The drawing room, at least, was untouched by the previous evening’s festivities, so Carrie set Anna up with some of the sample menus Jacob had had printed and went off to find coffee, and possibly her receptionist.
Fortunately, Jacob also seemed on top of things in the kitchen. “Georgia gets up at six. Hell with a hangover. Besides, I never drink when I’m DJing,” he told her. “Ruins the vibe. You know?”
Carrie had no idea, but she nodded anyway. “So, coffee, biscuits, the usual. And have we got anything in if she decides to stay for lunch?”
“Leave it with me,” Jacob said, so she did.
It was only when, on her way back, she ran into Nate in reception that she remembered about the bridal suite.
“Oh, God. We didn’t make the bed.”
To his credit, Nate seemed to figure out exactly what she was talking about with remarkable speed. “The bridal suite?” Carrie nodded. “No problem,” he said, brushing a hand against her arm. “I’ll go straighten up in there, you start showing her around the rest of the place.”
“How did you know she was coming?” Carrie asked, knowing it didn’t really matter, but annoyed all the same. She should have known Anna would do this. How did he?
Nate looked confused. “Izzie just told me now. That’s why I’m here.” That made more sense, she supposed.
“It’s Anna,” she said, remembering telling him all about her. Whatever else there was between them, he’d understand that better than anyone else at the Avalon.
He squeezed her arm. “I know. Don’t worry. I’ll fix it.”
Then he was away, striding up the stairs three steps at a time, sorting out her problems as usual. Carrie sighed. It would be far too easy to get used to that sort of help.
Back in the drawing room, Anna wasn’t looking at the menus. She was frowning at the shelves of tatty paperback novels that had accumulated over the years. “Coffee’s on its way,” Carrie said. “We can make a start in the dining room first, if you’d like, then have coffee before we head upstairs.” Which would give Nate plenty of time to get things squared away and get back into the garden before they saw him.
Anna frowned. “Really, Carrie, don’t you think hardback books would be better in here? A little...higher class?”
Adding more hardback books to the most visible shelves in the drawing room was actually somewhere on the to do list, but there was no way Carrie was admitting that to Anna. “We find our guests like to actually read the books, not just look at them. The collection in here is some of their favorites.” That much was true; there were plenty of testimonies to the fact in Nancy’s old guest books. Along with the sentence, Given the constant rain...
Anna slammed the book shut. “You know, I’m not that thirsty. Why don’t we head into the dining room?” She moved toward the door. “I hope to God you’ve replaced that awful china, at least.”
Carrie gritted her teeth and followed.
* * * *
An hour later, Carrie was starting to think that even if the Avalon had been at its sparkling best, it wouldn’t be enough to impress Anna Yardley. Something had changed. Carrie didn’t know what, but she was certain Anna had come there with the express purpose of tearing down everything Carrie had so painstakingly built up.
The dining room didn’t stand a chance. The china was ‘more suitable for a Women’s Institute meeting,’ the chair covers dated, and the lace tablecloths yellowing. It would be a much better room, apparently, if it faced south, as the west-facing windows would get too much sun in the late afternoon and evening. As if she hadn’t seen the room twice before already with no problems.
The bar, where they stumbled across Stan and Cyb, putting everything back to normal after the night before, got no more than a raised eyebrow. “Well, no one will want to use this,” Anna said, shutting the door almost as soon as Carrie had opened it.
“Actually,” Carrie said, trying to sound as if she was speaking from experience here, rather than one show round and a few local weddings ten years ago, “I’ve found that the bar is a really useful extra room. A place for people to hang out if they want some peace and quiet while the music’s going on in the evening, for example.”
“What’s next?” Anna said.
The bridal suite almost passed muster. The bed was certainly impressive, but didn’t Carrie feel it overpowered the room? And it was such a shame there was only a single shower in the bathroom. So many couples these days wanted a double shower, in addition to the roll top bath.
By the time they reached the gardens, all Carrie wanted in the world was for Anna to leave so she could crawl into her attic bed alone and forget this day had ever happened.
“So, this is what your gardener has been working on, is it?” Anna surveyed the beds of churned mud with deliberate care, and turned back to Carrie. “Really, I can see why you might like to keep him around, but wouldn’t it be better to have someone with actual talent? Then you might get some actual flowers.”
Carrie gritted her teeth. “Obviously, this area of the garden is under development. We’re planning a cutting garden, to allow us to provide flowers for weddings held here.”
Anna looked concerned. “Do you really think you’ve got the talent for that? It’s a highly specialized job.”
“I wouldn’t be arranging the flowers myself.” Where was Nate, anyway? He’d be much better at explaining all this.
“Still, I’d think you’d have other priorities here, quite frankly.” Anna turned away and headed up the path.
At least the marquee might impress, Carrie thought. Anna had always had a soft spot for a well-made marquee with good lighting and a nice green space. “If you’d like to follow me to the rear of the inn, there’s one more thing for us to see.”
But even Carrie couldn’t look impressed at the muddy field full of men in overalls packing away sheets of white tent and metal bars. She closed her eyes and wished herself back in bed again. Or at least in the bar.
“Sorry,” Nate said from beside her. “Apparently they have another booking tomorrow, and Stan told them it would be fine to pack up.”
“At some point, people around here are going to have to get used to telling me what is going on,” Carrie said between her teeth, hoping Anna couldn’t hear. But from the slight smile on her boss’s face, even if she hadn’t heard the words she could guess the sentiment.
Carrie was screwing up, and Anna was happy about it. But why? This was supposed to be her project, too.
“Well, I think I’ve seen all I need to see,” Anna said, turning back t
o them. “Why don’t we debrief in the drawing room.” She strode ’round to the front of the inn, leaving Carrie no choice but to follow. As she passed, Nate brushed his hand against hers, and she tried to take strength from that. But all she could think was, if she hadn’t run off to bed with him the night before, maybe she’d have been better prepared for this horror of a day.
“Carrie, I’m going to be straight with you,” Anna said, as they sat sipping cooling coffee in the drawing room. “I had my doubts about this project from the start, and what I’ve seen today just confirms them.”
“Ruth and Graeme have already booked,” Carrie said, trying to sound professional, not desperate. “I’ve got the deposit check.”
“I’m not saying the Avalon couldn’t be a successful venue,” Anna said. “Just that I’m not sure you’re the right person to oversee its renovation.”
“It’s my inn.”
“Exactly. Perhaps you’re too close to the project.” Anna sat back in her chair and stared across at Carrie, her gaze appraising. “I think what the Avalon Inn needs is a fresh start, and someone who isn’t afraid to make the changes it so desperately needs.”
Carrie felt a sharp pain at the back of her throat. “What changes?”
Anna laughed. “Where to start? The staff, for one. The octogenarian client base. The furnishings. The style. The wasted land. There’s too much here for you to tackle, Carrie. You simply don’t have the experience.”
“It’s my inn,” Carrie said again, numbly. “I won’t...”
“And, to be honest with you,” Anna interrupted, “I could do with you back in the Manchester office. That temp you hired is a real waste of space.”
Carrie’s future flashed before her eyes. Stuck behind her desk in Manchester, dealing with unreasonable demands from brides and their families. Racing around the country to watch people she didn’t care about pledge their true love to each other. All while the Avalon was turned into some corporate identikit hotel...
“I won’t do it,” she said, with only the slightest wobble in her voice.