugh. “Clive? Whatever makes you think he’d ask?”
    Pansy shrugged. “Everyone knows he’s sweet on you.”
    “Everyone except me, then.”
    “Go on with you.” Pansy looked up, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. “You must know he likes you.”
    Gertie pulled in a deep breath. “Clive and me are just friends, that’s all. If I ever get cozy with another man, it will be with someone what can provide for me and the twins in a manner much better than what I got now.”
    Pansy suddenly looked sad. “Does he know that?”
    “We haven’t discussed it.”
    “Maybe you should. It’s not nice to lead a man on.”
    “I’m not leading him on,” Gertie began hotly, then shut her mouth. Maybe she was, without realizing it. She knew Clive liked her, but as a friend. He’d never said anything to make her think differently. Maybe she was taking his friendship for granted. He was so good with the kids and all, and she really liked being in his company. That didn’t mean she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
    “Well,” Pansy said, laying the serviettes neatly by the place settings, “I think you should make it clear to him how you feel. Just in case he should have any strong feelings for you.”
    Gertie glared at Pansy. “When I want your advice, missy, I’ll bleeding ask for it. I know what I’m doing, and I ain’t doing nothing wrong, so there.”
    “All right, all right.” Pansy held up her hands. “I was just saying, that’s all.”
    “Well, don’t say.”
    “All right, I won’t.” Pansy tilted her head to one side and gave her a sly look. “I heard he was building a sleigh. A big one, pulled by a