Chapter Thirty-Four
Paddy filled the kettle and then waited for the others to arrive. Yesterday, had been dreadful. She hadn’t been expecting to see Hal but felt she had managed her emotions perfectly. Today was going to be a more thorough investigation of the concept and thankfully she wouldn’t be alone. Michelle was due any minute and Paddy knew things were going to go well with her in the business. Like Paddy, she was determined it wasn’t going to be a corporate getaway or some sort of institutional halfway house. Paddy wanted this to be a country home experience. She wanted people to feel as though they were staying with friends. That they could wander into the kitchen and flick the kettle on. Not stuck in their bedrooms or sat stiffly in an intimidating and uncomfortable sitting room. This was a place to properly relax, not feel out of place.
She remembered staying in a Devon hotel once for a photoshoot. She was suffering from terrible jet-lag and had woken up at four am and restless. Strolling around the large country house, she had stumbled across the night porter, preparing the morning papers and both had jumped. He had dismissed her apologies with a flourish and the two of them headed to the kitchens for a coffee and a bowl of porridge. In the silence of the house he had entertained her with tales of the original family and local folklore. In turn she helped him set out the papers, aware she had certainly disturbed his routine. He should not suffer for his kindness to her. Paddy didn’t think for a second his employers would chide him, but she knew his sort. He was proud and rightly so, it was his job to ensure that when people woke up everything was in place and that every resident had slept well. Unaware of all his actions throughout the night.
She wanted people staying in Kensey to have the same sense of care and attention. Whoever they were. In the future, she had plans to develop the outbuildings into further accommodation or work units. Paddy had suggested working weekends where people came to learn a skill: painting, gardening, bookbinding. For that idea to work they would need work rooms. But that was several years in the future. For now Kensey’s main function would be to provide rest and relaxation.
The doorbell rang and Michelle welcomed Hal and an older lady, who he had introduced as Andrea, his charity consultant. Andrea informed her she had a lot of experience in the social work field as well as charities. As she did so, Paddy had a feeling that Andrea was about to inform her of a lot of other things as well.
‘I’m here to make sure things don’t go off half-cocked in rampant overenthusiasm.’ She had a tight smile which reminded Paddy of Professor Umbridge and she instantly found her cooling away from the woman. Her little introductory speech also seemed to catch Hal on the hop, as he tried to soften her statement with how grateful he was for all the help and support his new charity was garnering.
Heading into the dining room they all sat down, and Paddy began to outline her vision for Kensey House starting as a simple country house and later to a shared venue for course and corporate bookings. Between these bookings there would be the facility to offer a range of weeks to deserving cases. Either on an individual basis or via a charitable organisation such as ‘City and Sea’.
Hal smiled at Paddy; he thought it sounded like a wonderful development for an under-used property. He was about to thank her for her opening comments when Andrea jumped in.
‘What compliance steps have you undertaken?’ She looked around the large dining room with an air that suggested that nothing she could see was currently compliant with much of anything that she considered suitable.
‘Well, our first priority is to make sure this functions as a country house hotel and home?’
‘Exactly,’ Andrea pounced in. ‘Your first priorities are not the same as ours. That’s why we have to ensure any facility the charity is connected with meets our standards. We have to do this on behalf of those who aren’t in a position to check for themselves.’
It all sounded good but there was just something about the way she said it. Paddy rushed to reassure her. ‘Obviously, we have everyone’s safety and wellbeing as our highest goal.’
‘Excuse me for saying so, but there’s nothing obvious about it at all.’ Andrea underlined something that she had scribbled in her notepad and continued, ‘You’d be surprised by how often people are in the charity business to either make money, hide money or move it about. They have no actual care for the charitable cause itself.’
‘Oh, what sad experiences for you.’ Paddy tried to be a bit more charitable herself. ‘But obviously we need to make money to be able to help charitable causes. This is why our first focus will be corporate events, so that we can then offer a few rooms free of charge to a charity or an individual.’
Andrea jumped in. ‘And when you say free of charge? Just how free is it? Reduced rates, word of mouth advertising, requirements that the charity uses the venue for other paid functions, AGMs or the like?’
‘Laundry and electrics.’
Andrea floundered. ‘What?’
‘I would ask the charity to cover the cost of laundry and electrics. We would provide the staff, food and the accommodation.’
‘And any other facilities you had? Those stand-up paddle board lessons you were talking about and the like, would they be free of charge or would they only be available to paying guests?’
Michelle jumped in, aware her young boss was getting increasingly flustered. ‘Additional services would be on a case-by-case basis. We would need to ensure all proper insurances and liabilities were in place. For an individual we would probably cover that cost; for a larger booking we would discuss this with the charity. As far as our guests are concerned, they will see no differentiation in service.’
Andrea seemed mollified by the bureaucratic language. The meeting went back and forth. Every time Paddy thought they had resolved an issue, a new concern was raised. She was beginning to wonder what she was even doing. This was ridiculous, she was clearly out of her depth and woefully underqualified to attempt such a scheme. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t the clever one in the family, she couldn’t run meetings, this wasn’t her, what was she thinking?
‘Shall we break for lunch?’ Hal’s voice interrupted her inner despondency and she gratefully jumped at the suggestion. She found sitting upright for too long had started to become uncomfortable she preferred to move around as much as she could.
‘Good idea. I’ve reserved a table for us down at the Fox and Fish. I’ll drive down.’
‘How far is it?’ asked Andrea.
‘Just down the hill but it’s a bit of a struggle heading back up.’
‘I’ll walk then,’ pronounced Andrea. ‘I don’t believe in unnecessary car journeys.’
Hal inwardly groaned. He had only met Andrea the day before and he was already regretting his decision to employ her as a consultant. She had almost no social skills. ‘Right, well I shall join you. We can discuss some of the topics raised on the way down.’ Turning to Paddy and Michelle he made his excuses. ‘Ladies, we’ll see you down there. Lady Patricia can’t be expected to walk back uphill after sitting still for so long.’
Andrea looked Paddy up and down and then dismissed her. ‘Dodgy back, hey? Exercise is best for that.’
‘Lady Patricia is six months pregnant,’ said Hal, ‘I think the hill would be most uncomfortable for her.’
Andrea looked at Paddy sitting in her loose blouse, and for a moment Paddy thought she was actually going to ask her to prove it. When Hal had spoken, Paddy felt a rush of warmth, just the idea that he was concerned about her made her feel safe. Fortified by his comment she got to her feet, and smiled at Andrea, suggesting they headed off now before it got too busy down at the beach.
***
As Paddy pulled out of the drive she turned to Michelle and asked her if she was wasting her time.
‘What? Because of what that interfering jumped-up do-gooder said? I could have swung for her. Jesus, if you’d said we were going to give everyone a free unicorn she’d have asked for a risk assessment on the horn.’
Paddy laughed.
‘So you don’t think this is going to be a miserable failure?’
‘It’s my job on the line, so no. It’s not going to be a miserable failure. As if.’ She flung her arms up. ‘Honestly, I’ve lots of experience in running country house hotels and if, from time to time, a few of our guests are a little less affluent than we are used to, it’s hardly going to be a problem. Honestly, the way she was going on you’d think this was Broadmoor by the Sea.’
Paddy grinned in relief. ‘Thanks for that. I think what was beginning to make me angry was her assumption that poverty made people either dangerous or stupid. I think I’m probably just hungry. Again. Do you know, recently, I’ve been craving chips dunked in strawberry yogurt?’
Laughing, they walked into the busy pub. Paul greeted them warmly and made Paddy a Virgin Mary. Since meeting Hal’s stepmother, this was another constant craving. She and Michelle took their drinks and made their way to the table, and just when they decided that the others must have got lost, Hal and Andrea came in. Hal’s brow was furrowed but he said nothing as he sat down. They made small talk as their order was taken. It was August and the pub was jumping. The beach was packed and Paddy could see some of the overcrowding issues first-hand. She was very grateful Paul had reserved her a space in the car park.
Looking up from her salad Andrea pointed her fork at Paddy. ‘You do have planning permission for this, don’t you?’
Paddy and Michelle looked at each other in concern. ‘Yes. Of course. A proper application went in; the villagers were consulted. No objections were raised and change of use was granted.’
‘Ah good,’ Andrea continued to talk whilst eating, only occasionally covering her mouth, ‘only I asked a few of the residents and they didn’t know what I was talking about.’
‘Now, that’s not quite right,’ said Hal. ‘The way you phrased it might have given them a different idea of what was being planned.’
‘No, I don’t think so. I simply asked if they would be welcoming to the homeless or those suffering from social issues. It’s important you consider the community in which you are placing these people.’
Michelle looked horrified. ‘That’s a rather over the top way of describing a week’s holiday for the occasional single mum? Or a holiday by the sea for a homeless teenager now and then? I hope you didn’t alarm anyone. Lady Patricia has worked hard at this; we don’t want it undermined by people getting the wrong end of the stick.’
‘No, of course not. But you can hardly blame her ladyship for not being in touch with the working classes. It’s very easy to not properly understand things if you aren’t at their level. That’s why Mr Ferguson has employed me to ensure every step of his charity runs smoothly. Every stakeholder must be accountable to the highest standards. It’s the very least we can do for them.’
‘Well, I thought I was doing a bit more than the very least,’ replied Paddy, bemused by the idea she didn’t understand the needs of the working class. What a wretched woman Andrea was. To look at someone and to simply assume you knew all there was to know about them. She would bet her front teeth that Andrea had never put cardboard in her school shoes to try and keep the rain out.
She pushed her soup away, feeling ill. Two locals had come into the bar and were talking in low urgent tones with Paul and all three were looking over at them. ‘Mr Ferguson, will you excuse me. I don’t feel well and think this is probably a good time to call it a day. If our facilities are still of interest to you, please let me know. It seems they may not be suitable, but please let me know either way. Michelle, would you mind driving? I’m suddenly incredibly tired.’
Hal jumped up. ‘Paddy are you okay?’
‘Yes fine. This tiredness can catch me out now and then.’
Before Hal could reply Andrea butted in. ‘You probably need to exercise more. It’s very important when you’re pregnant to exercise regularly.’
Paddy leant on the table, staring at her knuckles and counted to ten. Looking up she smiled at Andrea. ‘Yes. Well, I’ll be sure to do that, thank you.’ With a brittle smile she stood up from the table. ‘Michelle?’
Smiling at the men at the bar, she and Michelle headed out of the front door.
‘What do you think?’ asked Michelle worriedly.
‘Wait and see, but I think she may have just thrown the project on its arse.’
***
Back in the house, she and Michelle finished off her notes. Paddy felt a bit guilty about claiming illness. She just didn’t think she could manage another second in that woman’s company. Walking Michelle back to her car she was delighted to see Hal and Andrea walk up the drive. Hal was smiling an evil grin as Andrea panted and wheezed behind him. Visibly sweating, she paused as she leant on Hal’s car.
Hal came over to Paddy. ‘Are you okay or did you just want to escape? Look I had a word with the landlord and I think I’ve reassured him, but let’s keep an eye on things. I think what you are offering is incredibly generous and I think this is going to be wildly successful. Let me get rid of Andrea and arrange another day to go over finer points.’
Paddy smiled weakly as the two of them drove off. As Michelle got into her car she leant out of the window.
‘Well, he’s nice. And he seems to like you.’
Paddy raised an eyebrow. ‘He’s concerned about his charity. That’s what he is. Besides he’s not available.’
‘Well damn. Is he gay? The best-looking ones always seem to be nowadays.’
‘No,’ sighed Paddy, ‘he’s married. To a girl.’
‘Oh and I bet she’s really lovely as well, so you can’t even hate her!’
‘No, she’s a total cow actually. Hate away.’ Paddy paused, she was pleased she could mention Hal’s marital status without getting upset, but there was no need to be unkind. ‘Sorry, that was churlish of me. Time for my afternoon nap I think. God this always sleeping is killing me.’