Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,78

the tedium of bookkeeping and accounting. I’m hoping that we can persuade a couple of them at least to consider the services that we are able to offer, and if we can sign them up, who knows where it will lead? It should be a win-win for everyone – we get new clients who in turn may bring us more business and, for a small fee, they get peace of mind that all of their accounting, bookkeeping and tax records are completely up to date. Some will of course already have arrangements in place and some will carry out their own work; we are aiming for those who are somewhere in the middle and are looking for a one-stop shop. There’s also no harm in talking to those with existing arrangements, as we may be able to offer them a more competitive deal. I am really hoping that this will be a gold mine for Andrews & Andrews. And the beauty of the modern world now is that it doesn’t matter if we are not in the same town or even the same country as our client – everything can be done online and via e-mail so there are no geographical boundaries at all.”

Vaughn was alive with enthusiasm as he talked and Elise found herself getting swept away with it too. She really hoped that she could get at least one positive lead out of the conference; she desperately wanted to prove to Cole that his faith in her was not misplaced and a growing part of her really needed to please this beautiful man sitting beside her as well.

Arriving at the hotel, Elise was surprised to find that it had formerly been a large country house which had been converted into the hotel that it now was. She had expected a more generic box-type modern hotel and was immediately taken with the charm of the place.

The house was old, probably Georgian from the look of the construction, and had modern extensions to both sides. From what she could see there were also several adjacent blocks, likely bedrooms, but they had been built sympathetically and co-ordinated with the original construction perfectly. The grounds appeared to stretch for miles as did the entrance driveway which was screened by large conifers and trees on both sides. The overall effect was real country elegance and, up until today, Elise had had no idea that places like this even existed.

The plaque adorning the wall as they entered the main reception hall dictated that it was a five star hotel and as they stepped inside, she could see why. Everywhere she looked, there were members of staff, immaculately dressed and uniformed. Porters appeared out of nowhere to take their bags and they were personally escorted to an office which had been set aside for their use.

In the middle of the office was a large boardroom table with a dozen comfy chairs around it. On the centre of the table stood a tall cafetiere, silver teapot, milk and creamer jugs, sugar bowl and a plate of what looked to be freshly baked biscuits. There were also several bowls with various mints and sweets in them. Like a kid in a candy shop, Elise pounced on all of the items with wide-eyed enthusiasm.

“Do you think we have to pay for these, Vaughn? The biscuits look delicious and I’m starving!”

Vaughn laughed, “No Elise, you don’t have to pay for them - it’s part of the service. Have you really never been to anywhere like this before?”

“No – I’ve been in a couple of roadside travel hotels but that’s the extent of my experience. I never knew you could get places that were this luxurious.”

“Where have you been for the previous conferences then?” he asked.

“Well, usually they only last a day so we don’t get to see much of the hotel apart from the main training room and most of those look the same. I’ve never been anywhere with homemade biscuits before. Usually you just get those packets of cheap and cheerful ones that everyone tries to cram into their pockets to take home.”

“And you don’t?” he asked sardonically.

“Well.....I might have taken the odd one for the journey home...”she admitted reluctantly and then burst out laughing. “God, that makes me a thief, doesn’t it?”

“You and every other million or so people that attend these things. I think you’re fairly safe from arrest on this occasion.”

“Phew – that’s a relief. Although maybe a short jail sentence wouldn’t be so bad.”