And welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph.
A romantic bedtime podcast,
Guaranteed to help you drift off.
Into a calm and restful sleep.
Come with me as we travel into the heart of the Bridlington Hotel.
The most prestigious enterprise on the coast of East Riding.
Meet the characters as they go about their everyday lives.
Albeit amongst scandal.
And intrigue.
Not a day goes past at the Bridlington.
Without something happening.
But before we begin.
.
.
Let's take a moment.
To focus on where we are now.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
That's it!
Then let it out on the long side.
It is time to relax.
And fully let go.
There is nothing you need to be doing.
And know where you need to go.
This is your time.
Feel your shoulders melt away from your ears.
Feel the pressure seep away from your cheeks.
And let all the muscles in your face relax.
You sink into the support beneath you.
That's the pressures of the day.
Sleep away.
.
.
Happy listening!
Of Bridlington.
A series set in an English hotel.
Written and performed.
By Stephanie Poppins.
Episode 13 Lady Perklington Smy sat as still as a guard dog,
Scanning her hotel manager,
Harold Cunningham,
Up and down for any signs of weakness.
So that's all you got from them then.
She said coldly.
Neither of them would play ball,
Ma'am.
They just refused to play ball.
What do you mean,
Play ball?
I mean,
Neither Emily nor J.
Tin would admit to having a relationship.
They said they were friends and friends only.
Ridiculous.
They're a thing and everybody knows it.
Have you spoken to the other staff?
Checked the CCTV?
They must be something.
Aye,
We will be doing that this morning,
Mum.
Mallory,
CCTV footage please.
Mallory Monk stepped out of the shadows and curtsied low.
It was a ridiculous thing to do,
But Lady Perklington's smile seemed to enjoy this deferential display.
She welcomed deference.
She was used to deference.
The corner of her lip curled.
Get on with it then,
I haven't got all day.
I need solid confirmation and fast.
Then shooting up out of her seat,
She brushed past the stout woman in a whirl of leather and Louis Vuitton,
Her eyes fixed resolutely on the way ahead.
This united display is as a result of the last minute board meeting.
She concluded.
It has to be.
Her daughter's nose had been put out of joint,
She decided.
And now she was making a scene.
Well,
She,
Lady Perklington Smythe,
Would find another way to take that brat down.
According to Pritchard,
Her family lawyer,
Anything and everything she could use to deprive her daughter of her good reputation would help the cause.
And Lady Perkington Smythe needed to win.
There was no way she would see her daughter inherit what was rightfully hers,
So that she,
The richest lady in East Riding,
Would suffer the humiliation of downsizing just to pay her off.
Lady Perklington Smythe made a beeline for the orangery.
And decided she would need even more power to her punch.
Notwithstanding the fact,
There was little to dispute her early Alzheimer's claims.
She wanted anything else she could find to undermine the credibility of the one who now called herself Emily Croft.
The cheek of it.
She hissed.
Luckily.
Her dead husband's doctor lay six feet underground in the same cemetery as he did,
So he was hardly likely to argue the toss,
She mused.
But this new lawyer,
Mr Johnson,
Is becoming a problem.
That old bulldog who'd materialised from goodness-only-knew-where was like a dog with a bone,
She thought.
He's already called me three times in the last hour.
Well,
Emily has no idea what she's dealing with.
Doesn't she know this is like a red flag to a boy?
Then opening her phone whilst taking a seat in a plush velvet armchair in front of her.
Lady Perklington Smythe began her counterattack.
Pitch out.
She snapped.
I need you to look into this Johnson character.
Find out everything there is to know about him and leave no stone unturned.
Emily and Jayten sat side by side on the garden steps.
Looking out to the panoramic view.
It had been cold for so long,
But now the sun was shining again,
Bright and clear.
No breeze was there to utter a doubtful whisper.
No rush of traffic to break the peace.
It was time.
Across the calm mass,
A glittering line ran zigzag towards the Bridlington Hotel,
Carrying reflections of sharp-piercing brilliance.
Lining the promenade,
The various shades of long green leaves complemented the smooth colour of warm sand.
And for just a moment,
Everything was perfect.
There was nothing in the world but them.
I miss this.
Said Emily,
Holding back her tears.
I missed you.
Then catching Jatin's state expression,
She blurted out,
But it wasn't in my interest to tell you before,
Was it?
If I told you before,
I couldn't ever know if you wanted me for me.
And how would that benefit me?
J-Tin couldn't help but smile.
What Emily was saying was ridiculous,
But he'd always liked her straightforward way of speaking.
It was a breath of fresh air and certainly atypical of her English counterparts.
He'd known this girl was different the moment he met her.
More like his family back in Istanbul,
Less like a spoon-fed resident of a quintessentially English town.
But the words still annoyed him.
There was no getting away from it.
A little trust maybe,
A little confidence.
He looked into the cold golden halo that framed Emily's face.
He knew she wanted his arms about her,
His breath on her neck.
But he needed answers.
Those questions Harald Hitler just fired at us are only the beginning.
She replied,
This is what my mother does.
She destroys everything and everyone around her until there's nothing left but yes men.
How am I supposed to have a normal outlook to life when that's all I have to refer to?
My father's been dead for years.
He would have advised me.
He would have told me you were a good man.
He would have continued to show me what love really was.
And I would have had something to compare you with,
Wouldn't I?
I messed up,
Jayten,
Okay?
I lied.
But I never.
Stop loving you.
And then,
In one ugly outburst,
The tears came forth with fire,
And venom,
And hate,
And self-loathing,
And pity,
And all those things Emily had trapped inside herself.
For so long.
She was tired,
She was heartbroken and she had had enough.
Jaejin pulled her slim frame in close to his.
And his eyes moved to the horizon.
The sky was momentarily calm,
But the sea air gnawed at his face.
One day we'll get a boat and sail away,
He said soothingly.
I could go anywhere and be happy with you,
Emily Croft.
But as he nuzzled her soft golden curls,
Emily sat up unexpectedly and said without hesitation,
No cheating.
I want to stay here.
I want to stay here with you.
And I want us to fight this together.
Then putting all deceit behind her,
She dried her eyes.
And pressed her soft lips hard against his.
Emily Croft would not be getting it wrong.
This time.
Ciao!
James beamed at the sight of the one person he'd been waiting to hear from the past few days.
You got my latest text then?
I thought you were ghosting me.
Alright mate,
You're looking well.
Nice shoes,
They're new.
What,
These old boats?
Joe smiled and joined him in the back office.
Where James allowed himself an indulgent chuckle.
Joe shook his head.
And watch did they set you back then?
James wanted to remain elusive for the time being.
There is nothing worse than losing your job and somebody else rubbing your nose in it.
Even if that someone did genuinely want the best for you.
How about you?
How's things?
I like to say running along smoothly but at the moment it's more of a hop,
Skip and a jump if you know what I mean.
No two days are the same.
This was a statement of fact,
And James couldn't deny it.
A gambler's life was far from a steady one.
He'd been where Joe was.
But he was on the up now,
So he'd put that to the back of his mind.
Manifestation and all that.
You're still with Piotrowski.
Joe's silence spoke a thousand words.
I thought you stopped all that.
Now stop seeing his daughter if that's what you mean.
Definitely over then.
What happened between you two?
Petra's not the person I thought she was,
Which is no surprise really considering she's a Petrovsky.
I should have been more careful who I got involved with.
You want to know.
I didn't have time to think.
Everything happens so fast when you're working here,
Doesn't it?
She turned my head,
James.
There's no two ways about it.
James's heart sank for him.
Joe had fallen heavily.
But something had happened to make him do a full U-turn and he wondered what.
You miss it here,
Don't you?
Yeah,
Every hour of the day,
Every second of every hour of the day.
I didn't realize how happy I was until I wasn't.
I'm sorry,
Mate.
What are you sorry about?
It's Harald Hitler that's to blame,
That scumbag.
James side.
Oh well,
I've got some better news.
Things are looking up with Emily.
She's got herself a lawyer and it all goes according to plan.
You'll be right back here before you know it,
Joe.
Joe seemed to brighten up at this news.
Then his face dropped again just as quickly.
Mate,
What's wrong now?
James grabbed a cup and stuck it under the coffee machine.
Sit down,
There's no one around.
All's quiet on the western front.
So Joe sat down with a sigh and James grabbed the biscuits.
I've got to buy my way out.
Joe's words came out quickly as if he was ashamed to say them,
And James,
Recognising that feeling only too well,
Pulled up a chair opposite.
What do you mean?
Ten grand.
It's going to cost me ten grand.
Choking.
Things being the way they are,
I'm going to be tied to the Petrovskis forever.
There's no way I can make that kind of cash legitimately.
Got any ideas?
Jesus,
Jo,
What have you got yourself into?
James's mind dashed back to when he'd first seen Joe after he'd lost his job.
Laden with an armful of beluga caviar and a professionally whitened smile.
Then quite unexpectedly,
Joe brightened up again.
Never mind,
I'm here now and on another mission.
I better go and see Chef before service gets busy.
He stood up quickly.
And I decided to cream a bit off the top every time anyway.
Where there's a will,
There's a way,
Eh Joe?
There's so much cash exchange in hands,
Petrovsky will never know.
If I'm lucky,
I'll be out in 10 years.
You get less for murder.
Said James.
I don't like the sound of this,
Joe.
Just don't do anything stupid yet.
Leave it to me,
Will you?
Joe moved to leave but James blocked his way.
You've helped me enough times.
We're the triangle of trust,
Remember?
Come on.
Joe looked unconvinced.
So James felt obliged to tell him the truth.
Listen.
I'm on a long-awaited winging streak,
Aren't I?
Don't worry about a thing.
By this time next week.
You can say goodbye to the Petrovskis.
For once and for all.
