Meg watched her mother run her finger over the mirror, checking for dust like a caricature of a housekeeper. ‘You wouldn’t have forgotten if you had mether. She’s beautiful, kind and funny and just a bit eccentric. I must work out a menu for when they are here. David and I loved cooking together. He taught me a lot.’
‘When did you say they were coming?’
‘This weekend. I hope there’s room!’ Meg suddenly worried that the wonderful reunion with her friends might be spoilt by too many visiting army types and their ladies, who would have to take precedence.
‘I’m sure there will be, but we’ve got quite a few bookings for Sunday lunch. They’re people who were at the banquet for the first time and are trying us out for another special meal.’
Meg smiled. ‘That won’t interfere with anything we might do for David and Alexandra. But I hope the Sunday lunchers will think we’re as good when we’re not serving cold food but a traditional roast.’
‘As long as you’ve got really good gravy and crisp potatoes, it’ll be fine.’ Louise checked the washbasin by running her finger over it to make sure there was no trace of limescale which would make it look dull. ‘You’ve always had a knack with gravy. I’ve only ever been able to do the Bisto kind.’
Meg remembered her mother’s mahogany-coloured gravy, glossy and thick and tasting strongly of salt. It wasn’t good. ‘And Yorkshire pudding,’ said Meg. ‘Everyone loves that.’
‘They’ll love it all. We have good meat, maybe some home-grown cabbage or spinach, and the rest will follow.’
‘But are they coming for Justin’s cooking, or mine?’ said Meg.
‘You did the coronation chicken,’ said her mother, obviously a bit surprised at Meg’s lack of confidence.
‘I just don’t want them to be disappointed,’ said Meg.
‘Silly girl!’ Louise dismissed Meg’s fears. ‘You did most of it for that lunch, you know you did. Now, what else do we need to do in here?’ she said, looking round the room.
Meg realised if she wanted her mother’s full attention and proper sympathy for her insecurities, she needed to ask for it when Louise wasn’t inspecting guest bedrooms. She decided to stop worrying about her cooking.
‘I’ll just put a couple of flowers in a vase for the dressing table and that’s it.’ Louise gave the room a last critical look.
‘You love all this!’ said Meg. ‘Making sure the rooms look pretty and are perfect.’
Louise nodded. ‘I think I’ve finally found what I want to do when I’m grown up: work in a country hotel. I love the guests, I love getting it right, and I love working with lovely people like Susan and her family.’
Meg nodded. ‘And I love Bob, their dad. He’s so enjoyed getting the kitchen garden back into order. It was kind of Justin to get him back although it can’t be all that cost-effective.’ Meg was working on having positive feelings towards Justin. In her heart she resented him, swooping in, saving the situation, and swooping out again, while telling her she was just a girl.
‘Bob is wonderful, isn’t he? In fact, all of the hotel gardens remind me ofThe Secret Garden,’ said Louise. ‘I love the idea of it all being asleep—’
‘Or just having a doze?’
‘—and being woken by a gardener.’
‘Although in the book it was Mary and Colin,’ said Meg.
‘I know it’s not really like the book,’ said Louise, who obviously felt Meg was splitting hairs, ‘but the idea is the same.’
‘I must say it would be wonderful if we can give Alexandra and David asparagus from the garden. There is some nearly ready.’
‘As long as we can give it to everyone. Now, if you’re happy here, let’s get to the next room. And then I must check the bathrooms.’ Louise frowned. ‘I do wish we could have another one. It’s rather a long walk down the corridor and there’s that single bedroom …’
‘Why don’t you ask Andrew about it the next time he telephones you?’ Meg’s mind was now on new season’s lamb for Alexandra and David, and beef for Sunday lunch, and she wanted an excuse to go and check on what was growing in the vegetable garden. ‘I need to pick some parsley. There’s a nice clump of it next to the greenhouses.’
Chapter Seven
It hadn’t occurred to either Louise or Meg that Justin would want to visit the hotel to see how things were going and they were both extremely annoyed that he chose the morning of Alexandra and David’s arrival to do it. Meg was in the kitchen garden gathering herbs and Louise was picking flowers from the cutting section so she could put them in the bedrooms. They both jumped when he found them in the vegetable garden, their hands full. Meg realised that Justin couldn’t have come on his motorbike or she’d have heard his approach.
‘Hello!’ he called. ‘Can we go inside and have a chat? I see you’re not busy.’
‘I am busy,’ said Meg. ‘I’m picking herbs.’
‘So am I,’ said Louise. She held up her handful of flowers. ‘For the bedrooms.’
