Chapter 9: A Surprise Cake
"Where’s Cristoff?" Lenox glanced around the dining room and frowned. He didn’t see the usual setup. The long table looked half-full. The serving trays weren’t covered. The silver dome lids weren’t even polished. One of the maids quickly pointed at the kitchen, and Lenox wasted no time. He found Cristoff overseeing the staff.
"Where’s the lobster?" Lenox asked.
Cristoff blinked once. "Excuse me?"
Lenox stepped closer. "I said, where are the lobsters? And the steaks. We usually have them for birthday dinners. I remember we had some in the freezer."
Cristoff nodded slowly, hands clasped behind his back. "We do have them. But no preparations were made for tonight."
Lenox’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, no preparations were made? Didn’t Matthew say anything?"
Cristoff smiled politely. "Young Master Matthew didn’t mention any celebration. So we didn’t prepare anything out of the ordinary. The Young Master also wanted to eat more steaks and lobster for dinner, but he failed to mention sharing this with... this many people."
Lenox’s jaw tightened. What does Cristoff mean by that?
"Lenox!" May called from the other room. "We’re ready! Everyone’s waiting for the cake so Cathy can blow it!"
He didn’t answer right away. He turned to Cristoff again. "Where’s the cake?"
Cristoff glanced at the head chef. The chef gave a short nod and stepped forward, carrying a small cake in a plain white box. He placed it on the table and opened the lid. It was a single-layer strawberry cake, with no decorations except for one white flower on top.