When the Curtain Rises Read Free

disoriented.
    â€œIt’s just me.” Abigail’s voice came from the hallway. “I’m about to put breakfast on the table.”
    â€œThanks,” Chloe mumbled. She pushed herself out of bed, slipped on her bathrobe and followed her nose out to the kitchen.
    â€œDid you sleep well?” Abigail asked as she removed two waffles from a waffle iron. Bacon and eggs sizzled behind her in a pan on the stove.
    Chloe yawned and nodded. “That’s the softest bed I’ve ever slept in. It was like sleeping on a cloud.”
    â€œYou can thank your great-aunts for that. They like everyone to be very comfortable,” said Abigail. “Speaking of your aunts, they’re just through here having their morning tea. Be a dear and hold the door while I carry in this tray.”
    â€œGood morning, Chloe,” Kitty said as Chloe entered the dining room behind the housekeeper.
    Bess nodded from her place on the other side of the oval table.
    â€œHow did you sleep? Is your room all right?” asked Kitty. “It used to be a larder, but we had it converted into a bedroom years ago, for when your father visited. We liked to keep him on the same floor with us when he was small. Our bedrooms are just down the hall. But you’re not a little girl—we could give you a room on one of the upper floors if you’d prefer more space or privacy.”
    â€œI slept well. I like the room,” Chloe said as she spread her napkin across her lap. “It’s cozy. And the view into the garden is nice.”
    Bess snorted. “Our gardener’s almost as old as we are. He can’t keep up with it—it’s a jungle.”
    Abigail emerged from the kitchen again, this time with a plate piled high with sausages.
    â€œI hope there’s something you like,” Kitty said.
    Chloe surveyed the full table. “I’m not sure where to begin.”
    â€œFollow my example then,” said Bess. The old woman filled her plate with one of everything: a fried egg, a sausage, a piece of bacon and a waffle. She finished it off with a scoop of strawberry sauce and a generous dollop of whipped cream.
    Chloe slid two waffles onto her own plate. “I’m not used to such big breakfasts. My mom is always counting carbs or grams of fat, and my dad has to watch his cholesterol.”
    Abigail took her place in the fourth chair at the table. “Your great-aunts are watching their cholesterol as well,” she confided. “This morning’s feast is in your honor.”
    â€œ Abigail is watching our cholesterol,” Bess corrected.
    Kitty reached over to pat the housekeeper’s hand. “Not that we’re complaining. Abby takes good care of us. But this morning’s spread does make a nice change from porridge and dry toast!”
    As Chloe was accepting a cup of tea from Abigail, a large portrait on the far wall of the dining room caught her eye. Bess followed her gaze across the table. “What do you think?” she asked. “Quite an imposing figure, isn’t he?”
    â€œWho is it?” Chloe asked.
    â€œThe lord of the manor himself. Our father, your great-grandfather.”
    Chloe studied her ancestor with interest. “He’s very handsome. There’s something almost— mysterious about him.”
    Kitty laughed. “He would have been very pleased to hear you say that. But I’m sure your father has told you all the old stories.”
    â€œHe’s mentioned him,” said Chloe. “He was in a circus or something, wasn’t he?”
    â€œThat’s all you know about the great Dante Magnus?” Kitty asked, looking distressed.
    Chloe shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t remember any more than that.”
    â€œNot much more than that to remember,” Bess said dryly. “Pass the syrup, please.”
    â€œOh, no,” said Kitty. “There’s so much more! Your great-grandfather was an amazing man,