Chapter Two
Cat arrived just after two thirty, determined to make Em see how foolish she had been and alert her to the wedge she had driven between Ruan and herself. But her great-aunt was having none of it.
‘I can’t understand why you invited them up there in the first place,’ she scolded, ‘you must have known what would happen.’
‘I invited them for coffee. No harm in that, is there?’ Em, only five feet two but nevertheless a bit of a tiger when roused, snapped back.
‘Em, the top floor is our private family home.’
‘And my home too,’ she reminded Cat as she brushed a stray tendril of her short grey bob back from her face with one neatly-polished finger.
‘Of course it is, but it’s not a place for strangers.’
‘What do you mean, strangers?’ Em challenged. ‘They’re my friends.’
‘Friends who think it’s okay to wander into someone’s bedroom and snoop.’
‘Rosalind asked to go to the bathroom. What was I supposed to do?’
‘Keep an eye on her. You know what a nosy old baggage she is. And she had no right to bombard Dad with her spiteful opinions.’
‘She had a point though. Ruan should never have married Cassie Blakely. Big mistake.’ She waved a finger at Cat.
‘She wasn’t one of us. She was an outcomer.
If Ruan hadn’t got swept away by her pretty face and her fancy interior designer job, history might have been different.
But Gerren was too soft; he threw tradition out of the window.
Let Ruan do exactly as he pleased. And look where it got him …
a widower after only six years of marriage.
Not exactly decent breeding stock, was she? ’
‘Aunt Em that is an awful way to talk about my mother.’ Cat glared at the small woman standing in front of her, smartly dressed, immaculately groomed and looking totally unrepentant. How could she possibly defend whatever Rosalind had said?
‘I dare because it’s a fact,’ Em declared with a casual shrug, which said as far as she was concerned there wasn’t a problem.
‘I can see there is no point trying to talk to you,’ Cat retorted outraged at Em’s attitude. ‘It’s clear to me you’re someone who puts strangers before their own family.’
‘So what if I do?’ Her great-aunt bristled. ‘None of you have any time for me. You’re all so busy with your jobs and now Jenna has gone …’
‘Yes I know,’ Cat’s tone softened, ‘you miss her very much. But why oh why get involved with someone like Rosalind Myers and her friends, Aunt Em? You do know you’re being used, don’t you?’
‘I am not!’ Em gave an indignant pout.
‘Of course you are. I’ve seen the meal tabs from the dining room and the lounge. Lunch, drinks, afternoon teas all charged against the hotel’s hospitality account.’
‘Well why shouldn’t I entertain my friends?’ She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘It’s as much my place as the rest of the family’s.’
‘Wrong. Caer Gwyn belongs to you. The hotel is Dad’s and I don’t think it’s fair he finances your little gaggle of freeloaders.’
‘I can do without your opinions, thank you!’ Em spluttered. ‘You’re merely a child. What do you know of anything? Gerren still owns the hotel so, as his sister, I have every right to do as I please.’
Cat folded her arms and smiled. ‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Granddad signed everything over to Dad just before he left for France. So I think my father has been incredibly tolerant picking up the tab for you and your friends all this time, don’t you?’
‘Signed it over? No, that can’t be right.’ Em shook her head. ‘I’d have known. Gerren would have told me.’
‘Why would he? It wasn’t any of your business.
And I’ll tell you something, I think Dad has been amazing.
He realised you were lonely here once Jenna had gone and he invited you to come and stay with us.
So you could be part of the family. But what did you do?
You abused his kindness by inviting those three ghastly women in to nose about. ’
‘I didn’t invite them,’ Em blurted out, ‘Rosalind wanted to see—’
‘Ah, so now we’re getting to the bottom of it all. I might have known. That bloody awful woman—’
‘Catriona Trevelyan, will you please not swear in front of me!’
‘I’m sorry,’ Cat said, feeling duly reprimanded, ‘but arriving home to this has made me angry. You need to ditch them and sooner rather than later, Aunt Em. Because all they will cause you in the end is trouble.’
‘I certainly will not. I don’t tell you who you can and can’t be friends with. Look at your so-called friend, Jodie Penwarne, with her peculiar clothes and blue streaks in her hair. What sort of person is she?’
‘A clever one, who runs a business and employs local people. Not someone who spends their life harvesting gossip,’ Cat threw back at her.
Jodie might not be the most conventional of people but they had been friends ever since childhood and she had great admiration for the knitwear business she had built from nothing.
‘You’re wasting your time here.’ Em waved a dismissive hand, rousing Cat from her thoughts. ‘I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say. I may be banished to this place but your father will not stop me using the hotel. The public rooms are for use by any paying guest,’ she added defiantly.
‘Paying guest? So you’ll be covering the bills in future, will you?’ Cat looked at her curiously. ‘Because I don’t think those so-called friends are planning on opening their purses any time soon, do you?’
‘I’d like you to leave.’ Pursing her lips, Emelia marched over to the door and pulled it open. ‘I think I’ve heard enough.’
‘Fine. If that’s how you feel.’
‘I do.’ Em’s childish pout surfaced again, accompanied by a reprimanding wave of her finger. ‘I will not be dictated to by a juvenile. I choose my own friends. I like them. They make me happy.’
Cat blew out an angry breath. This was a serious waste of time.
Her initial assessment had been right; any friends were better than none at all.
She only hoped Em didn’t live to regret her words.
Frustrated at not being able to make any headway, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Striding back across the causeway she cursed under her breath.
Had there ever been anyone as difficult as Emelia Trevelyan, she wondered?
A woman whose heart had turned to stone after her fiancé abandoned her for someone else.
And yet there were times during their conversation she had sensed discomfort, as if some of her arguments had penetrated Em’s hard, uncompromising shell.
She hoped so because she hated the thought of Em living here with Hamish, her West Highland terrier and Marion, her housekeeper as her only companions.
Ruan was soft-hearted and if circumstances changed she knew he would lift the ban.
But it would only happen if and when she cut her ties with Rosalind and her little gang.
And currently it looked as if they were in for a long wait.
By the end of her first week back Cat felt as if she had never been away.
Siobhan Pendennis, the young, enthusiastic brunette seconded from reception to cover her job during her absence in France, had carried out a thorough handover of all the current projects.
Their morning together had seen Cat brought up to speed on every single event on her wall planner, leaving Siobhan free to disappear on extended leave until September, backpacking around the Far East with her current significant other.
As she finished her call to Jodie, having arranged to meet for coffee tomorrow morning at The Copper Kettle in Carrenporth’s small High Street, she noticed the Bentley pull up outside the main doors of the hotel.
She stopped for a moment to watch as Harry hobbled around to open the passenger and rear doors.
Emelia and her three companions stepped out laughing and chattering like a small group of aged magpies.
‘Take the shopping back to the house, Harry,’ Cat heard Aunt Em say with a carefree wave of her hand, ‘and call back for us in two hours.’ Harry nodded and they left him.
With Em at the front, they marched towards the front door like a determined gang of elderly storm troopers.
Obviously, Harry had let slip about Ruan being in Falmouth this morning and crafty Em had decided to use his absence as an opportunity to challenge his ban.
Watching their approach with interest, Cat knew they were going to be in for a bit of a surprise.
Anton, the ma?tre d’, greeted Em as they reached the restaurant area.
With a smile, Em informed him they had come for lunch and wanted their usual window table.
Anton acknowledged the request with a polite nod but regretted he could not assist on account of her being banned from the restaurant on Ruan’s orders.
‘Well, he’s not here, is he?’ Standing in the doorway of her office, Cat watched her square her shoulders, full of indignation as she prepared to argue, the three women grouped behind her to add support, Rosalind giving her a sly nudge.
Em decided to change tactics. With a benevolent smile she leaned towards Anton and whispered, ‘Oh come on, please, let us in.’
Anton shook his head and politely refused her request. As the small group flexed aging muscles and attempted to push him out of the way, Nathan materialised and walked over to join them.
‘Good afternoon, Aunt Em.’ He smiled at her graciously, deliberately snubbing the other three. ‘What appears to be the problem?’
‘Ah, Nathan, just the person. You’ll be able to sort this out, I’m sure. I brought my friends here for lunch as usual and Anton tells me I’m banned.’ She smiled up at him innocently. ‘Now that can’t be right, can it?’
‘No it can’t.’ Rosalind stepped forward to join Em, chins wobbling indignantly as she joined the protest. ‘We always eat here on Tuesdays.’
Ignoring Rosalind, Nathan imparted the bad news. ‘Sadly, it is Aunt Em, I’m afraid.’
‘But I’m a Trevelyan.’ She bristled indignantly. ‘This is the family’s hotel. My family’s hotel.’
‘I know,’ Nathan acknowledged politely, ‘and far be it from me to prevent you enjoying something from the hotel restaurant. You just can’t eat it in there.’
‘How preposterous!’ Em pulled herself up to her full height. ‘Where are we supposed to eat then? On our laps in the car park?’ This brought a titter from the other three.
‘No. Caer Gwyn. You can choose your courses here by all means,’ he said, presenting them with one of the menus Anton had retrieved from the dining room.
‘We can take your order and the food will be prepared. Harry will collect and Marion will serve, leaving you to enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. Dad’s set up an account for you and you’ll be billed at the end of each month. ’
‘What?’ she snorted indignantly. ‘Your father’s behaviour is disgraceful. And so is yours, young man. Do you hear me? Disgraceful!’
‘Disgraceful,’ the three echoed.
Cat thought from the pitch of Em’s voice that most of the dining room must have heard the altercation but both Nathan and Anton stood their ground.
With a last ferocious glare at both of them she turned away, the trio trailing behind her, and settled herself in one of the small side lounges.
They sat for a while, heads together, muttering.
After a few moments Rosalind looked up and, catching sight of one of the waiters, beckoned him over.
‘Looks as if Rosalind’s decided to try her luck,’ Cat whispered as she joined Nathan. ‘Damned cheek! I knew she was behind all this. She’s manipulating Em, the old witch.’
‘Don’t worry,’ he reassured her with a smile, ‘every member of staff has been briefed. None of them will be eating or drinking anything in this hotel for the foreseeable future.’
Cat continued to watch as the young waiter apologised before beginning to clear away empty glasses from a nearby table. In a heartbeat, Emelia was back beside Nathan, the menus in her hand.
‘On second thoughts,’ she said, slapping them at his chest, ‘I don’t think we’ll bother. Come, ladies, we’ll have lunch at The Copper Kettle instead; my treat.’ Calling her small group together they trooped out of the hotel.
‘Nathan one: Emelia nil.’ Cat grinned, delighted he’d managed to get rid of her.
‘It’s merely one battle,’ he acknowledged with a shrug as they both walked to the main door to watch their unwanted visitors leave. ‘She’s not going to go away in a hurry. You’d better believe she’s at war with us. There will be more of this and we’re going to have to get used to it.’
‘I can’t believe she’s unable to see those awful women for what they are. Rosalind definitely egged her on.’
‘Yes, she’s a bossy old witch. She’s had a few things to say about Ship2Shore, too. She wasn’t at all happy when we opened. Gave me a lecture on what a bad influence the place would be on young people’s morals.’ He shook his head. ‘Sadly, the woman’s got nothing better to do with her time.’
Ship2Shore had been Nathan’s baby: a club in the hotel’s basement, which he’d set up three years ago.
He appeared to have inherited their mother’s creative flair, taking charge of the project with ease, using the empty cellars under the hotel to create his nautical themed nightspot.
The club had been a runaway success, a new, much sought after venue for the north Cornish coast. He’d sourced a great local DJ and there was a regular Saturday slot for live bands.
Yes, Cat thought, she could well imagine Rosalind’s indignation.
Heaven forbid people should be allowed to enjoy themselves.
As they both watched Harry pull up outside and the small gaggle of women climb into the Bentley, a large four by four arrived and slipped into one of the vacant parking spaces.
‘Ah, looks like my twelve thirty,’ Cat said, watching as a red-headed woman in her forties emerged from the driver’s side and slid a soft leather tote over her shoulder.
‘What’s the occasion?’
‘Daughter’s eighteenth birthday party. See you later.’ With a casual wave to her brother, Cat walked out into the sunshine to greet her client.