Book Extract: Dark Days at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Published February 18, 2024 | By Laura

I’m pleased to be welcoming Francesca Capaldi to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, Dark Days at the Beach Hotel.

Can Helen save the hotel… and her reputation?

Helen Bygrove is managing the hotel, now that her husband has been conscripted. Against all expectations, Helen and her team are doing marvellously, despite the shortages brought by war. Even the exacting Lady Blackmore agrees. But then the calm is shattered when poison pen letters are sent to prominent townsfolk and Helen finds herself the target of a police investigation.

Is someone trying to ruin Helen, and the Beach Hotel? And can she rely on the handsome but taciturn Inspector Toshack to help her? When her husband, Douglas, is invalided out of the war he is determined to take back control of the hotel and things go from bad to worse.

How can she ever escape his bullying? Is she a fool to hope that she may have a second chance at love?

Francesca has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy it.

*****beginning of extract*****

Helen Bygrove has taken over as manageress of the Beach Hotel after her husband is conscripted. There have been libellous letters sent to many people in the town, and much of the focus has concentrated on the hotel. Detective Inspector Toshack has now turned up at the hotel, with several police officers.

*****

‘What are they doing?’ said Helen.

‘Carrying out a search.’

‘But my children are up there, with Vera, their nursemaid.’

‘I’m sure WPC Lovelock will escort them elsewhere. Constable, you search the office, down this passageway on the left.’

Twort performed a short salute before obeying the command.

‘Why are you doing this, Inspector?’ Helen asked. ‘Why would anyone here use the hotel writing paper for anonymous letters?’

As she finished the sentence, the door to the stairs opened once more, and Vera appeared, with Elsie in her arms. Dorothy and Arthur came just behind her.

‘Shall I take the children into the staff dining room, madam?’

‘That would be best.’

When they’d gone, Toshack was about to speak, when Alice Twine and Hetty Affleck came out of the stillroom and went into the dining room, laughing, and Lili came in from the guest dining room to get to the kitchen.

‘On second thoughts, is there somewhere more private we can go?’

She was about to reply facetiously, the lavatory, but thought better of it. ‘No, there isn’t now the constable’s in the office. Anything you wish to say to me, you can say here.’

He shuffled a couple of times, looking down at his feet, before saying, ‘As you’ve probably gathered, there’s been a new wave of letters sent. Unfortunately, looking more carefully at the handwriting, it does have a lot in common with one certain person’s.’

‘And the first wave didn’t?’

‘Maybe it was better masked the first time. Mrs Bygrove, the writing is a lot like your own cursive script.’

‘I’ve already said, I did not write them. I find it interesting though, that you’re echoing Miss Harvey’s allegations. Given her interest in my husband, she’d have a lot to gain by me being arrested.’

‘They were having an – an… affair?’

‘I don’t know about that, but they certainly seemed to spend a great deal of time together, and she’s always saying how marvellous he is and how the hotel has been ruined since I took over.’

‘Which might give you a motive for sending such letters to her.’

‘But not to anyone else. And why would I make it obvious it was from me? Discounting the double bluff nonsense. My point was that it would be in Miss Harvey’s interest if I were accused.’

‘You’re saying she’s the one who’s written them?’

‘No, only that it would be in her interest to use the opportunity to get me locked up. Then the real perpetrator would get off scot-free.’

‘I see. We can only work with what evidence we have, Mrs Bygrove, and we have none that implicates her, or anyone else. And if we find nothing here, then I doubt there’ll be much of a case to implicate you either, with just the similar writing.’

‘Good. Because you will find nothing.’

‘Which post office do you use?’

‘The one in Norfolk Road, of course. It’s the closest.’

‘That’s where the letters were sent from.’

‘Everyone in Beach Town probably posts their letters there.’

If he had any reply to this, it was halted by Sergeant Gardner.

‘Sir, we found this in Mrs Bygrove’s living quarters, in one of the drawers.’ He handed him some used blotting paper. ‘Some of the words that have been blotted are legible.’

Toshack examined it. ‘I see.’

‘What does it say?’ Helen asked.

‘Something we’ve seen in the letters. You don’t need to know what.’

‘Then it’s nothing to do with me. I don’t even keep blotting paper in the drawers upstairs.’

‘I’m sorry, Mrs Bygrove, but I am going to have to arrest you on the charge of criminal libel.

*****end of extract*****

About Francesca Capaldi –

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised story telling.

Writing under both her maiden name, Francesca Capaldi, and her married name, Francesca Burgess, she is the author of historical novels, short stories and several pocket novels. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.

The first novel in the Wartime in the Valleys series, Heartbreak in the Valleys, was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Historical Award 2021. Both the Valleys series and the Beach Hotel series are published by Hera Books.

Francesca was born and brought up on the Sussex coast, but currently lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Say hello to Francesca via her website, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter (X) and Instagram.

Dark Days at the Beach Hotel was released on 15th February 2024. Click here to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones.