‘Geoff?’ said Louise tentatively. ‘This is my daughter, Meg, who’s come to stay for a little while.’
‘Bastard agency has let me down,’ said Geoff, ignoring Meg. ‘You’ll have to go and see if you can round up a few waitresses from the local yokels.’
Louise gasped. ‘Oh my goodness, that’s terrible news! I knew it was a bad idea to sack them all.’
‘Well, if you know everything, go and sort it out! Get them back!’ said Geoff, directing his anger at her.
‘I can’t expect them to just come back at a moment’s notice after the way they were treated,’ Louise replied.
‘You know what?’ Geoff shot back. ‘I don’t care. I don’t have to stay around and deal with this fiasco. I’m off.’ He pushed past both women and left the room.
‘Do you think he’s been drinking?’ said Louise, white with shock and visibly shaking.
‘Going by the smell of his breath as he went past, yes,’ said Meg. ‘Do you think he’s just gone to get a bit of a break? Or has he actually left?’
Louise put her hands on the big old table to steady herself. ‘I don’t know. I can’t believe he’s just walked out! It’s so irresponsible. But I wouldn’t put it past him. How on earth are we going to cope with the lunch tomorrow without him?’
Meg didn’t hesitate. ‘You go and see if the staff – the local ones you told me about – will come back. We’ll need them even if Geoff hasn’t left for good. If you explain what’s happened, they may well take pity onyou. We’ll be so nice to the people who come, maybe the others will follow.’
‘There aren’t actually that many of them,’ said Louise. ‘Three permanent and a couple of extras for big occasions. But you’re right. If I throw myself on their mercy and tell them Geoff has gone, they might relent. They won’t want to miss doing the lunch as it’s so important to everyone.’
‘Then go!’ Meg gave her mother a friendly push. ‘But tell me the menu first. I’d better start dealing with these frozen chickens.’
Louise gave her daughter a sudden hug. ‘I know I should be really upset about Geoff leaving, but in fact I just feel relief! He’s made everyone’s lives so miserable and difficult. But now you’re here, and I don’t need to worry any more.’
‘Off you go, Mum,’ said Meg, again. She wasn’t quite as insouciant as her mother about the departing chef; she knew that she would have to take his place, and cooking for fifty with no notice to speak of wasn’t going to be easy. ‘But before you rush off, tell me what am I supposed to be cooking?’
‘Oh, coronation chicken!’ said Louise and fled.
Chapter Three
Meg really wanted to get changed out of the clothes she’d travelled down from London in but she remembered that her mother had locked the flat door and put the key in her pocket. Her means of getting in was currently travelling the country lanes with her mother, who was going door to door, begging for people willing to be waiting staff.
She found an apron to put on over her ‘rather short’ dress and set about sorting through the fridge. She could do this while thinking about the menu. She’d found a large quantity of slightly stale bread – there wasn’t any fresher – and was inspecting it when Ambrosine came into the kitchen.
‘Hello, my dear,’ she said. ‘I suggested to your mother that I came and gave you a hand. She said it was an excellent idea.’
Meg smiled. It was a sweet thought, but she did wonder what a woman in her seventies could do to help.
‘I know you’re wondering what I can do,’ Ambrosine went on, ‘but I can give you useful information. For a start, I know that your mother hides the eggmayonnaise – if she’s had time to make some – behind the packets of margarine in the refrigerator.’
Meg put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh! Mum was going to make you sandwiches in case you hadn’t had lunch. We both forgot all about it. I could easily make you some now.’ She retrieved the bowl of egg mayonnaise. ‘Do we know if we’re expecting anyone for tea? It’s too soon to make sandwiches but I could get a batch of scones on.’
‘I don’t think there are any guests booked in for tea. Local people have stopped coming recently. Tea and a selection of biscuits from a tin aren’t very appealing.’
Meg was shocked. No wonder people didn’t bother to come if that’s all that was on offer. ‘How many sandwiches would you like? And how many fillings? I think I saw some cheddar in the fridge and there may be a cucumber or a tomato to go with it?’
‘Just one round of egg is all I require. I still find eggs rather a treat, after rationing in the war.’
As Ambrosine showed no signs of leaving the kitchen, even after the sandwich was made, Meg suggested she took a seat and put the sandwich on a plate for her. ‘Then I can go on asking you things without feeling guilty about making you tired.’
‘Thank you, dear,’ said Ambrosine and pulled out a chair at the big table.
‘Do you know anything about the lunch?’ Meg asked.
‘The locals tend to call it the banquet because to begin with it was a dinner.’
‘My mother told me that it was originally for the tenants to celebrate the squire’s birthday.’
