Penny Küfer's Christmas by Alex Wagner

Author:Alex Wagner [Wagner, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-30T05:00:00+00:00

When the group in the dining room had dispersed, each of the castle’s inhabitants retreating to mourn the dead son of the house in their own way, Penny directed her steps toward the kitchen.

She was lucky, because there she met exactly the person on whom her hopes were based: Nele. And the housekeeper was alone. She was sitting at the kitchen table, solving a Sudoku puzzle, while the smell of poppy seeds and chocolate came wafting from the oven.

When Penny stepped into the room, Nele jerked her head up.

"Oh, it's you, Ms. Küfer … would you like something to eat? Are you hungry?

Penny answered in the negative. She shuffled indecisively from one leg to the other for a moment, then pulled up a chair and took a seat next to Nele.

She had never been good at beating around the bush, so she came straight out with her request.

"I'd like to have a talk with Franziska," she began. "Don't you think it's, well, rather strange that she's locked up in her own house? If not altogether wrong?"

Nele lowered her eyes, seemingly embarrassed. "I'm not getting involved," she mumbled. "It's none of my business. Don't take offense, Ms. Küfer, but in some matters it's best to look the other way as a domestic. That's the way it's always been. That's the way it has to be. Otherwise, I don't think you could work in a castle. There's always a…"

She broke off and shook her head.

"A what? A skeleton in the closet, were you going to say?" Penny looked at the cook searchingly.

Nele shook her head vigorously. "No, I didn't want to imply that at all! I know absolutely nothing—you have to believe me! And Prince Eduard really is a good employer."

To Penny's surprise, she suddenly jumped up, ran to the back corner of the kitchen, and pulled a thick, heavy ring of keys from a drawer. She detached a single silver key and returned to Penny with it.

"Here, take this. This will give you access to Franziska's room. Talk to her. Maybe you can do something for the poor girl. But if you get caught, I haven't given you the key, okay? You must promise me!"

Penny promised and slipped the key into the side compartment of her purse. It didn't escape her notice that it was not the simple kind of key commonly used for locks inside an apartment or a house; it was a security key, the sort you would find on well-protected exterior doors.

"I've never been alone with Franziska," Nele mused quietly to herself. "Barely exchanged a few words with her in all the time I've been in the house."

"Don't you clean up in her room?" Penny asked.

"Yes, but always in the company of someone from security—Liam, to be exact. He hasn't been with us in the house long, but I think he's deeply devoted to Franziska."

"Is he looking after her on behalf of Prince Eduard? Or do you have the impression that he personally cares about Franziska?"

The corners of Nele's mouth twitched.

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