Read Online A Close Connection by Patricia Fawcett - Free Book Online Page A

bedroom had its unique character, with rich old wood panelling and beautiful pieces of antique furniture, exquisite plasterwork, not to mention the most gorgeous window dressings. The ultimate in honeymoon delight was the honeymoon suite, with its four-poster bed and, following their wedding, the bride and groom often chose to spend their first nighttogether there. Sitting together in front of a log fire, the heavy curtains drawn across, enjoying a glass of wine and a light supper, it was indeed a perfect way to start off a marriage.
    She spotted one of the gardeners – the chatty one with the beard – at work in one of the borders but, even though she saw out of the corner of her eye that he had put down whatever implement he was using in preparation for one of his interminable and incredibly boring chats, she deliberately avoided direct eye contact because he only had one topic of conversation and whether or not the rabbits had been causing havoc again was no concern of hers. She did, however, have the grace to acknowledge his presence with a wave of her hand as she hurried by.
    As she neared the entrance, a heaven of scented wisteria surrounding the impressive porch, she spotted a couple of the junior staff slouching outside, leaning against the wall in full view of everyone, smoking and laughing. They glanced at her, totally unconcerned, and she felt a flash of annoyance, in no mood this morning for any further hassle. She may not be that much older than they but she was a hell of a lot more senior and she was not going to let the insolence pass her by. Once you did that, they had you down as a soft touch.
    ‘What on earth do you think you are doing?’ she said, homing in on them.
    They stared at her, speechless for a moment, although the girl’s eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed. She was one of the housekeeping staff with over-made-up eyes and a lot of fluffy blonde hair. A nose-stud too. Good God, what were they thinking of, employing somebody with a nose-stud?
    ‘What does it look like?’ the girl said, taking another drag, gangster-like, on her cigarette as a couple of guests came by. By moving slightly and offering the guests a broad smile and a ‘Good morning’ Nicola hoped they would not notice the others.
    ‘If you must smoke there is a designated area at the rear,’ she went on, her smile vanishing as she confronted the youngsters once more.
    ‘Yes, miss.’ The young man – one of the waiting staff – grinned, not taking her remotely seriously.
    ‘It’s Mrs Walker to you and if I catch either of you here again, I shall report you to Mr Gilbert.’ She waited a moment for that to sink in, looking at their name-tags and making sure they noticed that. ‘Now, go somewhere else. And tie up your hair, Tiffany,’ she added to the girl. ‘It’s most unhygienic wearing it loose.’
    The girl held her ground but her cheeks flushed and she was the first to look away. Tugging at the boy’s sleeve she gave the signal for them to disappear and, with a final withering glance from the young man, they scooted off. Nicola caught the word ‘cow’ but it hardly mattered. She was not here to be popular. One day she would be events manager and after that, who knows what she might achieve? She had dreams of starting up on her own, something to do with events planning but she was not ready yet for that. One thing was sure, the job here was just a stepping stone and she did not see herself here in the long term.
    Glancing at her watch, she guessed that the parents would be up in the air by now and she hoped to goodness they had a good holiday together. Nicola knew her mother far too well and she did not trust her motives for inviting the Walkers on this holiday. Whatever her mother got up to, there was always something behind it. Her mother, like it or not, did tend to lord it over everybody and that was fine as long as people respected that. But she knew that Eleanor was not liked in all quarters, that she was