suitably impressed and Cara couldn’t help adding, ‘The “harvest” is pathetic, TBH. We get probably one meal a year from it. Doesn’t stop us swaggering around for half an hour, convinced we’re self-sufficient. It’s a good feeling while it lasts.’
Patience and Henry seemed entertained.
‘What I really love,’ she said, ‘and I’m not just saying it, is anything to do with hotels. Documentaries, podcasts, anything! I’m obsessed. To be honest, my perfect job would be an undercover hotel inspector.’
‘Oh, my God!’ Henry almost groaned, and both he and Cara began laughing.
‘And music’s important to me,’ she said. ‘Prince, En Vogue, people I loved when I was a teenager. Then I like Drake, Beyoncé, the Killers … Just pop, nothing too obscure, I’m not a muso, just … normal stuff. My nephew Ferdia keeps me current.’
‘What else can you tell us?’
‘I’ve two best friends, Gabby and Erin. Seeing them makes me happy. Quick drink, night out, whatever.’
Especially a night out. They were rare, these days, but when they happened, the trio tended to revert to their twenties and get very drunk. If the night didn’t end with one of them removing her too-high shoes and hailing a taxi in her bare feet, they wondered where they’d gone wrong. The last time, Erin had said, ‘No more tequila for us. It’s obviously not strong enough.’
‘But my sons, my husband, the dog,’ Cara said hastily, ‘they’re the most important things in my life.’
‘Exercise?’ Raoul asked.
‘Ah, you know.’ Might as well be honest. ‘I’m always “just getting back on the horse”. Recommitting to Zumba, or yoga or whatever. I go a bit mad and do, like, five classes in the first week and then hit a wall. But I walk Baxter! Only round the block, but I do it twice a day.’
‘It all adds up.’ Henry’s eyes were twinkling.
‘That’s what I tell myself.’ She twinkled back at him. He was nice.
‘TV?’ Patience asked. ‘Boxsets?’
‘God, yes. I’m literally at my happiest, lying on my couch, watching Peaky Blinders with my husband.’ Briefly she’d forgotten that this was a job interview.
‘Obnoxious people?’ Henry asked. ‘In this line of work you must meet more than your share? How do you feel?’
‘If they’ve a reason and I sort out their issue, I feel good.’
‘And those who don’t have a reason?’
‘I’m even nicer to them. They hate it.’ Noooo!
But the three of them laughed, she’d got the job, and two years later, she was promoted to head receptionist.
SEVENTEEN
The sun was bright in the sky on Easter Sunday morning. Looking out of her bedroom window, Nell noticed several men, hotel employees, parading almost ceremoniously along the central path of the hotel grounds. Each carried a large wicker basket. At what looked like an agreed point, they separated and fanned out across the grass, and as Nell watched, they began scooping little oval objects from the baskets and strewing them under hedges and among the flowerbeds.
‘Liam!’ Nell nearly burst with excitement. ‘It’s the men, the Easter-egg men! Come look!’
‘You’re so cute.’
‘But look! It’s magical.’
‘I’ve seen it before.’
‘So jaaaaded.’ She laughed, then noticed the time. ‘Liam, get up! We’ve to go down now.’
‘You go, babes. I feel, you know, I’m missing my girls …’
‘But,’ Nell said gently, ‘Jessie will go bananas.’
‘I’ll text her, she’ll understand. Anyway, all of that stuff last night was just because she wants Ferdia there.’
‘You don’t mind if I go?’
‘No. But leave some of the chocolate for the rest of them.’
That wasn’t funny, but he was upset, so she let it go. ‘Back in a while.’
When the lift doors opened onto the lobby, the racket from dozens of overexcited children hit her. Two unruly queues, one for the sevens-and-under, the other for over-sevens, snaked back from the doors that led to the grounds. Staff members distributed plastic buckets.
At the front of the smallies’ queue, Jessie stood with Dilly. They were both ramrod straight, as if marshalling their energy for the task ahead. In the other queue she spotted Cara and Ed with their boys. There was Johnny with TJ. Further back were Saoirse, Barty and Bridey. No sign of Ferdia.
When she tried to push her way up to Jessie and Dilly, an apologetic staff member stopped her. ‘Like a tinderbox here,’ he said. ‘Some of them have been waiting more than an hour. Any queue-jumping could trigger a riot.’
Nell laughed. ‘Grand.’ This was gas.
‘Soon as the doors open, you can follow them out,’ the man said. ‘You’ll catch up with your family in no time.’