The smells coming through from the kitchen were tempting, but she made sure to keep out of Fraser’s way. He took his cooking seriously.
With a few choice items the room seemed more inviting. Dolly wheeled in with Jock’O on her lap.
‘Does it look okay?’ asked Effie.
Dolly gripped her hand. ‘Magnificent. You’ve done a fine job.’
‘Thanks.’ Effie was pleased and relieved. She didn’t always get it right but she could trust her grandmother to tell her the truth, even if sometimes it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. A little voice in her head made her wonder if that was why she’d not told Dolly about John.
‘How long until dinner?’ asked Dolly. ‘The natives are getting restless.’ She pointed a thumb over her shoulder where grumbled conversation was coming through from the library.
‘I’ll go and see,’ said Effie.
‘I’ll give them wine, which should keep them quiet for a bit.’
Effie got an update from Fraser and went to tell the guests. The dishes he had cooked were some of the specialities he was going to have on his menu, and he’d been fine-tuning them with his kitchen team ahead of the restaurant opening.
She went through to the library where she was met by hopeful faces.
‘Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,’ said Effie.
‘We’d planned to have fish and chips on our wedding day,’ said Kacey looking glum. ‘Is it fish and chips?’
‘No. It’s Cullen skink for starters, venison with Hasselback potatoes or foraged wild mushroom and truffle ravioli for mains and cranachan with a pistachio crumb for pud.’ She was very proud of her cousin.
‘I only understood potatoes and ravioli,’ said Kacey.
‘The rest didn’t sound like food at all. I think we’re being experimented on,’ said Shanie.
Dolly wheeled into the room and Jock’O announced their arrival with a sharp bark. He fixed his eyes on Shanie and growled. ‘It’s all cooked fresh from locally sourced ingredients and would cost you an arm and a leg in that there London, so think yourselves lucky. If you take your seats in the dining room I’ll take your choice of main course, either meat or vegetarian, unless you want to take your chances and walk fourteen miles that way to the twenty-four-hour garage that may or may not be open where you might be able to buy one of their out-of-date sausage rolls.’
Nobody replied. They all filed through to the dining room in silence with a flea in their ear, and Effie left Dolly to take orders.
Liv did a quick change and she and Effie ferried in starters to the dining room. The guests peered at the bowls in front of them.
‘What’s this?’ asked Aaron, fishing about with his spoon.
‘Cullen skink,’ said Dolly, sounding even more Scottish than usual.
‘It’s fish and potato soup,’ said Liv.
‘Ahhh,’ said Aaron. He had a small taste and the others watched him closely as if expecting him to convulse and die in front of them. ‘That’s all right that is,’ he declared and the others picked up their spoons.
15
The main courses seemed to be going down well. Liv thought it was some of the best food she’d ever had, but then she wasn’t very adventurous in that department and rarely could afford to eat out unless it was a cheeky weekend Maccy D’s.
‘Everything okay?’ asked Dolly, which Liv thought was asking for trouble with this lot.
‘The beef is really tasty,’ said Kacey.
‘It’s venison,’ said Dolly. ‘Free roaming from the nearby estate.’
Kacey looked confused. ‘Are cows free in Scotland?’
‘It’s venison,’ repeated Dolly. ‘Deer meat, which we pay a fair price for,’ she added.
‘Deer?!’ Kacey dropped her cutlery. ‘I’m eating a fawn?’
