After a moment's hesitation, he answered.
"Hello, Marjorie—"
"Mr. Dickerson! Ma'am and the little miss are up, and they want some kind of egg and ham sandwich—the ham has to be imported from New Zealand, the egg fried medium—and the little miss wants a bacon cheese egg burger. I don't know how to make any of this!"
Marjorie's voice cracked with panic.
Wilfred had been the man of the Pruitt house, yet he'd always been approachable, never making things difficult for the staff.
"Here's what we'll do," he said. "I'll send you the recipes right now. Just follow the steps. I'll also send you a list of Hilary's dietary needs and things to watch out for."
"Marjorie, I'm leaving Hilary in your care from now on."
"Alright, Mr. Dickerson. But... when are you coming back?"
"I'm not coming back."
"What?!" Marjorie thought she'd misheard.
"Hildegarde and I are getting divorced," Wilfred said. "I won't be involved in Pruitt family matters anymore. Don't call this number again."
He hung up before she could respond.
"Did you reach Wilfred?"
Hildegarde looked up at Marjorie, her expression cold and detached.
Marjorie nodded. "Y-yes, I got through."
"What did that bastard say? When is he crawling back?"