Madame Roux looked amused. ‘And you do not want to know what I think of the hotel?’
‘Oh. Well, yes. I do. Please.’ Bella said, flustered.
‘It is plain,’ the old woman said, spitting out the word as if it were the worst possible insult.
‘Oh.’
Madame Roux raised an eyebrow. ‘It is not just people who need to be well dressed,’ she said, letting the door slide shut.
When they slid open again Bella was on the fourth floor. She walked to her office, bemused, Yves at her side. ‘You look different today,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’
‘New hair?’
‘Something like that.’
Bella couldn’t get her mind off Madame Roux’s words.Wasthe hotel plain? Was plain bad? She knew from her own experience that she liked neat, clean hotel rooms when she stayed away. Nothing dust-gathering or historical or overly ornate.
But what were the people going to Hotel Club hotels looking for? Something bijou or quirky or individual. Something with that little bit extra.
It was silly. How could a conversation about a blouse unnerve her? Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
This wasn’t helped when, the moment she reached her office, Claudine appeared looking pinched and pale.
‘Hi, Claudine, everything all right?’ she asked.
‘Let’s sit,’ her boss said. She perched on the chair in the corner, so Bella walked around the desk and sat in her usual chair.
‘So, are you satisfied with the preparations?’ Claudine asked her, head askance.
‘Yes. Oh, definitely,’ Bella said, trying to keep her voice upbeat. ‘Let’s see. We have the brochures ready, caterers booked. I’ve kept the Superior rooms free for the two delegates. Fresh flowers in all of the rooms, and a huge display for reception. Oh, and I’m working on the welcome trays, but I think you’ll be pleased.’
Claudine nodded. ‘That’s good. Only I spoke to my friend – she’s in the industry; her hotel has the status – and she asked me what our theme was. The USP that Hotel Club will be looking for. And I realized you hadn’t yet discussed this with me.’
‘Oh.’
‘You have a theme, of course?’
‘I…’ Bella felt something inside her flip over. ‘Of course! I’m— I’m just working on a few… uh, extra touches. Shall we, um, schedule a meeting to go through the more detailed plans?’
‘Excellent, excellent,’ Claudine said, clapping her hands. ‘I knew you would have it all under control.’
Moments later, she left, and Bella finally let her face fall. She was tempted to get up, race after Claudine and tell her the truth. That she simply wasn’t up to the job. She hadn’t even thought to build in a theme, and Claudine’s confidence in her had meant she hadn’t questioned any of the progress so far. And now, she had no idea how to proceed. She should tell her, then leave. Walk away.
But if she did leave, what would Claudine do with just a month to go? There was no way she’d be able to engage someone else and get them up to speed. No. Bella would have to find a way to make things work, put together some ideas for tomorrow, ones that could be actioned in a tight time frame.
She put her head on her desk and groaned. Because she suddenly knew why she’d been feeling so uneasy. At first, her entire goal had been to keep up the pretence, to be ‘Isabella’, the highly qualified manager whom Claudine thought she’d employed. And she’d felt all the while that if things went wrong, she could just cut and run.
But things had changed. In the almost two months she’d been there, Claudine had become a friend. The people here – she’d begun to care about them. And she realised, suddenly, the enormity of the task that lay ahead. And how much it mattered.
30
NOW
What she’d want to do ordinarily was go home and let Henri wrap his arms around her, make all the worry and stress go away. Only after this morning she would be going home to either his confessing and breaking up with her, or her accusing him of having an affair.
She stayed late at the office in the hope that he’d be out and she could put things off until tomorrow. This morning she’d been fizzing with anger, but now she was simply exhausted.
