Daisy recognised her and pulled her hand away, embarrassed that he was being so friendly. After all, she had only met these people once and they’d been witness to her embarrassment when she’d met Bella for the first time. It hadn’t been the best start to a friendship.
‘We’ve got a lot to do in the next few hours,’ Izzy said. ‘We were hoping to come here and set up yesterday, but we’re running a bit late.’
As Daisy helped the others unload the crockery and linen, she began to feel something she’d last enjoyed when with Gabriel in Vietnam: a kinship with others her own age. It was a comforting feeling and one she wanted to last.
She looked up at Gabriel carrying three heavy hampers, one on top of the other, as if they weighed nothing at all. He must have sensed her watching him, because he glanced at her and gave her a quick wink.
Daisy couldn’t help smiling back at him, and noticed Izzy watching them. Gabriel took the hampers away and she bent to pick up a large bag containing linens when Jess whispered, ‘We were wondering who the lucky girl would be who’d capture Gabriel’s attention, but after the concert, well, we weren’t sure.’ She motioned her head toIzzy who immediately came over to join them.
‘What’s this?’ Izzy asked, her voice quiet.
‘You thought Gabriel was seeing Daisy.’
Daisy’s eyes widened, horrified that they had got the wrong idea. ‘No, it’s not like that at all. We know each other from our travels, that’s all.’ Even to her own ears her insistence sounded forced.
‘Yeah, yeah, we believe you.’ Jess’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Daisy was about to tell them that they were wrong when she noticed Izzy pulling a face at Jess to get her to stop teasing. ‘Oh, very funny,’ she said, enjoying the banter. ‘I thought you were being serious for a moment.’
‘I did spot him winking at you though,’ Izzy said, picking up a hamper and walking with Daisy around the back of the hotel to the orangery. ‘He was looking at you before that too. I really do think he likes you, Daisy.’
Daisy felt her face reddening. She wasn’t used to confiding in others and didn’t want to have to admit to someone she’d only just met about their history together. ‘He is lovely,’ was all she’d say.
They arrived in the large room, with rounded windows on one side and a wall on the other. Daisy thought back to when she’d first arrived at the hotel and assumed this room must be a conservatory. She loved the plants growing up the back wall and the ceramicjardinièresholding ferns that softened the sleek lines of the room. Fi had told her that even though this room was added only ten years ago, the light switches and chandeliers were authentic 1920s which Rick had sourced in a reclamation yard. The effect was stunning.
She watched as Jess and Izzy unpacked their stock then helped carry linen and crockery to where they indicated. A couple of hours later the room looked completely different and almost ready for the party to begin. It was like stepping into a scene fromThe Great Gatsby, but on a much smaller scale, with the abundance of pale pinkhydrangeas brought inside from the garden in tall square planters, the old-fashioned champagne glasses placed in tiers for a waterfall of champagne to cascade down, and groups of silver and purple metallic balloons placed in different areas around the ceiling.
Gabriel had had to leave to go and sort out issues with guests who had been delayed by the weather, but sent through a bartender with a tray of lemonade for them to enjoy. The girls sat near the main door of the orangery and sipped at their cool drinks.
‘Blimey, I’m hot,’ Izzy said, fanning herself with a leftover napkin. ‘How can it still be this temperature when there’s fog sitting on the ground?’
‘No idea,’ Daisy said. ‘It does seem very humid.’ She relished the cool drink as the bubbles burst at the back of her throat. ‘Gabriel told me you cater for vintage weddings and parties,’ she said, wanting to know more about the girls and their business. ‘Do you do many Art Deco themed ones?’
Jess shook her head. ‘Not many, but we’re doing more now.’ She looked around the large room. ‘You couldn’t really do anything else in this place,’ she said. ‘It’s very glamorous here, don’t you think?’
Daisy nodded. ‘It is. I’d never been inside such a beautiful building before coming to work here. I still can’t get over the huge black and silver front doors each time I come into the hotel.’
‘It is a very beautiful old building,’ Izzy said. ‘My mum remembers it from when she was a child. She said it was so out of character from the granite farmhouses and cottages in the area that it caused quite a lot of consternation with the nearby locals as it was being built. Then they got used to it, but after a while it was neglected and the building decayed. She said it looks better now since Rick and Francesca renovated it. Apparently it took them a couple of years to ensure that everything wasexactly how it should be. They sent off the light switches, door handles and other bits to be re-chromed, so that they could keep as many of the original pieces from the building as possible.’
‘It makes all the difference,’ Daisy said. ‘It’s like going back in time when you walk into this place. I almost feel like I should be dressed up in a pretty frock when I come in to work.’
‘What are Francesca and Rick like to work for?’ Izzy asked. ‘Fun I should think.’
Daisy thought about their slightly eccentric ways. She giggled. ‘They’re great to work for. They expect us to do our jobs well, which is only right, but they’re kind and hardworking themselves.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I especially love working for Mrs Grey.’
Jess sighed. ‘She’s so beautiful. It’s hard to imagine she’s in her eighties.’
‘My mum told me all about her and said I should look her up on the internet, which I did,’ Izzy said. ‘She was stunning when she was young, but I think she had quite a tough time of it when she disappeared.’
Daisy wasn’t going to confide in them about Lydia’s past. ‘She’s a lovely lady,’ was all she’d say.
Jess finished her drink and placed her empty glass on the tray. ‘Come along, we’d better keep going otherwise we won’t be ready on time.’
Daisy couldn’t imagine what still needed to be done to the room. Jess must have seen her confusion and said, ‘Table decorations. Sit there and watch,’ she said, looking very pleased with herself. ‘We have three different decorations with us, so there’s a variation to the settings.’
Daisy watched as Jess and Izzy took out square glass vases in assorted styles and placed them in the middle of the tables all around the room. In the taller vases they placed huge white feathers, three in each one. In theshorter ones, they placed cream-coloured candles, draped with golden strings of beads, and they filled the shortest vases with pearls of all sizes, pushing a small candle into the middle of the arrangement.
‘Wow, that looks so impressive,’ Daisy said, impressed with the transformation of the tables. ‘I’m beginning to feel like I should be dressing up for this party.’
