‘Good, isn’t it?’ said a young man, who appeared to be one of the building team. ‘Our best yet, I reckon.’
‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing!’ said Meg. ‘I come here almost every day but this looks as if it’s been here forever.’
‘Thank you! Dame Miriam loves it, and that makes the whole difference. I reckon you could guarantee we’d come here every year, if you wanted.’
‘I think that would be brilliant. Although it wouldn’t be up to me, of course.’
‘You’re Meg, right? Head chef? Inigo says the food is also the best yet, too.’
‘Why, thank you!’ Meg said, delighted, and was still smiling as the young man loped off to make some adjustment he deemed was required.
‘So, who was that young man I just caught you chatting to?’ said a deep voice with a hint of a laugh in it.
‘Justin!’ said Meg and flung herself into his arms.
It was a long time before they decided they’d kissed enough. Eventually they let each other go.
‘Oh, Meggy, I’ve missed you so much!’ said Justin. ‘I thought I’d find you here. I was so glad I was right.’
‘It hasn’t been that long,’ said Meg, momentarily forgetting how painful she had found their short separation. ‘But where have you been?’ What have you been doing?’
‘Missing you,’ he said, looking as if he was about to kiss her all over again.
Meg giggled, so happy she could hardly breathe. ‘And in your spare time?’
‘Bits and pieces, this and that, but all done now.’
‘Will you be able to buy Colin out of Nightingale Woods? But, more importantly, do you really want to?’ she asked. ‘Haven’t you always wanted your own restaurant?’
‘Yes, I will be able to, and yes, I have always wanted my own restaurant – but I’ll have one, right here. You don’t have to be in London to be a successful restaurateur these days. With you as my pastry chef, the sky is the limit for us.’
She gave a little cough and swallowed to cover up the fact that his words were making her feel gooey and weak and very much in love.
He pulled her on to his knee and she rested her head on his shoulder. He was wearing his motorbike leathers and she could smell petrol and road dust on him. For some reason she found this very sexy. Then reality struck her. ‘Oh my God, dinner!’
‘I’m sure it’s all under control,’ said Justin into her ear, not letting her go.
‘But I have to check! You know that, Justin.’
He sighed. She slid off his lap and they walked back to the house hand in hand.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was early the following morning when Meg took a tray of tea and toast to the staff dining room, which, until a few days ago, had been a storeroom. Vanessa, Lizzie and Letty were there. It was Saturday, the day of the play.
‘This is like when we lived together in Alexandra’s house in London,’ said Lizzie, handing her daughter a finger of toast and Marmite.
‘A bit,’ said Vanessa, having had a gulp of tea, ‘only then I wasn’t terrified of what would happen when my mother turned up.’
‘She knows you’re here,’ said Lizzie soothingly. ‘But you don’t have to greet her on the doorstep the moment she arrives at the hotel.’
‘You don’t have to greet her at all, if you don’t want to,’ said Meg. ‘There are lots of good hiding places at Nightingale Woods.’
‘Why does Nessa want to hide?’ asked Letty.
The three women exchanged glances.
‘Is Gan-Gan cross with you, Nessa? I can help you hide if you like,’ said Letty, helping herself to more toast.
