Free The Gilded Curse: Will the young heiress be the next victim of her family's curse? by Marilyn Turk Page B

at losing his tip.
    She paused, giving him time to leave, then crossed the room, still searching for a sign of anything unusual. Opening the door, she glancedeach way to make sure no one was in the hall, picked up the tray, and brought it in. The smell of roast duck, a house specialty, awakened her hunger as she placed the tray on the small table in her room.
    One last glimpse around the room and she exhaled a sigh of relief. Assured she was alone, she bowed her head to bless her meal. As she recited her usual blessing, the irony struck her. Did she really believe God heard her rote prayer? If he did, would he listen to anything else she asked? She hoped he wasn’t offended by her lack of church attendance. Even though she’d attended chapel at college with her classmates, she hadn’t been in church since she graduated a year ago.
    And now that she was here, he certainly didn’t expect her to attend the island chapel. If he knew all things, then he’d know why she couldn’t go. But if he really knew everything, there were a lot of questions she wished he’d answer.
    For instance, who sent the telegram and why. Would they reveal themselves before she left? She hoped the truth wasn’t as frightening as not knowing.
    As she lifted a bite to her mouth, her eyes were distracted by a piece of paper poking out from beneath her plate. She lowered her fork to her plate and pulled the folded sheet out. Now what? Russell could certainly be persistent.
    But when she unfolded it, she stared at the message.
We’d appreciate the favor of your company for breakfast tomorrow. See you at 9:00 in the main dining room
. This note was not signed by Russell though. It was signed by Floyd Appleton.

Chapter 10
    L exie steeled herself as she entered the dining room. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Floyd and his mother, but curiosity forced her to join them. Maybe they were the ones who sent the telegram, and they were ready to tell her why. Of course, it wasn’t signed by them, and it was a strange thing to do, but Floyd and his mother were a bit on the strange side after all.
    She spotted them near one of the windows where Mrs. Appleton waved with enthusiasm. As Lexie approached, Floyd stood and pulled out a chair for her.
    “I’m so glad you could join us,” Mrs. Appleton said, beaming like the Cheshire Cat.
    “Thank you for inviting me.”
    “You look lovely, dear. Doesn’t she, Floyd?” Mrs. Appleton bobbed her head and Floyd nodded.
    “Yes, indeed. Lovely.”
    Lexie smiled, wondering if Floyd had an original thought.
    “I truly believe young ladies look much nicer in skirts.” The emphasis on the last word revealed the woman’s knowledge of Lexie’s pants the previous day. Fortunately for her, Lexie’s pants were being cleaned after yesterday’s spill. “Don’t you agree, Floyd?”
    Floyd nodded. What else would a puppet do?
    “So you saw the cottage. How terrible that it’s been neglected so long.”
    “Yes, I agree. But I was pleasantly surprised that the grounds looked so nice.”
    “Oh, you’re right about that. It’s a good thing your family kept the gardener.”
    Lexie nodded, unwilling to offer any explanation.
    “You
are
planning to restore the cottage to its former beauty, of course.”
    Lexie hoped she could get the cottage repaired, but wasn’t sure she’dhave to in order to sell the house. Anyone who bought it would likely want to change it to suit themselves. She struggled with an answer that would satisfy the woman, but the waiter arrived to take their order and the conversation paused.
    Eager to change the subject when the waiter left, Lexie faced Floyd and ventured a dialogue with him.
    “What kind of business are you in, Floyd?”
    “The family business—our chain of laundries, of course.”
    “Of course.” Lexie would have been surprised if he said anything else.
    Mrs. Appleton beamed her pleasure. “Floyd’s doing a wonderful job running the cleaners.”
    Lexie was