A Winter Affair

by Minna Howard

  ‘I’ve just seen Saskia in the village and she told me you spoke to Debra in no uncertain terms this morning and…’

  ‘Yes I did,’ she interrupted him, desperate to apologize, ‘and I‘m sorry, I know I should have left well alone, it’s none of my business after all. But we were alone together in the car and I couldn’t stop myself. I’m sorry if I’ve made things worse, it’s the last thing I meant to do.’ She sat up straighter, she’d confessed it now, admitted she was guilty and he must do his worst, though why was he still smiling at her?

  ‘But Eloise, you made her see sense. Showed her that Jacaranda means more to us than just being a business, a way of making money. I’ve just spoken to her… I felt I should, after what Saskia told me.’ He looked slightly contrite. ‘I was about to apologize for your speaking out, but she said she’d talked it over with Ken and perhaps she had been hasty. Poor woman, she told me she didn’t know what a happy family and happy memories were. She’s had some since she married, but making money’s been her saviour. She was afraid Jerry might have some sort of delayed reaction and not be able to work or would make costly mistakes to the businesses they have.’

  ‘She told me she is terrified of being back where she started with nothing,’ Eloise said now, remembering the anguish on Debra’s face. ‘But I made her cry. I made Debra cry. I must have hurt her dreadfully and I was so afraid she’d punish me by being even more determined to get some form of compensation.’ She struggled to believe Debra had changed her mind.

  ‘Well you did the opposite, we could say it is you who has saved Jacaranda.’ His smile sent a glow through her and yet still she waited for him to tell her that he was joining up with Aurelia and Jacaranda would be turned it into a hideous complex. ‘So aren’t you pleased? You don’t look it.’ He seemed disappointed.

  ‘Of course I am,’ she struggled to rally her spirits. ‘I can’t really believe it. I’ve stressed all day thinking you’d be upset with me, even send me packing.’

  ‘Oh, Eloise, how could you think that?’ he retorted. ‘I don’t think Theo, or Vera for that matter, would let me send you home. Theo says you’ve turned Jacaranda into a home, just like Maddy did.’

  And what do you think? she thought but did not say. ‘Oh, well… I’m glad,’ she said instead. ‘But you’ve got a new chef, a real one this time, coming out soon, so unless you keep me on as a kitchen maid,’ she hoped she sounded jokey, ‘I’ll be going home soon anyway.’

  He leant back in his chair watching her. ‘I meant to ask… but as you know, everything’s been so manic. Paddy who was coming to take over from you has been offered a far better position, something that he’d be mad to turn down if he wants to further his career. He’s given me the name of someone else, but I don’t know her and Theo insisted I ask you first, if you could stay on for a while longer. I’ll understand if you can’t do it, or don’t want to do it and have plans back home.’

  Had she heard him correctly? Was he really asking her to stay on?

  He got up and came over to her and took her hand. ‘Please say yes,’ he said softly

  There was a brief knock on the door and Theo came in, ‘The beeper is going on the oven,’ he said, ‘thought I ought to say in case it all burns.’

  Lawrence let go of her hand and Eloise stood up.

  ‘Thanks Theo, it means the oven is the right temperature to put in the meat.’

  Lawrence moved aside to let her go. She went past him to the open door, wondering what would have happened if they had not been disturbed. She’d be foolish, she scolded herself, if she thought his touch meant anything more than extreme gratitude. She’d no idea her words had made Debra think, understand that there were some things in life that could not be bought and yet were more precious than anything.

  ‘So, Eloise, before you go, can you stay on or must I contact this other person and tell her to come?’ Lawrence called after her.

  ‘You must stay.’ Theo stood aside to let her pass.

  ‘Yes, no… I don’t know. I’ll let you know after I’ve cooked the dinner,’ she said, running up the stairs to the kitchen, knowing that the meat could wait a while longer to be put in the oven. She was running away from the emotions Lawrence had stirred up in her.

  Thirty-Nine

  ‘I told you Eloise was a gold mine,’ Desmond said when Lawrence rang to tell him the conclusion of Debra and the suing saga. He wouldn’t have told him anything about it in the first place if his father had not contacted him to tell him he was delighted to receive a picture with an email from Eloise of the Christmas tree decorated with Maddy’s beautiful jewelled eggs, but hearing his father’s voice weakened his resolve to keep the news from him. He’d talk sense and understand his fears and Lawrence had needed to share them with someone, someone who knew and loved Jacaranda and would understand his agony. Theo was too young and inexperienced to really take on board the magnitude of Debra’s action and he was the centre of the whole drama. And though Quinn was a good sounding board, there was no better person than his father to offer advice.

  Desmond, having listened to the whole story, swore, saying what a pest Debra was and how he abhorred this modern fashion for threatening to take action over every mishap. He was highly relieved then when Lawrence telephoned him later to tell him Eloise had come to the rescue and persuaded Debra to drop the suit.

  ‘I think it’s time I visit the old place again,’ Desmond said, surprising him. ‘I hope Eloise will still be there. What about Easter, will there be room for me then?’

  ‘Of course, how marvellous, I never thought we’d lure you back,’ Lawrence said, ‘but I don’t know if Eloise will still be here then.’

  ‘Try and persuade her. She’s a great girl, she married a rotter.’ Desmond went on, ‘She was wasted on him, but the children are great kids, grown-up now, but at least she has them.’

  ‘Yes… she’s been marvellous,’ Lawrence said, trying to ignore the burst of desire he felt for her. It was as if he’d been floundering around in a sort of fog these past years, trying to make a success of Jacaranda, channelling his feelings into being charming to the people who came to stay even if they were rude and difficult, and somehow he’d lost sight of the finer feelings of romance and love. It shocked and to a smaller extent scared him as he admitted to himself that he’d fallen in love with Eloise. He’d desired other women and had women friends, some of whom were lovers, but he had not fallen in love for years, if ever really.

  Georgia, Theo’s mother, didn’t really count. Their flash of ‘love’ had not lasted, though he’d always care for her, not least for being the mother of his son. But he was being foolish, he could not be in love with Eloise, he was just grateful to her for making Jacaranda feel like a home again, producing meals that were imaginative and delicious and everyone seemed to enjoy, including him, and most important of all, she seemed to have saved Jacaranda and Theo, from Debra’s troublemaking.

  ‘I’ll turn up the week before Easter and stay a month or so, might even try to ski again if there’s still snow and the old legs will let me,’ Desmond laughed. ‘Hopefully I can enjoy Eloise’s cooking then.’

  ‘I’m not sure of her plans, Desmond, but it will be so good to see you back here, Theo will be thrilled… and so will all your friends, they’ve been asking after you,’ Lawrence said. He thought of Eloise. He had asked her if she would stay on, but she had not given him an answer. Perhaps she’d had enough of this cooking lark and, he had to admit, his often distant manner towards her, and indeed his anger with her over the whole Bert episode. Now it made him smile. He’d treated her the same way he had the other chefs. He was the boss; he paid them fairly, gave them enough time off and expected them to do their bit by producing great meals. They were not his best friend or indeed his lovers; it was solely a professional arrangement.

  This job had been thrust on her out of the blue just when she was recovering from her divorce and, he’d learnt later, her children leaving for their gap year, and yet she’d k
ept her feelings to herself and pitched in and done her job, so he’d hardly be surprised if now she wanted to get out of here, go home to her friends and family. What a fool he’d look if he told her he’d fallen in love with her. She might even think it was a ploy to make her stay, or worse see it as a form of ridicule. No he would keep these feelings to himself. If she left he’d soon get over her, there were other women here he liked, he just hadn’t made much effort lately in the love department.

  But he still had business to attend to first; he had to confront Aurelia. He’d been so worried about the expense of a possible lawsuit that he had succumbed to her badgering him about how together they could turn Jacaranda into a money-spinner. He had agreed to meet her in Martigny, ‘out of the way of prying eyes’, as she’d put it. He’d never been asked to her home, barely knew where it was, but she wanted to show him the plans she had drawn up to turn Jacaranda into a profitable business for both of them.

  ‘You won’t have any more chefs running off and all the rest of it,’ she’d said. ‘We’ll have my food, make it on the premises so it will save time and money, and always be good quality,’ she finished, leaving him feeling things were running away too fast, although he knew there weren’t many options left if Debra went ahead with the case.

  Aurelia could put money in straight away to refurbish Jacaranda and employ an architect she knew – who would charge her ‘mate’s rates’ – to design further buildings in the garden to rent out. Although he’d agreed to see her plans, he made it clear that he was just going to look at them; he was making no decisions until he saw how Debra’s threat played out.

  When he saw her plans he didn’t like them. There was too much involved and most of her ideas would take away Jacaranda’s unique feeling of being in its own space, surrounded by the majesty and beauty of the mountains. He tried to explain that he didn’t want to crowd out the place with other buildings. However well designed, they would cut off the view and, to some extent, the light.

  ‘Get real, Lawrence, we’re talking making proper money here, not limping along bringing in just enough so you and Theo can stay in your family chalet. In the far-off days when your father lived there money was money and went a long way. Today is different and you need to make Jacaranda pay for itself, earn its place in that agency,’ she’d protested and he’d kept quiet, determined to try and find other ways to keep the chalet. Aurelia was too bossy and too controlling for him to become involved with.

  Even with the fear of Debra suing him, he reasoned to himself that if they didn’t spend a fortune splashing out on all these extra rooms and buildings, they might be able to limp on. True, he wanted enough money to live comfortably, but he could do without the expensive trappings of wealth. This week with Debra and her family had shown him the downside of being mega-rich, the sense of entitlement, the fear of losing it and the loneliness of not trusting the motives of people offering friendship.

  But now, thanks to Eloise, Debra was not suing them, Theo’s dreams of becoming a ski instructor and guide were safe, and although money was still going to be tight, he no longer had to consider other ways to make Jacaranda pay and he could turn down Aurelia’s offer to go in with him.

  He must now confront her, tell her that though interested in seeing her ideas for Jacaranda – ideas he’d since discovered she’d been working on for some time, hoping to muscle in and use his chalet and the land around it to team up with her expensive takeaways and charge a fortune for it – he would not be taking up her offer to go into business.

  Jacaranda being one of the oldest and most charming chalets around still needed to make a profit and he must think up more ways to make it happen, look into Quinn’s suggestion of holding art classes and such. But now there was no fear of trying to turn Jacaranda into something it was not, a brand new, soulless building full of all the mod cons the very rich demanded. Jacaranda would sell itself to those who cared for warmth, good memories and a home from home.

  Eloise had saved him from a damaging lawsuit. He must now put things right and hope that she would stay.

  Forty

  They were all looking at something on the table in the kitchen when Eloise came in after they had finished breakfast.

  Theo turned to her, ‘Come and see what Radley has done for us.’

  ‘It’s very atmospheric, a wonderful photograph.’ Lawrence smiled at her.

  Radley was looking rather pink and pleased with himself and Pippa was cuddling close to him.

  They moved away to let Eloise in and she was surprised to see a beautiful photograph of Jacaranda caught just as the sun was setting, painting it in gold. Underneath was a short article.

  Jacaranda sits like a benevolent uncle on the side of the mountain… it began, going on to describe it as a magical place, a place it was a joy to stay in.

  ‘This is beautiful, describes it exactly,’ she said, turning to him, surprised that such artistic talent was hidden in his shy character. It touched her that he had caught the chalet’s unique atmosphere so well. She wondered if Debra had seen it, and if she’d think it too sentimental.

  ‘He’s brilliant at writing,’ Pippa said proudly, ‘it’s just a pity Debra doesn’t think it a good profession.’

  ‘Now you’ve bought that publishing firm you can write all you want, and this is lovely, thank you so much, Radley.’ Lawrence beamed at him, making him go even pinker with embarrassed pride.

  The moment was broken by Debra and Ken appearing in the hall and calling for Radley. He hurriedly snatched up the picture and pushed it at Pippa, who put it back into a large envelope while he went out to them.

  Eloise was dreading seeing Debra, fearful of her reaction after she’d reduced her to tears, but she had to apologize for upsetting her. She was not to know of her difficult childhood and that she had inadvertently hit on a painful nerve. She’d acted out of panic, though, she reminded herself it had worked and Jacaranda was saved… for the moment anyway.

  But what if she’d inadvertently saved it for Aurelia? The fate of Jacaranda was nothing to do with her, she reminded herself, she must accept that and move on.

  This she said to Vera when they were left alone together in the kitchen. ‘I feel dreadful that I made her cry,’ she finished.

  ‘Good to cry,’ Vera said. ‘But it must make you strong, make the changes you need to be happy.’

  ‘But I must say something to her, apologize for upsetting her,’ Eloise said. ‘I didn’t think, I just said what I wanted to say, I could have it made it worse. I mean, I’m only the cook.’

  ‘So? You are allowed opinions,’ Vera said scornfully. ‘You did nothing wrong, just told her she could lose Lawrence Jacaranda and ruin Theo’s life. It wouldn’t matter to her, she’d go home and forget, and he loses everything. Rich people should do good with money not bad things.’ She mopped up a small dribble of coffee with a vengeance. ‘Oh… do you know that Desmond is coming for a visit?’ Vera went on. ‘So good he is coming back. Will you be here to see him?’

  ‘Oh, I didn’t know, Lawrence never said.’ She was surprised he hadn’t told her his father was making a visit. Desmond hadn’t been here for years, and she understood he’d put off coming here because he couldn’t bear to think of Jacaranda without his beloved Maddy. But was she going to stay? The thought had plagued her all night. She loved it here, felt at home, complete again. It was a long time until the summer, when she was going to New Zealand to see her parents and meet up with the twins. Lawrence needed to know as soon as possible as he had another chef waiting to know if she were needed, so she must make her decision today.

  It was Lawrence she wanted to be with, the thought nudged annoyingly into her mind. She had known her feelings for him for some time, though she had blocked them, warning herself that theirs was purely a professional relationship, and yet had he not held her, kissed the top of her head? But no that was foolish; she was not going to put herself in danger of being hurt again or build up some mad scenario of him being attracted to
her, even caring for her in a romantic way.

  There was so much else here to make her happy though – Theo, Bert, Vera and Saskia and the mountains and the snow, so why not stay on? Her job in London could be kept on hold for a while longer. There was no one back home waiting for her, and the weather would be so grey and cold. A damp sort of cold that ate into your bones, not exhilarating and beautiful like here in the mountains – and skiing, there was no skiing in London.

  ‘I’m not sure, I have things at home,’ she said lamely to Vera. After thinking it over Lawrence might decide he’d do better to employ this other chef and send her home. ‘When is Desmond coming though, I would love to see him.’

  ‘Easter, though we are full at Easter – he will have to go in Lawrence’s room and Lawrence will have to go elsewhere.’ Her dark eyes flickered towards Eloise and away and she felt herself blush, which was foolish indeed. She must put a stop to this nonsense, it would be best to go home, sort out the new house, get back to her job and her life and friends back home. She would tell him that when she saw him.

  Later, between mouthfuls of cereal, Theo thanked Eloise for saving him and Jacaranda. ‘Dad said you made Debra see sense,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t know if that is strictly true, I was afraid I said too much,’ Eloise said.

  Theo shrugged, ‘Thanks anyway.’

  He told her he was going to spend the rest of the day skiing with friends – his father had given him the day off but he would have to leave Bert behind. ‘Sorry Bert,’ he bent and patted him, ‘but it’s too far for you today.’

  ‘I’ll take him for a walk later,’ Eloise said, having decided to spend the day around the chalet as a sort of farewell before she left.

  ‘If you’re sure, thanks,’ Theo said. ‘Tomorrow this lot are leaving, so I’ve got to take them to the airport.’ He paused a moment before saying, ‘I don’t know if Jerry and Gaby are still around.’