Today I am delighted to take part in the blog tour for Starlight on the Palace Pier. Today I have an exclusive extract from Starlight on the Palace Pier by Tracey Corbett to entice you. I’m sure that this is one book that you do not want to miss!
Extract:
The open-plan foyer looked the same. The parquet flooring was badly scratched. The dark wooden panelling covering the walls had faded from the sunlight burning through the windows, and the huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling lacked a few bulbs.
Ahead was the main reception, a large desk housing a computer rather than the ancient till that used to sit on top a decade earlier. There was no one manning the desk and no one in sight. Her footsteps echoed up to the high ceiling as she walked across the foyer.
She glanced through the archway leading to where the grand staircase was roped off with a ‘No Entry’ sign. Her mind travelled back to a time when she’d been allowed upstairs to the family’s living quarters. The upstairs had been frozen in time, a representation of centuries past with its ornate furniture, tapestries and family heirlooms. But the downstairs had been dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century – even if it had never quite finished its transition.
She checked her watch. Ten minutes before her interview. She went in search of the café, eager to rest her knee.
Painful memories aside, the Starlight Playhouse was a fantastic place to explore. She remembered Tom telling her the manor house had been used as a collection centre during the First World War. People from the surrounding areas would drop off woollen garments to be sent to France. During the Second World War, the Royal Navy Hospital had evacuated from Southsea and set up medical facilities at the manor. At the end of the war, residency had reverted to the Wentworth family.
She reached the café and became aware of laughter. A woman was seated at one of the wooden tables, seemingly talking to herself, amused by something. Becca looked around, but there was no one else about. The décor hadn’t changed. The red velvet chairs were past their best and the cream walls still had scuff marks depicting the outline of non-existent paintings. But the view from the glass doors leading to the landscaped gardens was as impressive as she’d remembered.
She startled when the swing doors leading to the kitchen burst open. A surly man appeared wearing chef whites. He went over to the woman seated at the table and pointed to a cup. ‘You want refill?’ His voice was deep and thick with an eastern European accent.
The woman looked up, initially baffled, but then smiled. ‘Thank you, Petrit. That would be lovely.’ She pushed her glasses up her nose, but they immediately slid down again.
What did you think of the Extract from Starlight on the Palace Pier by Tracy Corbett? Will this be a book that you will be picking up?
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