‘Well, his father moved to France some time ago and he has just died. Andrew has had to go and sort out the estate. He rang me last night to say it’s all in a frightful muddle. We’re just hoping that as Andrew’s been running the hotel for a couple of years and reallyloves it, he’ll inherit it, but we don’t know.’ Louise paused. ‘He’s left me in charge, although I was only taken on as a receptionist and office manager.’
‘And it’s not easy?’
Louise shook her head. ‘I’m still new to the job and the moment Andrew was out of the way, the chef, Geoff, who I’d never liked but didn’t have much to do with, turned into a tyrant.’
‘Well, I’m here now, so you can sack him.’
‘If only I could! But I have to run major decisions past Andrew’s son, who I’ve never met and has shown absolutely no interest in the hotel since I’ve been here.’
Meg laughed. ‘Don’t worry, Mum. Foul-mouthed, bullying chefs are the norm. I’ve worked with dozens of them. It’ll be fine. Now tell me about the hotel.’
‘Oh! Nightingale Woods is the most gorgeous old Georgian house with perfect architecture,’ said Louise, obviously glad to move on from the chef. ‘When I read the advert inThe Lady, I looked it up in an old AA Guide that was in the staff room at school and fell in love!’
‘In love?’ Meg was startled. She’d never known her mother to be quite so enthusiastic about a house, however perfect the architecture.
‘Yes! In love with the house.’ Her mother smiled mischievously. ‘I hadn’t met Andrew then, of course.’
‘Mum?’
‘I’m joking, of course. I’m just so happy that you’re here, I’ve gone a little bit giddy.’
Her mother was indeed a bit giddy, Meg thought. It could have been the joy of driving a smart little carthrough country roads lined with wild flowers on a hot spring afternoon, or it could have been happiness because she was reunited with her daughter whom she hadn’t seen for a while, but somehow Meg thought there was more to it.
‘Why did you apply for a new job? I thought you were happy as an assistant matron. You liked looking after the boys and the teachers were friendly, weren’t they?’ said Meg.
‘It was a combination of things. I’d got bored with the school routine, counting sheets and dealing with lost property and it got a bit awkward eventually. Too many single men getting competitive.’
At just over forty, Meg’s mother could be considered middle-aged but her lively, caring personality and her bright good looks meant that men were often attracted to her. She was medium height with a good figure, blonde hair, blue eyes and wonderful skin. This was one of the reasons that Meg was determined to earn enough money to buy a flat, so her mother didn’t always have to take live-in jobs which sometimes made her vulnerable to unwelcome advances. Meg already had almost enough for a deposit if only they didn’t need a man to support their application for a mortgage.
Her mother, on the other hand, felt that Meg should keep her savings for herself. It was a tricky subject which they avoided discussing.
‘Before Andrew – your boss – went away and you had to deal with the chef, did you like the job?’ asked Meg.
‘Loved it! It’s such a beautiful house – quite large – in an idyllic spot. Wait until you see it! And I liked doing something a bit different. I still have to count sheets and towels of course, but I deal with the guests, the staff, do the wages, look after the books. Anything that needs doing, in fact. And if I’ve got a spare afternoon, I do some decorating.’
‘You’ve always enjoyed that.’
‘It’s because I so rarely get the chance to, always living in staff accommodation. But there are a couple of bedrooms that I can do up in my own time. Andrew let me choose the wallpaper and the paint. They’re going to look lovely.’
‘It sounds as if there’s lots going on. Not the sleepy backwater I was imagining,’ said Meg.
‘Usually, it is a sleepy backwater, make no mistake. But at the moment, it’s the scene of high drama!’
Meg laughed. ‘This special lunch?’
Louise nodded. ‘It’s for fifty people, which is a lot for us.’
‘Why are you so worried? If the hotel has done this lunch lots of times before?’
‘But the chef hasn’t. And he’s sacked a lot of people, including a whole family, three generations, who’d worked for the hotel for years. He said he’s organised agency staff, that it’s more cost-effective to just get people in when you need them.’
‘Well, obviously that’s really sad but the agency staff may do a good job.’
‘It’s possible, but the guests have been coming to the lunch for years and they like being served by thedaughters of the men who they’ve known forever. It’s hard to explain, but Nightingale Woods is like a family, one that has been broken apart, and our guests will see that.’
‘Oh, Mum!’
Louise sighed. ‘I promised Andrew that I’d look after the hotel for him, and I feel I’ve failed already.’
