Chapter Eight
Later that evening Julia and Eleni walked along the High Street towards the pub. The heat of the day had ebbed to a comforting warmth and the village was alive with dog walkers, children playing on the green and the straggling hikers heading down from the mountain top. The tables outside the pub were already littered with thirsty revellers, and as they stepped inside the Grouse and Haggis it was packed to the rafters. There was an excitement about the place, a buzz in the air. Tonight was the night Rory’s TV show would be aired to the nation. Julia noticed the tables in the dining area had been pushed to one side and the chairs lined up in rows in front of the TV screen. Over in the far corner there was a magnificent-looking buffet laid out, too. Julia tried to see past the bobbing heads, the bar was three deep and already she was engulfed by the sweltering heat. ‘My God, it’s warm in here,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘Apparently, according to the news, tomorrow is going to be the hottest day on record,’ shared Eleni.
‘I’ll look forward to that when we are stripping down beds and cleaning rooms. Today felt like a killer, it’s going to be worse tomorrow,’ replied Julia, waving across the room at Felicity and Isla who’d found a spot on the other side of the pub.
‘What would you like to drink?’ asked Eleni, confidently pushing her way to the bar.
‘Gin and tonic, thanks. I’ll go and grab a seat with the girls,’ Julia began to weave her way over towards Felicity and Isla who were flicking through Rory’s latest Instagram posts. The photos were magnificent. Rory and Zach were currently working within the rehabilitation centre and Rory was caring for the sick, injured, abandoned, and orphaned lions alongside a professional veterinary team.
‘Rory looks like he’s having an amazing time,’ Isla swung the phone towards Julia as she pulled out a chair. ‘I wonder if he gets to watch the programme tonight on TV?’
‘I believe Stuart was the star of show, always interrupting Rory, that’s what Allie was saying,’ Felicity gave a little chuckle. ‘And where is Allie? It’s going to be funny not having her around.’
‘I’ve not seen her yet tonight, maybe she’s still packing,’ answered Isla, looking up as Jack approached the table.
‘Hi Julia, is Eleni with you?’ he asked, giving Julia a warm smile.
Julia nodded towards the bar. ‘She’s over at the bar.’
‘Thank you,’ he replied, and headed off in her direction.
‘Are they dating?’ remarked Isla, as soon as Jack was out of earshot. ‘Mmm, now he’s a catch and a half.’
‘A couple of dates,’ replied Julia, thinking they did make a stunning-looking couple.
They watched as Jack slipped his arms around Eleni’s waist causing her to jump. She immediately looked over her shoulder and kissed him on the lips.
‘Love’s young dream,’ continued Isla, bringing her hand up to her heart. ‘Remember those days? The first flush of love is so romantic, then it becomes all mundane, the washing of dirty socks and the sweeping of cut toenails from the bathroom floor.’
‘Eww, haven’t you just killed the mood,’ chuckled Felicity, taking a swig of her drink.
After Eleni had bought the drinks, Jack had pulled her over to one side. He was leaning in close talking to her. Looking slightly troubled, he kept glancing towards the door of the pub.
‘That suddenly looks all very serious,’ remarked Isla. ‘I wonder what that’s all about?’
Julia suspected she knew exactly what it was about. She’d tried to reach Alfie all afternoon and left numerous messages but he’d been tied up in meetings. There was no getting away from her worries that the hotel was going to cause her business to go under, but she couldn’t live with herself if people’s weddings were cancelled after so much planning and expense.
As soon as the conversation was over, Jack pressed a kiss to Eleni’s cheek and she walked over to join them at the table.
‘That all looked very cloak and dagger,’ prompted Julia, wanting to know if it was about Flynn as she suspected.
‘That was an interesting conversation to say the least. Wait until I tell you this,’ her eyes were wide, and she took a swift glance over her shoulder to make sure no one was in earshot. All the girls leaned inwards waiting for Eleni to spill the beans.
‘Flynn Carter is having a few problems up at Starcross Manor, apparently some of his building suppliers cancelled on him today and people in the village are giving him the cold shoulder.’
Julia looked round at everyone and divulged that she’d gone to visit him late morning to share their worries about the hotel and she’d found him in a state.
‘Really, that’s awful isn’t it?’ said Felicity, looking directly at Isla.
‘Yes, awful,’ echoed Isla.
‘Awful,’ repeated Felicity.
Julia clocked the look between them. ‘Hmm, what do you know about this?’ Julia kept her voice low. ‘What have you done?’
‘Me, I know nothing,’ Felicity replied, in a spy-like voice and brought her hand up to her chest in mock protest. ‘However…’ she took another look to see who was in close proximity before leaning forward once more. ‘Last night after you left the teashop, conversation regarding Flynn Carter carried on. Hamish is out for blood. The village shop has been his livelihood for years and he’s not about to be forced into retirement before he’s ready.’
‘To be honest, Mum isn’t too happy either,’ admitted Felicity. ‘Afternoon teas are a big part of our income. And we agree with you that your B&B will most probably be affected. And think about this place – having a celebrity chef up at the manor, who is going to want to eat in the pub when they can get their food prepared by Andrew Glossop?’
‘What have you all done?’ asked Julia.
‘Nothing directly, but Hamish hinted Flynn may hit a few problems with his suppliers.’ Felicity was suddenly a little shifty.
‘Come on, this isn’t like us, we need to play fair and keep our dignity. I thought the plan was I’d speak to Flynn and we can see how the land lies.’
‘This man may put your B&B out of business, and you want to play fair?’ Isla raised an eyebrow. Julia was surprised by Isla’s reaction, knowing she was always the level-headed one. ‘We know he’s untrustworthy – look at the way he swindled you out of some of your grandfather’s inheritance,’ carried on Isla.
Julia knew that Isla had a point and she was still wary of Flynn, but since he’d arrived, he seemed like a down-to-earth, genuine bloke, despite his millions in the bank.
‘He was frantic this morning, the contractors didn’t deliver the materials for the ballroom, which means if that’s not finished on time, he will need to cancel the first wedding at Starcross. It doesn’t sit with me that someone’s special day is going to be ruined because we’ve interfered.’
‘He ruined your friend’s wedding day,’ Eleni cocked an eyebrow.
‘Two wrongs don’t make a right, though, do they?’ said Julia, giving food for thought. They all sat quietly for a moment before Julia broke the silence. ‘And anyway surely Hamish doesn’t hold that much clout that he can go cancelling contractors. They need to earn a living too.’