The following day, Meg, David, Alexandra and Louise were enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the morning room when the front doorbell jangled loudly. Louise put down her coffee cup. ‘I’ll go. I’m not expecting anyone but it could be a delivery boy who doesn’t know he should go round to the tradesmen’s entrance.’
‘I’ll go, Mum,’ said Meg, getting up. ‘Your coffee will be cold otherwise.’
She pulled open the front door. It took her a moment to realise who she was looking at. ‘Nessa! Gosh! How lovely to see you! Erm – were we expecting you?’
‘No, you weren’t,’ said Nessa. ‘I’ve run away from home.’
‘Oh my goodness!’
‘Well, I’m exaggerating a bit. But I had to get away. Mummy is driving me mad with the wedding. I’m not allowed any choice, but I have to keep telling her how wonderful she’s being for organising it.’
‘Oh, poor Nessa! Come in. You know Alexandra and David are here?’
‘Yes. They told me they were coming and I was so jealous at the thought of you all being together whenI was stuck with Mummy writing thank-you letters for presents I don’t want, I decided to run away.’
‘I thought you weren’t getting married until September,’ said Meg, leading the way into the morning room.
‘I’m not. But the presents are pouring in. I never want to see another box full of wood wool again.’
Meg laughed. ‘But getting presents is supposed to be nice!’
‘It’s lovely if you only get one or two, but several every day just makes them an obligation.’ Vanessa stopped and looked around her. ‘This is all so pretty, isn’t it?’
Meg nodded. ‘We’re all in the morning room. We have no outside guests at the moment so we’ve got the place to ourselves. Look who I found!’ she said as they reached their destination.
‘Do you mind me following you here?’ Vanessa addressed Alexandra and David. ‘I just had to get away from home for a bit. Why did no one tell me that getting married was such a nightmare?’
‘Not actually a nightmare, surely? You love Simon, and you want to be married to him?’ said Alexandra.
‘Oh yes! In fact, I often think I wouldn’t go through all this process if it wasn’t for him at the end of it,’ said Vanessa.
‘On the other hand,’ said David, ‘if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t have to go through it at all.’
Vanessa shrugged. ‘If it wasn’t Simon, it would be someone else, I suppose. Eventually.’
‘So it’s just as well you’re marrying someone you love,’ said Louise firmly.
‘What did you say to your mother when you left the house?’ asked Alexandra. ‘And did she mind?’
‘I’m afraid I left a message with her maid. But I don’t think she’ll really mind. Although she will complain.’ Vanessa paused. ‘I’m being a brat, aren’t I?’
‘No. You’re not being a brat at all,’ said Meg instantly. ‘You just need a break and to see some old friends. I’m utterly delighted!’
‘Poor Meg has only had hotel guests and me for company recently,’ said Louise. ‘And when your mother is the youngest person next to you, the company of your own friends is especially welcome.’
Meg got up and gave her mother a hug as she went to the kitchen to make toast and tea for Vanessa.
‘Did you find the hotel easily enough?’ Louise was asking Vanessa when Meg came back. ‘I sometimes wonder if we need more signs from the main road.’
‘I found it easily, but I’ve been to this part of the world before. I came last year to help Mummy with her charity race-day event.’
‘Oh?’ said Louise.
‘Yes. It’s at the racecourse near Shroton? But we always stay at the hotel at Newton-cum-Hardy. It’s quite new. Well, the building isn’t but the hotel is. It’s very swish. Mummy loves it.’
Meg and Louise exchanged glances. ‘We need to know what that hotel offers,’ said Meg.
‘Why?’ asked Vanessa.
