… do it for me.’
Connor rolled off the bed. ‘All right, all right,’ he muttered. ‘Anything to stop you nagging.’
He didn’t see the wounded look in his wife’s eyes.
Half an hour later, the Swifts’ Audi was making its way along Ashwicke’s long drive. Magnificent trees lined the way, their highest boughs arching to meet, so the drive became a dark, whispering tunnel. At the end of the tunnel stood the house itself, rearing up from the shadowy mass of grass and trees, its façade fabulous with amber light cast from a series of outdoor lamps.
At the door, Nathan was waiting to greet them. ‘Good evening, Doctor and Mrs Swift,’ he said in a solemn voice. ‘Won’t you come in?’
Nicole, who’d met the general manager on several previous occasions, smiled. ‘You’re working late, aren’t you, Nathan?’
He nodded. ‘I know it’s a big night for Mrs Fisher so I offered to lend a hand at her little soirée. That way she can concentrate on her guests.’ The manager ushered the couple into the hall, before returning to the vestibule to hang up their coats. ‘The others are having drinks in the drawing room. If you’d like to follow me …’
As he turned to lead the way, an elderly lady came shuffling along the corridor towards them. She presented a neat figure in a tartan skirt and angora cardigan. A cameo brooch pinned to the neck of her blouse kept in place, not just the lace collar, but also the strands of wrinkled skin that stretched from her throat to her chin and swayed gently as she spoke.
‘Hello, dear,’ she said as Nathan approached.
‘Hello, Mrs Hibbert,’ he replied. ‘What are you doing here? The west wing is out of bounds to hotel guests.’
The woman’s rheumy eyes blinked. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off piste. I was looking for my knitting. I thought it was in my room, but I can’t find it anywhere.’
‘I expect you left it in the residents’ lounge,’ the manager replied. ‘Why don’t I take you there?’
‘Oh, yes, please,’ the woman said, linking her arm through Nathan’s. ‘It’s a while since I had an escort, especially one as handsome as you.’
Nathan grimaced at the Swifts over the top of her head. ‘Sorry, folks, would you excuse me for a moment?’
‘It’s okay,’ Nicole said, smiling. ‘We can see ourselves to the drawing room. I know the way.’
Nathan and Mrs Hibbert were barely out of earshot when Connor turned to Nicole. ‘This place is a joke,’ he said. ‘Mark my words, Juliet will be out of business by the end of the year.’
Nicole looked at her husband in surprise. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘I mean, whatever was Juliet thinking, setting up a hotel in the first place? She doesn’t know the first thing about it.’ He gestured towards a zig-zagging crack in the wall that ran from floor to ceiling. ‘And if the guest accommodation is anything like the rest of the house it’s no wonder she’s struggling to attract guests. When Gus died, she should’ve sold up, taken the money and run.’
‘Actually, I rather admire Juliet for taking a risk,’ Nicole said tightly. ‘It takes a lot of guts to do what she did.’
Connor gave a sneering laugh. ‘Guts? Stupidity, more like.’
Nicole felt a retort rising in her throat but, not wanting to sour the mood, she swallowed it back down. ‘I hope you’re going to make an effort tonight,’ she said as they approached the double doors leading to the drawing room. ‘Like Nathan said, it’s a big night for Juliet.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Connor muttered as he straightened his tie and summoned up one of the fake smiles he usually reserved for patients. ‘I won’t let the side down.’
It was a modest gathering, six people in all, and yet the room gave the impression of being full. The air was thick with excited voices and a rather strident aftershave. Vivaldi was playing softly in the background and a large champagne bucket had pride of place on top of the
Connor rolled off the bed. ‘All right, all right,’ he muttered. ‘Anything to stop you nagging.’
He didn’t see the wounded look in his wife’s eyes.
Half an hour later, the Swifts’ Audi was making its way along Ashwicke’s long drive. Magnificent trees lined the way, their highest boughs arching to meet, so the drive became a dark, whispering tunnel. At the end of the tunnel stood the house itself, rearing up from the shadowy mass of grass and trees, its façade fabulous with amber light cast from a series of outdoor lamps.
At the door, Nathan was waiting to greet them. ‘Good evening, Doctor and Mrs Swift,’ he said in a solemn voice. ‘Won’t you come in?’
Nicole, who’d met the general manager on several previous occasions, smiled. ‘You’re working late, aren’t you, Nathan?’
He nodded. ‘I know it’s a big night for Mrs Fisher so I offered to lend a hand at her little soirée. That way she can concentrate on her guests.’ The manager ushered the couple into the hall, before returning to the vestibule to hang up their coats. ‘The others are having drinks in the drawing room. If you’d like to follow me …’
As he turned to lead the way, an elderly lady came shuffling along the corridor towards them. She presented a neat figure in a tartan skirt and angora cardigan. A cameo brooch pinned to the neck of her blouse kept in place, not just the lace collar, but also the strands of wrinkled skin that stretched from her throat to her chin and swayed gently as she spoke.
‘Hello, dear,’ she said as Nathan approached.
‘Hello, Mrs Hibbert,’ he replied. ‘What are you doing here? The west wing is out of bounds to hotel guests.’
The woman’s rheumy eyes blinked. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go off piste. I was looking for my knitting. I thought it was in my room, but I can’t find it anywhere.’
‘I expect you left it in the residents’ lounge,’ the manager replied. ‘Why don’t I take you there?’
‘Oh, yes, please,’ the woman said, linking her arm through Nathan’s. ‘It’s a while since I had an escort, especially one as handsome as you.’
Nathan grimaced at the Swifts over the top of her head. ‘Sorry, folks, would you excuse me for a moment?’
‘It’s okay,’ Nicole said, smiling. ‘We can see ourselves to the drawing room. I know the way.’
Nathan and Mrs Hibbert were barely out of earshot when Connor turned to Nicole. ‘This place is a joke,’ he said. ‘Mark my words, Juliet will be out of business by the end of the year.’
Nicole looked at her husband in surprise. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘I mean, whatever was Juliet thinking, setting up a hotel in the first place? She doesn’t know the first thing about it.’ He gestured towards a zig-zagging crack in the wall that ran from floor to ceiling. ‘And if the guest accommodation is anything like the rest of the house it’s no wonder she’s struggling to attract guests. When Gus died, she should’ve sold up, taken the money and run.’
‘Actually, I rather admire Juliet for taking a risk,’ Nicole said tightly. ‘It takes a lot of guts to do what she did.’
Connor gave a sneering laugh. ‘Guts? Stupidity, more like.’
Nicole felt a retort rising in her throat but, not wanting to sour the mood, she swallowed it back down. ‘I hope you’re going to make an effort tonight,’ she said as they approached the double doors leading to the drawing room. ‘Like Nathan said, it’s a big night for Juliet.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Connor muttered as he straightened his tie and summoned up one of the fake smiles he usually reserved for patients. ‘I won’t let the side down.’
It was a modest gathering, six people in all, and yet the room gave the impression of being full. The air was thick with excited voices and a rather strident aftershave. Vivaldi was playing softly in the background and a large champagne bucket had pride of place on top of the
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