Free Birthdays Can Be Murder by Joyce Cato Page A

kitchen as uncluttered as possible,’ Jenny said firmly.
    ‘Alicia wants the wine stored in here, I’m afraid.’ The co-ordinator shrugged one padded shoulder. ‘She’s worried that the catering staff might start dispatching Mr Greer’s best wines and ports by mistake if the party wines are also allowed into the cellar.’
    ‘Oh, for …’ Jenny began ominously, but was interrupted before she could get in full flow.
    ‘That’s all right.’ Daphne Williams, entering the kitchen at that moment, quickly proved her worth. ‘I cleared a space in the back pantry for it last night. It’s cold enough in there, and the catering staff will be bringing wine coolers for the bulk of it anyway. Follow me, please.’ She turned to the delivery man, who obeyed instantly.
    The co-ordinator went off to co-ordinate something and Jenny promptly forgot their existence. She had to ice the cakes. Alicia had opted for a traditional fruitcake with white icing for her own cake, and it was always best to do that five hours before eating.
    Justin and Alicia, apparently, had an arrangement. On their birthdays they shared a party, but each got their own toast, each got an individual cake and so on, and took it in turns to open their presents. Originally designed, no doubt, to save childish arguments and tantrums.
    Jenny began to think about which sauces needed to be made first, especially those that needed to chill.
    ‘Hello, Mr Chase,’ Vera piped up timidly and tearfully from behind a mound of onions.
    ‘Vera,’ Chase responded with a brief smile as he headed straight for Martha. ‘You heard about that woman’s unexpected arrival last night?’ he asked, his voice lowered to a whisper but carrying clearly across the quiet room.
    ‘From Daphne, yes. She had to take in fresh towels this morning. Apparently she was in bed in the nude!’ Martha’s voice lowered to a scandalized hiss. ‘I think that’s so common , don’t you!’
    Chase sniffed. ‘I’m not surprised. I do hope Justin doesn’t, well, that he isn’t at all serious about the, er, lady.’
    ‘I don’t think he is,’ Martha said judiciously, moving closer as Chase leaned eagerly forward. ‘I was up early this morning – well, I had to be, didn’t I? Couldn’t expect that one’ – Jenny didn’t look up, but knew in which direction they were now looking – ‘to do any of the real work herself, could I? And I had the family breakfasts to think of. Anyway, I was passing Mr Greer’s study, as you do, like, when I heard him and Justin arguing something rotten.’
    ‘No!’
    ‘Yes! Mark was asking him what on earth did he think he was doing, bringing a girl like that into the house, and Justin said he had a right to invite her to his party if he wanted to.’
    They broke off as Mrs Williams walked the delivery man back through the cavernous kitchen and out into the hall.
    ‘So, Mark says, yes, that’s all right, but why invite her for the whole weekend? Well, that’s when Justin gets really angry, see? He says of course he didn’t invite her to the house, did his father think he was stupid? He was going to put her up in the pub. Then Mark says, well, that’s all very well, but couldn’t he see that she was the kind of girl who wasn’t going to take no for an answer? And what was all this daughter-in-law business about? Were they engaged or what? Well, Mark put it better – you know how nice he talks.’ Martha broke off, more to take a much-needed breath, Jenny suspected, than through any real desire to praise her employer.
    Chase nodded encouragingly.
    ‘Anyway, Justin, he’s getting really hot under the collar now, and says that no, of course they aren’t engaged. His father says that she obviously thinks differently, and then Justin laughs, and says that’s her problem, since he never promised her nothing.’
    ‘Ah,’ Chase said, beginning to relax. ‘I must say, I always credited Justin with greater taste than seemed evident last