Pas De ... Don't

5. Intermission

When nobody had come to pick up the tray by early evening William decided to return it himself and see if he could find out more about the young woman in the old-fashioned maid's get up. The off-side door of the kitchen burst open as someone yelled coming through. William barely had time to get his load out of the way when a stream of staff in matching blue jackets marched along with their own burdens. He waited for a minute before slowly pushing open the swinging door only to find the room in complete chaos.

"Mrs. Bentley what are you doing?" he asked as he rushed to where she knelt on the floor.

"Wiping up the sauce that was supposed to go with your poached salmon tonight, but that lot of foreigners don't seem to know which side of the doors to use," she answered tartly. He put a hand under her elbow and helped her up.

"But where's your helper?"

"Called in sick, didn't she. Don't blame her with all the noise and rudeness," the cook waived at the state of the caterer's side of the kitchen. "Could give me a real turn if I let it. Just look at the state of our Aga. How am I supposed to get anything ready in that mess?"

"Why didn't you call the agency?"

"What's the point? It's going to take three days for anyone to get security passes and by then our Sally should be right as rain." She nodded to herself and straightened her apron.

"So, you just borrowed an actress to bring me my tray?" He struggled to keep a stern look when she turned to him all wide-eyed.

"A stray extra on a wander but she looked like she could belong here, don't you agree?" She gave him a sly grin.

"I told you before not to get ideas. Just because we have a house-full doesn't mean you should be fishing for another partner for me." He crossed his arms they surveyed the kitchen again. "I'm going to have a word with the production coordinator and then I'll dine out."

"Did Stephens call ahead for you? From what I've heard, everything here abouts is booked up tighter than a drum."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Meg will have something on the go." He said but called over to the local to make sure they saved him a plate. Then he tracked down Colin of the orange hat to remind him of the terms of their agreement and arrange a meeting with the head of the onsite security service. His dual aim was to make bringing in temporary help easier and to learn more about the captivating extra he had met earlier.

"We've worked with McCormick's for years. Their crew always prove reliable when we host important guests and by reliable, I mean secret service cleared. I do not want any further difficulties from you," William looked the man in the black suit up and down then back at Colin who twisted the orange hat in in his hands. The security officer gave a curt nod.

"Good. Now it would help if my team had a better idea of who might be about in the house on any given day. Some of them don't seem to know their way around, and it would save us all a lot of bother if we knew who to re-direct and who to eject. Just coordinate something with Stephens in the morning." Given his earlier promise to expel the whole production for any more infractions, he saw no need to wait for their assent.

He decided to stretch his legs, taking the shortcut to the village along the bridle-path. Only locals knew the route so he felt safe heading out on his own. The peace he hoped for proved illusive, first with the perpetual hum coming from the production's generators, then with the unpleasant encounter with a pair of men with large telephoto lenses on their cameras. He ended up having to whistle for his dogs to help drive them off the property and had to ask Meg for some water and scraps to keep the Alsatians quiet while he grabbed a quick bite in the pub.