‘I don’t want to pry, but is your health up to it all?’
Sylvia smiled.
‘Thank you, darling, you know I don’t really talk about it much. Yes, I’m okay, but I do get tired more quickly than I used to. I don’t want to be a party pooper when everything is going so well, but I think I need a rest. And actually, I think that you and Léo could do with a break as well. We’ve all been working flat out.’
Juliet nodded.
‘I think you’re right. Léo has seemed rather…oh, I don’t know,offishrecently. Maybe a break is a good idea, but can we manage it financially?’
The truth was that Juliet was worried. She had found herself acting cautiously around Léo lately as he veered from affectionate to distracted and touchy and, try as she might toignore it, it brought back memories of how carefully she had had to handle Toby. She wasn’t fearful of Léo, or scared that he would rage at her, but the sensation of walking on eggshells was familiar, and unwelcome. Getting away from work sounded like a good idea, hopefully one that would put things back on an even keel.
‘We’ve been very busy,’ said Sylvia, sipping her tea, ‘but I think Léo mentioned something earlier about a cancellation. Hold on, I’ll look on our booking system.’ She took out her phone and tapped away for a few seconds. ‘Oh yes! We had a group in next weekend, Thursday to Monday, but they’ve only just cancelled which means we still receive thirty per cent of the fee. Right, I’m blocking the time out before anyone else makes a reservation, and we are all going to take some time out. A friend of mine has been asking me to visit for ages, so I’ll see if she’s free.’
‘Good plan. And I think I have an idea that might convince Léo it’s worth taking the weekend off.’
‘So, this place is run by a friend of yours?’
‘She’s more a friend of Martha’s actually – they were at school together. But I know her quite well and she was happy to make space for us this weekend. She’s keen to swap notes with you.’
Juliet turned the car into a long driveway, past a sign announcing ‘Halebrook Hall Hotel and Restaurant’.
‘And I with her,’ said Léo, peering out of the window at the rolling lawns in front of the large house. ‘She has been running a restaurant mainly from her own kitchen garden for many years, has she not?’
‘Yes, her father started it – on a much smaller scale, of course – then she and her sister took over about ten years ago.Now almost all the food they serve is grown by them, or if they can’t quite manage that, then they source it within twenty miles. They gave over some of the house to hotel rooms and the place is always booked months in advance.’ She pulled up next to a grubby Land Rover and turned off the engine. ‘We’re staying in the family part of the house, so it won’t be quite as smart, but we’ll be perfectly positioned to find out how they run things.’
Léo grinned.
‘Not so smart for you, maybe, but I am still accustoming myself to your country house splendour.’
Juliet rolled her eyes.
‘Oh, you know what I mean. But yes, we’ll hardly be slumming it. Come on, let’s go and find Adriana.’
They eventually tracked down their host in the restaurant, closed at that time of day.
‘Hello, Juliet, welcome to Halebrook. And Léo, wonderful to meet you.’ She hugged them both warmly. ‘I’m so glad you’ve visited; I’ve heard all about the cookery school and your own garden, of course, and I’m dying to swap notes. I was also wondering about an apprenticeship scheme of some sort between us, seeing as you’re so close by.’
They both smiled at the warm welcome and Adriana’s enthusiasm.
‘This all sounds great,’ said Juliet, ‘but I’m going to leave you both to it. Are your parents around? I’d love to catch up with them, then I think I’ll take some photos.’
She left Léo and Adriana talking animatedly and walked back to the house contentedly. It looked like this weekend was just what she and Léo needed to relax and forget all about Sindhu and Toby and the memorial service. She hoped so anyway, because she didn’t want to ask Léo why he seemed distant and moody: she was too scared of what the answer might be.
It wasn’t until early evening when Léo and Juliet saw each other again, when they both went to their room to get ready for dinner.
‘Have you had a good time with Adriana?’ asked Juliet, slipping a grass-green dress over her head. ‘She is so friendly, isn’t she?’
‘Very,’ agreed Léo. ‘She has given me so many tips and ideas – we really have to improve our waste recycling – and she wants some sort of partnership so that we can continue working together. It was a good idea of yours to come here, Juliet, but…’
He paused.
‘What?’ she asked.
‘It was a good idea for me, but what about you? Maybe this is not the first thing you would have chosen for yourself for a weekend break?’
She frowned at him.
‘I don’t know what you mean. It’s lovely here. I can take plenty of photos and I get time away from Feywood and the family. What’s not to like?’
