Meg took a last look at the hotel as Alexandra sped away. It looked very imposing up there on the hill. She saw a figure come out of the side of the building and stand, possibly watching them leave. It was probably someone from the kitchen having a bit of a breather. What was it like to work there? she wondered. It would be very well organised, she decided, but not friendly. Nightingale Woods was like a family where everyone helped out.
The hotel felt very much like home to Meg now, and on their return they found David and Louise in high spirits.
‘No bookings for dinner but a lovely young couple came up on spec. They wanted tea,’ said Louise.
Meg gasped. ‘Oh my goodness, what did you give them? There’s only the perennial fruit cake we always have on the go.’
‘We sent them round the garden,’ said David. ‘Louise set a little table just near where there’ll be a play if I have anything to do with it …’
‘Yes?’
‘And I made scones,’ David went on. ‘So they had sandwiches, scones hot out of the oven, butter and home-made jam, and the fruit cake, cut into little square pieces. They were delighted.’
‘We used one of the old tea sets from the cupboard,’ said Louise. ‘It was so charming. And the best bit is – they’re coming for lunch on Sunday, with his mother.They’re newly married and also new to the area. I got the impression from the woman, Suzanne – not that we used her Christian name – that her mother-in-law is a bit of a tartar.’
‘He – her son – said she had very high standards and that taking her out for lunch rather than trying to get it right at home would be a brilliant solution,’ added David.
‘And the mother-in-law is very high up in the local WI,’ said Louise, ‘so if we do a good job, she’ll tell all her friends.’
‘I’m only sorry I won’t be here to supervise the roast lamb,’ said David and then made a face at Meg so she knew he was teasing.
‘We have always done teas, but not in the garden,’ said Louise. ‘We must do them again if the weather is nice.’
‘You could advertise them in your new brochure,’ said Vanessa. ‘It would make you stand out from other hotels.’
‘“Tea in the Garden”,’ said Meg. ‘That would be brilliant. And, more importantly, wouldn’t cost anything.’
She smiled, suddenly feeling much more positive about what Nightingale Woods could offer. It wasn’t just a matter of spending a lot of money to make a hotel special. It was more to do with thought and care, and a lovely setting.
‘Well done, Mum and David, for doing that.’
‘We loved it!’ they both said, more or less together.
Chapter Ten
‘It’s so sad to see them go,’ said Vanessa, standing on the hotel steps next to Meg and Louise the following day. ‘Just being with you all makes me feel so much better about everything.’
‘And between you, Nessa, and them, we now have so many really good ideas on how to improve things,’ said Louise.
‘I’m not quite so convinced by David’s “singing round the piano” evenings,’ said Meg, ‘but all your ideas were brilliant, Ness.’
‘We must make sure we do all the ones that don’t cost major money,’ said Louise.
‘I’ll add them to the list for Justin. He may be able to give us a small budget for the little things.’
‘Although it’s the big things, like private bathrooms, that will really make a difference,’ said Louise.
‘I wonder if I could talk my mother into coming here with her chums for the charity race day at Shroton? I certainly could if there were bathrooms,’ said Vanessa. ‘And if you put your prices up to what the other hotel is charging – even a bit less – you’d be quids in.’
Louise laughed. ‘I’m not sure your mother would like you using expressions like “quids in”.’
Vanessa joined in the laughter. ‘But seriously, your gardens and grounds are so much nicer.’
‘And we have a natural amphitheatre for outside entertainment,’ said Meg. ‘According to David.’ She spent a few minutes imagining some wonderful performance in beautiful weather, the grounds thronging with people who were somehow bringing revenue to the hotel. ‘I need to get in touch with all the people who came to the banquet. Vanessa thought we could offer them some sort of deal, for Sunday lunch.’
‘What a good idea!’ said Louise. ‘I do have a list of people but that’s a lot of letters to write.’
‘I can do that,’ said Vanessa eagerly. ‘I did a shorthand and typing course. I’m not very good at shorthand but I was top of the class for typing.’
