Hello 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 a long sigh.
It is time to relax and fully let go.
There is nothing you need to be doing and nowhere 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.
As you sink into the support beneath you,
Let the pressures of the day seep away.
The Bridlington.
A series set in an English hotel.
Written and performed by Stephanie Poppins.
Episode 28 The rain came down in needles against the tall Victorian windows of Emily Smythe's room.
It had been ridiculously cold since Jeytin left and showed no signs of rain.
She sat shivering at her dressing table,
The coffee beside her cold,
Her phone screen frozen mid-scroll with a last message that haunted her from across the miles.
Baba's in a bad way,
Said Jeytin,
But getting better slowly.
I'll be back before the hearing,
I promise.
She read it again,
Then once more.
She knew he meant it,
That was the worst part.
He always meant what he said,
But Istanbul was Istanbul and the sick father was a sick father.
Promises made across a thousand miles of sea had a way of dissolving into good intentions by the time the day of reckoning arrived.
Emily set the phone face down on the desk and pressed her fingers to her temples.
It wasn't that she needed him there.
She'd instructed herself firmly and repeatedly she did not need him there.
She'd fought bigger battles than this on her own,
With the help of James and Jo.
But there was something in the particular quiet of his absence,
The way her life seemed less anchored.
She hadn't anticipated it,
She missed the safety of him,
The gravity of him,
The smell of him.
They were a team,
He said they were a team and now Emily Smythe was flying solo.
She pulled the corked files toward her and made herself go through them one more time.
There was plenty of evidence.
She had the threat of the medical report in her back pocket,
A threat if nothing else,
And not only was her mother linked to Delaware and the extortion racket,
According to lawyer Johnson she was affiliated with the biggest mafia family in town.
Not only that,
According to James,
Her mother had made the previous hotel manager,
Harold Cunningham,
Prioritise the mafia family for all the hotel resources,
Leaning food and booze.
She made sure the Bridlington Hotel paid over the odds for those.
Not to mention the theft of the Sanwar sunscape.
Everyone knew only an outfit like the Petrovskis could facilitate that.
Cunningham was just the fall guy,
Much like Delaware's grandson Lewis.
And as for Joe's testimony about Petrovskis,
But Lady Perklington Smythe was an expert at covering her tracks,
That was the problem.
So far all the evidence pointed to a bitter mother-daughter battle.
When push came to shove,
The threat of exposure was the most powerful weapon in Emily's arsenal.
And she's already decided,
With the advice of her uncle and her lawyer,
It was best to hijack her mother before the case,
Corner her,
And come to an agreement before things got ugly.
There was no need to go into the courtroom if they didn't have to.
Things didn't need to go that far.
All Emily wanted,
All she had ever wanted,
Was what was rightfully hers.
Why did her mother have to be so mean about it?
Well,
It was time to play her at her own game,
Corner her unawares and confront her with what they knew.
Even Jefferson Bailey agreed to help.
He was more than happy to tighten the screws.
And if all else failed,
Inspector Dankworth was only the other end of the line.
Cunningham was more than happy to testify for a massively reduced sentence,
He said.
All he needed was the platform the court afforded him.
Whichever way it went down in the week to come,
Lady P's lawyer would be working harder than he had ever had to,
To protect her.
And if Emily knew her mother like she did,
Lady Perklington Smythe would happily see the Petrovskys go down,
Rather than face the music herself.
That was just what Inspector Dankworth wanted,
To get rid of the Petrovsky family once and for all.
It was time they left East Riding.
Closing the file,
Emily looked in the mirror and touched up her makeup.
It was a new day at the Bridlington Hotel,
And a catch-up with James and Jo was long overdue.
It was time to reconnect with the triangle of trust.
Joseph Skinner looked out to the pewter-coloured sea that heaved and churned beyond the wavy glass of the Victorian sash windows,
Each pane distorting the view so that the waves seemed to shiver,
Even in the moments between ghasts.
The promenade was largely deserted,
But a lone figure in an oil skin leaned into the wind at a sharp angle,
One hand clamped to his hat that seemed determined to make its escape.
The many seagulls above him hung suspended on the gale,
Then peeled away suddenly as if dismissed.
Jo had never been busier.
After four espressos,
He found the whole business of keeping the Bridlington running smoothly enormously amusing.
After speaking to James,
He took on the responsibility of the loading bay.
And was standing there now with a clipboard,
Ticking off crates as they arrived,
With a big smile on his face.
Forty-eight hours,
He said to no one in particular,
As a case of burgundy wine wheeled past him.
Forty-eight hours and you gentlemen have saved an entire gala dinner from catastrophe.
I want you to know that.
The delivery driver didn't look especially moved,
But Joseph Skinner didn't require an audience to be pleased with himself.
It had taken two days of relentless telephoning his old contacts,
Calling in favours.
A Rotherham importer who owed him from a deal three years ago.
The supply chain that Delaware had quietly poisoned,
Through suppliers whose invoices traced if you followed them patiently.
Back to Petrovsky money had been dismantled and replaced.
Clean suppliers this time,
Veritable roots,
Nothing that could embarrass the Bridlington Hotel,
Or more importantly,
Complicate Emily's legal position.
Joe liked this responsibility.
And checking the glass crate off,
He tucked the clipboard under his arm.
This was something he could do well.
Wheeling and dealing,
That was Joseph Skinner.
Only this time,
Everything was above board.
Compiling a detailed report outlining two urgent security measures,
He made his way back into the lobby.
It was time to check in with Emily and James and tell them what he'd found.
The ongoing sabotage of early morning deliveries.
The heightened security protocols necessary,
Including additional personnel and monitoring during those vulnerable pre-dawn hours.
And the one-way system they needed to put in place to ensure any future shipments arrived without interference.
All right,
Em,
Glad we could get together before Friday.
How are you holding up?
Emily wrapped both hands around her mug and stared into it for a moment.
Honestly,
Joe,
Not brilliantly.
JT flew back to Istanbul on Sunday and the flat's been very quiet since.
I keep reaching for my phone to text him and then remembering the time difference and putting it back down again.
How long's he away?
He says he'll be back for the court case.
His father's business needs him,
Though,
And I completely understand,
But the timing couldn't be worse.
He wanted to stay.
He was ready to move the whole trip,
But I told him not to.
I didn't want him to put his family on hold for a court case,
Even though it's the one we've been talking about for months now.
That was generous of you,
Em,
Said James.
Perhaps a little too generous.
That's exactly what he said,
Almost word for word,
Said Emily.
He's a good man.
He'll be back before you know it,
And you'll have something worth celebrating by then,
Said Joe,
Smiling.
Do you think so?
I'm sure of it.
He does call every evening,
10 o'clock without fail.
Last night we were on the phone for nearly two hours.
I had him on speaker while I was going through documents.
It almost felt like he was in the room.
Sorry,
You didn't come here to listen to me,
Mope.
Actually,
We did,
Said James.
That's exactly why we're here,
All of it.
Not just this legal side of things.
You're allowed to feel this,
Emily.
It is hard.
You've had a lot of weight on you for a long time,
Said Joe.
The case,
The business,
Your dad's estate,
And now J-10 being away on top of it all.
Anyone would be struggling.
I just miss having someone in the flat.
Is that ridiculous?
I miss having someone there when I wake up.
Won't be long now and it'll be all over.
But what it's worth,
Said James,
Joe and I have agreed,
One of us is going to check in on you every day this week leading up to Friday.
No excuses accepted.
You don't have to do that.
We know we don't have to.
That's rather the point,
Grinned Joe.
Besides,
James needs an excuse to leave the office early.
He's had enough,
Hasn't he,
James?
And from what I hear,
He's got better things he could be doing.
Here we go.
I wonder when that would come up,
Said James,
Beaming.
And how is it going with Chef?
Absolutely brilliantly,
Said James.
And see that,
Me old mucker?
You never look better.
Both Emily and Joe smiled at the new,
Revamped version of James Brighton.
Not that he hadn't always been the most glamorous man in the hotel,
But there was something about him that was different.
A newfound zest for life.
Now,
I saw the flowers he sent you,
Said Joe,
Chuckling.
You're just jealous,
Said James.
Well,
Happen I am.
Jayton always sent flowers.
Had them delivered every Monday morning.
And I used to open the door and there was this enormous bunch of yellow tulips waiting for me,
My favourites.
I'm not going to cry,
She insisted.
I absolutely refused to cry.
Remember that time you saw that photo,
Joe,
Said James.
You were in tears because your childhood Labrador reminded you of better times.
That's a complete and slanderous fabrication.
I'll be seeking legal counsel,
Said Joe.
Emily laughed through the threat of tears.
I've missed you too.
I didn't realise how much I did until now.
Well,
We've been here all along,
Said James.
You just had to let us in,
Which for the record,
You're absolutely terrible at these days.
Yes,
You're right.
So tell me everything.
I want to hear it all,
Every piece of it.
We're the triangle of trust,
Remember?
I'm going into that courtroom on Friday.
I want to feel ready,
Not just told that I am.
Then let's start from the beginning,
Said James.
He opened his folder out on the table.
I spent the last three weeks going back through every email chain I could get my hands on between Cunningham and Lady P.
Emily,
It's damning.
There are exchanges going back nearly two years.
Two years.
It wasn't opportunistic,
It was premeditated.
I've had it all authenticated and formatted for the court.
Every thread,
Every timestamp.
Johnson's team's already reviewed it and they're very pleased with what we've got.
And on my end,
Said Joe,
The Petrovsky's been busy.
After you secured those new supplier agreements,
They've been working very hard to unravel them.
I documented at least three separate incidents of direct intimidation,
Phone calls to the supplier's operations managers.
I got recordings,
Call logs,
Signed statements from two of the managers who were willing to go on record.
They're willing to go on record?
Well,
Not just willing,
They did.
Turns out when you treat people like pawns,
They don't stay loyal forever.
And there's more,
Em.
Two of your last deliveries were sabotage.
I don't mean delayed,
I mean the inventory was tampered with before we left the warehouse.
I've traced it back to a logistics contact with direct ties to the Petrovsky operation.
That paper trail is solid.
I had no idea it had gone that far.
That's because they were careful.
They've always had the back of the Lady P,
Remember?
But not anymore.
She knows she's under scrutiny now.
My father built those supplier relationships over 20 years,
Said Emily.
They're being threatened just for honouring what he built.
That makes me just as angry as anything else in this wretched business.
Well,
Hold on to that,
Said James.
That's the version of you I want walking into the courtroom.
And there's one more thing I haven't told you both yet.
Uncle Tom's been in contact with Johnson all week,
Apparently before any of this came to a head.
My uncle's been having secret conversations with members of the board.
The gist of it is,
Certain members have been coordinating amongst themselves.
Their plan is that the moment my mother tries to formally claim the inherited shares as hers,
They move in immediately to stop her selling them to the Petrovskys.
That's brilliant news,
Said James.
Even if it all goes wrong in court,
If they block her before she's even had a chance by calling a vote of no confidence,
She'll have nowhere else to turn but to walk away from it all.
Exactly,
Said Emily.
The only reason she's doing this is because of her debts to them.
Your father will be turning in his grave with what your mum's put you through,
Said Joe.
Every time I go through one of these folders,
I think about the conversations you must have had with your mum.
I'm sorry,
Em.
I'm sorry you had to go through that.
Well,
It's nearly the end of it now,
Emily said,
Brightening up.
Less than a week to go,
And one way or the other,
We'll have an answer.
Either I'm going to be up there with my uncle as a major shareholder of the Bridlington Hotel,
Or my mother will get her way,
And the board will vote no confidence in her,
And she'll get nothing anyway.
Either way,
It'll be an end to it all.
And the way I feel right now,
I can't wait.
