‘Won’t your mother be upset if you don’t go home?’ said Meg.
‘Although of course we want to keep you,’ said Louise.
‘We really do!’ confirmed Meg.
‘I’ll give her a ring, convince her I’m doing something ladylike and potentially useful. She won’t really mind me not being there for a couple of days, as long as I keep up to date with my thank-you letters.’
‘But how will you do that if you don’t open the presents? You can’t just write “thank you for the present” like the boys did at the school where I worked,’ said Louise.
‘Someone will open them and make a list and then I’ll ring up and find out what the presents are. Simon and I made a wedding list, but people don’t seem to stick to it much.’ Vanessa shrugged. ‘I don’t really mind.’
‘If you don’t mind my asking, why are you getting presents so early? The wedding’s not until September, I thought?’ asked Louise.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. ‘Another drama! Our vicar had to change the date after the invitations had gone out. Apparently most people got their present buying done early.’ She paused. ‘And I swear Mummy is using the extra time to invite a whole lot more people. I gather there’s a secret “whose daughter has the biggest wedding competition” going on. It would be funny if it wasn’t all such a strain.’
Meg felt her friend came from a different planet and patted her arm comfortingly. ‘Well, if you can stay here – even for a little while – we’d be thrilled!’
Susan was on kitchen duty that evening. They had four people booked in for dinner and as this wasn’t very challenging there was plenty of time to chat about her family, which was what she liked to do. ‘Bob has taken up plumbing in his old age.’
‘Oh, I do hope he won’t give up on the garden,’ said Meg, worried. ‘His vegetables are vital. People always mention how delicious they are.’
‘Fresh out of the ground, they’re bound to be good,’ said Susan, accepting the compliment about her husband’s skills with a nod. ‘But he’s decided we needa bathroom upstairs. He says he’s too old to traipse up and down stairs in the middle of the night.’
This made Meg look up from the profiteroles she was filling with cream. ‘Is he good at plumbing?’
Louise also paused in her glass polishing. Meg knew her mother was thinking the same thing that she was.
‘That remains to be seen,’ said Susan. ‘Is it just the one sweet on offer tonight?’
‘No, we’ve also got chocolate mousse or crêpes Suzette,’ said Meg.
‘What’s that when it’s at home?’
‘They served it at the other hotel,’ said Vanessa.
‘It’s just pancakes with fancy liquor,’ said Meg. ‘I do it at the table. I found a chafing dish. It’s all the rage in London, which is probably why they were serving it up the road.’
‘London!’ said Susan with a toss of her head.
‘So tell us about the plumbing,’ said Meg. ‘We might need him to do some here. We may want to ask him to put in some extra bathrooms.’
‘I’ll let you know how it goes,’ said Susan, ‘although personally I think we’ve got quite enough bathrooms to keep clean.’ She paused, enjoying being the centre of attention. ‘But I think we should just serve what we do best. Good home cooking with fresh, local ingredients. It was good enough for my granny; it should be good enough for anyone.’
Meg and Louise exchanged worried glances: it was possible that Susan was right and they should forget their fancy plans for the hotel. But later, when dinnerwas over, Susan had gone home and they were sharing a drink, everyone agreed they must go forward with their new ideas.
‘Change is always unsettling,’ said Louise. ‘But in this case, it’s for the best.’
Vanessa had reluctantly gone home after a few days of helping with the hotel. She had written dozens of letters, drafted a brochure which Louise had taken to the printers, and helped them work out what sort of advantageous rates they could offer parents of the local prep school. She also suggested the hotel could offer special picnics, and tuck boxes full of home-made cakes and biscuits.
‘You’ve been brilliant, Nessa!’ said Meg, hugging her as her friend prepared to leave. ‘I do wish you could stay forever!’
‘Yes, you’ve been so helpful,’ Louise agreed. ‘I’m good at managing an office, but my typing is “hunt and peck” and takes me ages.’
‘I’ve loved it,’ said Vanessa. ‘I’ll come back whenever you need me – as long as my bloody wedding doesn’t need me more!’
‘I do hope you’re joking,’ said Louise. ‘You do love your Simon?’
‘Oh, Simon is wonderful; it’s all that goes with him regarding the wedding day that’s difficult. Anyway,’ said Vanessa, finally getting into the car, ‘I must get off!’
