Free Mr. Badger and the Difficult Duchess by Leigh Hobbs

CHAPTER 2
    Mr Badger’s
Diary
    E ach guest at the Boubles Grand Hotel was important, and every one of them was treated with the utmost courtesy by the staff.
    Still, Miss Pims, Mr Badger’s helpful assistant, always left a note in Mr Badger’s diary if someone special – say a duke, or a famous actor, or the latest celebrity – had reserved a suite at the Boubles Grand Hotel.
    On this particular day, Mr Badger arrived for work in the early hours as he always did and opened his diary to study the coming day’s events.

    Every day there were all manner of things for Mr Badger to do and check and order and look at. And every one of them was carefully noted in his diary by Miss Pims.

    Every morning Mr Badger checked his diary.
    For instance, today the diary said:
    1. Order flowers for the Philatelic Society Annual Dinner to be held tonight in the Grand Ballroom. (Sir Cecil and Lady Celia were the patrons of the stamp-collectors’ society. This was the members’ chance to meet and swap stamps.)
    2. Clean the chandelier and polish the floors in the Grand Ballroom.
    3. Wipe Algernon’s case. (As usual, Algernon the ape’s case was covered in small marks from the many little hands and noses that pressed against the glass each day. Children adored Algernon.)

    Of course, Mr Badger didn’t personally lower the chandelier and dust the crystal and climb up a ladder to replace the light bulbs, or polish the floors and collect and wash the dishes from the dining room after morning and afternoon tea every day.
    Oh no, no, no. There were trained staff who did all of that.
    However, Mr Badger did give the orders and do the supervising. Every task had to be completed to a very high standard – the Boubles Grand Hotel standard – and it was most important that everything be done without any fuss. Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers, the owners of the Boubles Grand Hotel, insisted on it.

    Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers.

    â€˜Keep up the good work,’ Sir Cecil would say whenever he passed Mr Badger in the corridor.
    Anyway, according to Mr Badger’s diary, there were no celebrities booked into the Boubles Grand Hotel today. Not even a princess for afternoon tea.
    Miss Pims arrived at work to find Mr Badger leaning back in his chair.

    â€˜Good morning, Mr Badger!’ she said cheerfully.
    â€˜And good morning to you, too,’ replied Mr Badger. ‘I’ve checked your diary entries and there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary. I’m looking forward to concentrating on tonight’s special event. It promises to be quite an occasion.’

CHAPTER 3
    An Unexpected
Guest
    A telephone call soon after informed Mr Badger that a special guest had arrived after all.

    â€˜Mr Badger, sir,’ said a trembling voice. ‘It’s Robert in reception. We have a guest, the Duchess de la Dodo, and she insists on taking the Royal Suite.’
    â€˜I don’t recall seeing a duchess in my diary,’ said Mr Badger, looking at Miss Pims, who in turn peered at the open page with ‘today’ at the top.
    â€˜According to this there is definitely no duchess due today,’ said Miss Pims, nodding her head and raising her eyebrows.
    Now, the Royal Suite was always kept ready in case a foreign monarch came to stay while on an official visit to London.
    Occasionally, too, if local royalty dropped in for a late-night supper, Mr Badger would make arrangements for them to stay overnight in the Royal Suite – rather than have them go all the way back to the palace and troubling the guards with unlocking and locking innumerable gates and doors.
    That meant, of course, that the lucky prince or princess would then be free to relax, have a bubble bath and enjoy a famous Boubles Grand Hotel hot chocolate before turning in.
    Even though they were very busy, and her grace didn’t have a reservation, Mr Badger and Miss Pims went downstairs