“The Plough?” Eileen asked.
“Maybe. I can’t remember the name. Sounds like it.”
“Yes, in about a week.” She waved them in, but when neither Pierre nor Gabriel entered, Eileen remained by the door to chat. “Hardly anyone does the Plough Festival anymore, I haven’t been for years. Hedge will know all about it.”
“We just came from his shop. He wasn’t in a talkative mood.”
Eileen’s eyes flicked to Gabriel just for an instant but said nothing. Pierre hadn’t introduced him by name, so Eileen must have heard something.
Pierre turned to him. “Shall we have lunch here? They do great fish and chips at Russell’s if you fancy it.” She pointed across the square past the fountain to the fish shop.
He understood her instantly. “Why don’t I meet you there after you’ve bought your cheese?” he said easily. “Good to meet you.” He smiled at Eileen and walked back across the square.
Pierre went into the shop and pretended to look at the shelves until Eileen finished her display outside and came back in.
“What’s up with Hedge? He practically growled at us.”
“Emmet is that woman’s partner, isn’t he?” Aileen glanced out through the door.
Yep, clearly whatever it was, the news had travelled very fast this morning. “Yes, why?”
Eileen stepped behind her counter, further from the door, probably to make sure they weren’t overheard. “Nicole was in the post office this morning complaining about some of her packages not arriving on time. Gave Doris behind the counter a right dressing down, the poor woman was in tears. I think Hedge was there too and witnessed it.”
“But why take it out on G-Emmet?” Pierre looked over her shoulder. Through the door she could see Gabriel standing by the fountain. He didn’t take any pictures though, and his camera remained packed in his satchel.
“Nurse Ann happened by earlier and she mentioned about him being her fella.”
Pierre sighed. Nurse Ann wasn’t normally a gossip. “Which means now everyone hates him?”
“Oh no, don’t worry; it’s not his fault. And everyone who met him yesterday says he was a lovely fella. It’s just that Hedge happened to go to the post office and saw it all. He says Nicole called Doris a sad charity case pretending at a real job.”
Ouch!
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
“And I hear there was a massive argie-bargie up at the Hall yesterday, Lord M frothing at the mouth and nearly sacked that lovely Laura who’s making Millie’s wedding dress.”
The speed at which gossip went around the island no longer surprised Pierre. Several of the junior staff working at Du Montfort Hall lived in the village. Nothing remained private. And they would have heard the shouting yesterday.
Time for damage limitation. “It was just a misunderstanding, and it’s all been sorted out now. And about Nicole Barber, she sometimes comes across a little abrasive, but she’s been really stressed,” Pierre tried. “You know we have hundreds of guests coming including a duke, several MPs, and about fifty people flying in from overseas. They all need accommodation and travel arrangements. She has to coordinate all of this. It gets a bit much, she’s used to arranging things in London where things happen much faster. I think she’s…”
“Losing it?” Eileen raised a sceptical eyebrow.
“No, she’s doing a great job, but something has to give.” Pierre sighed. “And it won’t help if people on the island stop helping her. She is a much nicer person when she’s not upset. And we all want the wedding to be a success.”
Everyone loved Millie, and George was very popular. Since he took over the Seigneury, he had transformed the island and inspired a lot of loyalty and devotion. The islanders were looking forward to watching him marry the woman who’d arrived here as a stranger three years ago. They had watched the romance blossom between the two and eagerly looked forward to celebrating their wedding as if George and Millie were their own family.
It would be a shame if, with one temper tantrum, Nicole caused ill will. This was probably the reason Lord M wanted her to ‘smooth ruffled feathers.’
A little later, she re-joined Gabriel by the fountain.
“No fish and chips?” She tried for an upbeat tone.
“So?” he asked still looking at the fountain as if trying to find out how it worked. “What was it Nic did to upset Hedge so much?”
When Pierre didn’t answer immediately, he glanced at her. “It is why you sent me on a pretend errand, so you could ask.” His voice was light, but she wasn’t fooled. He was very serious.
“She called Doris from the post office a charity case.”
