‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say I taught Meggy all she knows,’ said David. ‘But I think I could step into her shoes if I had to.’
‘If only your feet weren’t so big,’ said Alexandra dryly.
Louise gave Alexandra a look. ‘Of course you could!’ she said.
‘Installing a few bathrooms and possibly turning some unused rooms into bedrooms would be such a lovely project. It’s a shame I can’t stay in England a bit longer,’ said Alexandra. ‘But the family needs me.’
Meg could tell that she needed her family too. ‘Not to mention Antoine,’ she said.
Alexandra tossed her head, trying to give the impression that she didn’t care about her husband. Meg wasn’t fooled for a second.
‘So, where’s this hotel then?’ said Alexandra.
‘The trouble is, I don’t know exactly,’ said Vanessa. ‘Is this a problem?’
‘It’ll be on the Ordnance Survey map of the area,’ said Louise. ‘Or at least the village will be.’
David wrote down a list of villages to aim for while the others got ready for a day out. Meg felt giddy with joy at the thought. It was only now, when she had others to talk about it with, that she acknowledged to herself how much she’d been worrying about Nightingale Woods. It would be fairly easy to write down a list of things to do that might encourage visitornumbers, but actually having some concrete ideas, taken from seeing this rival hotel, would be far better.
She wouldn’t have cared half as much if it weren’t for her mother. The hotel was so close to Louise’s heart, probably because its owner was also close to her heart. Having her mother securely settled would take away a worry that had hung over her, to a greater or lesser extent, ever since childhood. Although she saved every penny she could from her earnings, it would be a while longer before she had saved enough for a deposit on a house or flat. If her mother could be securely settled in a relationship that included a home, it should free Meg from her self-imposed obligation. Even so, Meg knew she would always want the safety net of her own savings, just in case anything went wrong.
Chapter Nine
They set off for the rival hotel in Alexandra’s stately Citroën about half an hour later. Meg, who suffered from car sickness, sat in the front. Vanessa sat in the back with the map and David’s list of places to aim for.
‘This is so much fun!’ said Vanessa. ‘If only Lizzie were with us. Sorry, I know I keep saying that.’
‘Do you remember when we had to get Lizzie home from a party at your house, Nessa? You helped us steal a car and Alexandra drove us all up to London,’ said Meg. She gave a horrified laugh at the memory. ‘And David helped us get the car back again, so no one ever knew.’
Alexandra also laughed. ‘I don’t know how I did it! But you’ll be relieved to hear I’m a more experienced driver now and I have actually passed my driving test.’
‘You were so brave!’ said Meg.
‘I just did what had to be done,’ said Alexandra.
There was silence in the car for a few seconds. ‘It’s hard to take in that now you’re a countess,’ said Meg.
‘I know!’ Alexandra replied. ‘With stepchildren! And hopefully some children of my own soon …’
A few wrong turnings, some confusing signposts and the fact that they had set off a bit later than they had intended, meant it was nearly two o’clock when Alexandra drove up the drive to the Newton-cum-Hardy hotel.
‘I hope we’re not too late to have lunch,’ said Meg, who was not only hungry, but anxious lest their inadvertent tour of the back roads of Dorset meant they’d missed their chance to spy.
‘It didn’t say anything about mealtimes on the sign,’ said Vanessa. ‘It only said it was owned by Raoul de Dijon. I wonder if it’s under new management. I’m not sure it said that when I was here before, with Mummy.’
‘I’ve heard of him,’ said Meg. ‘He’s getting a name for himself and has written a cookery book.’ She sighed. Having someone people had heard of, at least in cooking circles in London, was something else Nightingale Woods, with its tired furnishings and shared bathrooms, couldn’t match.
Alexandra drove up to the front of the house and looked around for somewhere to park.
‘There’s a sign to the car park round the back,’ said Meg.
‘But there’s space here!’ said Alexandra, sliding in next to a Jaguar, putting her car in a spot probably reserved for more important people.
‘Shall we have lunch first? Or a look around?’ asked Alexandra, leading the way into the hotel.
‘Lunch first,’ said Meg. ‘The kitchen may be about to stop serving.’
Alexandra took the lead and got them a nice table by the window although they hadn’t booked. The head waiter, who had moved swiftly across the room when he had seen her, was very attentive. He personally brought the menus and opened the bottle of champagne she ordered.
