Free Tea with Milk and Murder (Oxford Tearoom Mysteries ~ Book 2) by H.Y. Hanna

was, we finally weathered the lunchtime rush and all managed to sit down with a sigh of relief as the tearoom emptied out again by three o’clock.
    “Mabel, Glenda, Florence, Ethel… I really don’t know how to thank you all,” I said to them with a warm smile. “You were wonderful .”
    “Tosh, dear—we enjoyed it!” said Glenda whilst the others nodded.
    I had to admit that they looked very well, their cheeks flushed and their eyes bright from the extra activity. And I was amazed at their stamina—for little old ladies, they sure had incredible energy. They seemed far less tired than me after several hours of running around on their feet!
    “Any time you need an extra pair of hands, just let us know,” said Ethel.
    “Yes, we don’t do anything much these days since retiring,” said Florence. “It’s nice for us to feel useful.”
    “Well, it’s not much of a thank you but all your meals this week in the tearoom are on me—and please help yourself to anything you like from the kitchen!” I said.
    “Ooh, in that case, I must sample a bit of that new Velvet Cheesecake your mother’s made,” said Florence.
    “Yes, and the muffins looked fabulous too,” said Glenda.
    “Pot of tea?” said Ethel, getting up and heading to the kitchen.
    The others followed her, already chattering excitedly about what they were going to eat. I glanced at Cassie—she had been very quiet—and I found her looking down at her phone. She seemed to be busy texting something.
    “Cassie? Fancy a cup of tea?”
    She looked up, an embarrassed expression on her face. “Er… actually, Gemma, if you don’t mind… I think I might push off early today? You’ve got the Old Biddies here anyway and everything seems to be under control. It’s just that… well, you know I’m going to Florence with Jon. We’re flying tomorrow morning and he said he’s taking me out for an early dinner… and then I’d really like to get home and pack…”
    I felt that flash of annoyance again, mingled with hurt, but I hurriedly squashed the feelings. I should have been pleased for Cassie and excited for her. Of course she’d want to prepare for her romantic trip away. And if she’d rather spend time with Jon than with me… well, that was pretty natural too.
    I swallowed and plastered a smile on my face. “Sure, no problem. Have a great time in Florence!”
    “Thanks—I’ll see you on Wednesday,” she said, giving me a quick hug. Then she took off her apron, grabbed her things, and hurried out the front door.
    I watched her go with troubled eyes, unable to shake the feeling that my friend was gradually slipping away from me.
     
     
     
    The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quietly. We had our usual resurgence at around four o’clock tea time but nothing that we couldn’t handle. In fact, the Old Biddies and I were starting to develop a rhythm, working together as a team, and I found myself enjoying their company more than ever before.
    Just before we were closing, a black Jaguar XK pulled up at the curb outside the tearoom and a tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the driver’s seat. It was Devlin.
    “Gemma… Can I have a word?” He said as he stepped in. He glanced around the room, noting the Old Biddies watching him with bright, beady eyes. “In private,” he added.
    “How about the courtyard outside?” I asked. “It’s a bit chilly but we wouldn’t be overheard.”
    Devlin nodded and followed me out to the little courtyard adjoining the tearoom. This used to be the stable yard adjoining the old inn, and it still retained much of its original period charm, with cobblestones and whitewashed walls, and even an ancient horseshoe still nailed to the wall by the stable doors. There were a few wooden picnic tables in the courtyard and I planned to add big tubs of flowers when summer arrived—it would make a very pretty extension to the main tearoom, somewhere to enjoy the sunshine while having your tea and cakes. Right now,