The woman looked up the corridor, almost directly at their location, and Bella watched, confused, as Yves appeared to try to shrink farther into the wall. Then, thankfully, the woman turned and walked towards the lift, disappearing from view.
‘What was all that about?’ Bella asked, dusting her jacket where she’d leant against the paintwork.
‘That,’ Yves said, his face looking rather pale, ‘is Madame Roux.’ He nodded at Bella meaningfully as if she ought to know exactly the significance of the name.
‘Who?’
He looked surprised. ‘Claudine didn’t mention her? Ah, OK. Well,’ he leant forward as if imparting a state secret, ‘Madame Roux used to be a friend of Claudine’s mother when she was young. She fell on hard times a few years back and Claudine offered her a room at the hotel to live in while she sorted herself out. Only Madame Roux misunderstood the length of the offer and now it appears she lives here. Claudine is unable to ask her to leave – or perhaps she doesn’t have the heart.’
‘Oh. Wow.’
‘Oui. She is usually harmless, don’t worry. But cross her at your peril,’ he warned.
‘And dogs are allowed in the hotel?’
He shook his head vehemently. ‘Non. Only Coco, Madame Roux’s dog. Claudine doesn’t speak of this. I think she is lost to know what to do.’
‘Right.’
‘It is imperative,’ he hissed, ‘that nobody at Hotel Club finds out about Madame Roux, you understand?’
‘Of course.’
Yves, having imparted his secret, seemed to relax. ‘Anyway,’ he continued, walking normally now. ‘You will find the restaurant and breakfast room on the ground floor. And the rest I think you now know. Do you have any questions?’
Back in her office, Bella started by typing in ‘Hotel Club’ into her laptop, and looking at the various premises. Then, getting up and closing the door, she searched ‘presentations’ and ‘Hotel Club accreditation’ and looked at the ‘About Us’ sections of hotels who’d already made the grade. The hotels accepted for accreditation were beautiful; and although Hôtel Benjamin was a nice place, she could see that in some ways they were worlds apart.
But at least that meant she had some idea of what to do. And she felt a fizz of excitement in her chest – the kind of feeling she’d left behind years ago in Maths class when she’d solved an equation that had proven tricky, or when she’d won first place in the egg and spoon race on sports day. It was unexpected, but welcome.
By the end of the day, she was walking taller. Because although she was still in deep water, uncharted territory, she was managing at least to stay afloat.
And when she popped into the bathroom to wash her hands before going home, she noticed that there was another new ‘her’ in the mirror. This woman looked older, more confident. She’d tucked her hair behind her ears while working, and even stuck a pen into one of her waves.
Bella looked to all intents and purposes like a woman who had indeed run a chain of hotels, who was more than capable of taking on a large project at her new workplace. The kind of woman who had an assistant, an impressive CV, her own office and a bank account that was destined to have quadruple or quintuple figures in it in the weeks going forward.
She was Isabella – business executive extraordinaire. And it felt good.
15
NOW
She’d intended to say no to any invitations out this evening, but her housemates proved very persuasive and managed to drag her out for a few drinks. The bar a few streets away was lively and vibrant, but Bella’s eyelids had started to feel heavy after an hour. ‘I’m going to head off soon,’ she said, glancing at her watch.
Odette checked the time on her phone. ‘But it’s only eleven!’ she said, seemingly confused.
‘Work tomorrow!’ Bella finished the last of her wine and made to grab her jacket.
‘It is just a temp job,’ Henri said, looking at her. ‘Does it matter if you are a little tired? It’s so early!’
Early for a twenty-year-old, maybe, she thought.
Although her own twenties hadn’t looked like this at all. She’d lost her mother at sixteen, her final teen years to grief. Then married young, started a business young. Skipped the years in her twenties that were meant to be about being free and having fun. Maybe this could be her chance to reclaim something she’d thought was long gone?
Odette laughed, filled her glass from the bottle they were sharing. ‘Stay a little longer,’ she said. ‘You are only young once.’
Bella took a breath. ‘OK. Actually, I need to tell you something.’
Odette and Henri, perhaps detecting the seriousness of her tone, both looked up from their drinks.
