Chapter Ten #2
‘I think you’re okay too.’ He smiled. ‘So what’s it to be? Are you up for that drink and wander along the beach sometime?’
‘Yes.’ Cat nodded. ‘Why not.’
Cat sat in front of her PC, checking through her electronic diary.
Monday morning and by now Em was well on her way to Norfolk.
Two weeks with her old friend Margaret and then back to begin her part-time work at the museum.
Adrian was delighted she was joining him and glad to have someone with so much local knowledge on board.
Cat hoped her great-aunt would use this as an opportunity to permanently break ties with Rosalind and her cronies.
Having finished checking her appointments for the week, she moved the cursor to Thursday and typed in an evening appointment: drink and beach walk with Luke.
Yes, a visit to The Smugglers followed by a walk along Carrenporth sands would be an absolutely perfect way to end the day.
Shutting all thoughts of Luke away, she focussed on getting the hotel’s best suite ready for a very special guest. Half French-half Italian, étienne Di Marco was one of Ruan’s oldest friends from his university days in the early eighties.
Both were about to graduate when étienne’s grandfather had a fatal heart attack.
He had already planned to stay with Ruan for the summer but with this upheaval in the family Ruan had expected him to be called back to his home on Lake Garda.
However, his father insisted he stay and enjoy his ‘last summer of freedom’; one which, according to Ruan, had been one of the most memorable summers of his life, involving surfing, beach barbeques and numerous house parties.
étienne’s eventual marriage to Isabella Baccari united two powerful hotel families.
Over the years he had kept in regular touch but although Ruan and Cassie holidayed with them on several occasions, he and Isabella only ever came to stay at Tarwin House twice.
Despite regular invitations, in the years that followed, Ruan reluctantly accepted his friend’s apologies, citing pressure of work and various other excuses.
But at last, her father appeared to have achieved the impossible, managing to persuade his old friend to travel to Cornwall to stay for a few weeks.
étienne, now Chief Executive of the Di Marco Casa d’Oro Hotel Group had lost his beloved Isabella to cancer only six months before.
Cat hated to think of him living his single existence at the family’s flagship hotel, the Fiore Del Lago in Desenzano on Lake Garda, spending his days surrounded by reminders of his dead wife.
Sadly, there had been no children, which meant he did not even have the comfort of sons or daughters to help him through his loss.
All the more important, she felt, that they make this, his first visit in well over ten years, extra special.
Later, with everything in place for his arrival, Cat waited with Ruan and Nathan just outside the main door of the hotel, watching the aging Bentley cruise smoothly down the driveway towards them.
It eventually eased to a gentle halt and Harry slipped from the driver’s seat, walking around to the rear door and swinging it open.
étienne stepped from the car. Tall, tanned and casually dressed in a dark blue jacket and light trousers, his warm brown eyes surveyed the little group assembled there to greet him and he smiled.
Although the thick glossy black hair she remembered from his last visit was now peppered with grey, he still remained a very handsome man.
She watched as he embraced Ruan and shook hands with Nathan, stopping for a brief chat, and then finally he stood in front of her.
‘Cat,’ he said, stepping forward and gently kissing both her cheeks, ‘so pleased to see you again after such a long time.’ He moved back to look at her. ‘My, you’ve grown. How old were you when I visited last?’
‘Fifteen, I think,’ she said, trying to remember the exact year. ‘It’s lovely to see you, étienne. I hope you enjoy your stay with us. I know Dad has been looking forward to it very much.’
‘Me too,’ he replied as Ruan, who had been instructing Harry on where to take the luggage, turned his attention back to them.
‘I’ve organised a special dinner this evening to celebrate your arrival,’ he said, looking at étienne, but directing the comment to all three of them. ‘Gareth and his family will also be joining us.’
This was news to Cat and she wondered if ‘family’ meant Luke had received an invitation.
If Evie Hunter had anything to do with it she doubted it very much.
Instead she’d be forced to suffer a few hours of Jordan, glowering across the table, annoyed at being dragged out to spend his precious time with the older generation when his busy social life dictated he should be somewhere else.
Spoilt boy Jordan; all his mother’s doing.
She knew the story well. A difficult birth followed by several weeks in the intensive care baby unit had seen an overprotective Evie Hunter immerse herself in the raising of Jordan to the exclusion of everyone else, including Gareth.
Twenty-two years on she still treated him like an over indulged twelve-year-old.
Cat was drawn away from her thoughts as she heard her father finalising times with étienne.
‘Seven thirty for eight in the bar, followed by dinner in the Tintagel Room.’ Ruan turned to look at them both. ‘Are you two happy with that, or shall I make it eight for eight thirty?’
‘Seven thirty for eight okay for you?’ Nathan looked at Cat, who nodded.
‘Great.’ Her father smiled and turned his attention to étienne. ‘Right, my old friend; let’s get you checked in, shall we?’
Luke had just returned from lunch. As he was locking his car he saw his uncle coming across the tarmac towards him.
‘Ah, just the person.’ He stopped in front of him, his smile indicating he was in a good mood. ‘Are you doing anything this evening?’
‘I don’t think so, why?’
‘Ruan’s holding a welcome dinner for étienne Di Marco.’
‘Who?’
‘An old friend who’s arrived from Italy for a few weeks. The three of us hung around together one summer back in the eighties. Ruan’s invitation was for family and I thought you might like to be included.’
Luke considered the offer for a moment. It meant sitting down with Evie and Jordan. But the bonus was he’d get to spend the evening with Cat. Yes, of course he’d accept.
‘What time?’
‘Seven thirty for eight. There’s a private dining room – The Tintagel Suite. If you can’t find us in the bar we’ll be there.’
‘Great.’ Better than his planned evening in The Smugglers with a plate of pasty and chips, he thought. ‘Dress code smart casual, I guess.’
‘Got it in one.’ Gareth slapped his shoulder affectionately. ‘See you later.’
Making his way back into the service area Luke walked into the mens’ cloakroom and opened his locker.
Securing his jacket and valuables he was about to leave when he heard voices outside the open window.
He immediately recognised one as Tony Marsh’s.
The other sounded like Jordan. Hearing his name mentioned he stopped to listen.
‘Luke and Cat?’ he heard Jordan say. ‘You’re not serious? Does Ruan know about this?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with Luke,’ Tony replied, obviously upset by Jordan’s tone. ‘He’s hard working and well liked at Arcadia. And he’s your cousin, his mother was a Hunter, unless you’ve forgotten. Why should Ruan Trevelyan object?’
‘Don’t get me started about his mother,’ Jordan said angrily.
‘She caused a lot of trouble in our family. I’m not getting into an argument with you over this, Tony.
All I’ll say is Ruan will just about tolerate a friendship between them.
But if it looks like developing into something else, well …
’ He left the sentence unfinished but Luke could imagine the consequences both for him and for Cat.
‘Cat might have something to say about that,’ he heard Tony’s gruff response.
‘Not where her father’s concerned. She would never disobey him.’
Luke turned away. Was Jordan telling the truth?
He’d always liked Ruan Trevelyan. A friendly easy-going sort and a good friend of his uncle’s.
He’d never had him down as part of the narrow-minded group of individuals in Carrenporth who thought he didn’t quite fit in.
Suddenly the whole idea of tonight’s meal left a sour taste in his mouth.
Did he really want to put himself through what might turn out to be an embarrassing and uncomfortable evening?
He shook off his concerns. Time to get back to work. He’d make a final decision later.
Spending her working days in a suit and off-duty hours mostly in an assortment of casual clothes, tonight’s dinner provided Cat with a great opportunity to dress up for the evening.
After sorting through her wardrobe she decided on cream linen pants and a loose, pale turquoise shirt.
Adding jet earrings and a matching choker, she finished with a spray of perfume then slipped into high-heeled sandals.