To Love and Be Loved(38)

Lionel Milbury Fortescue, the current custodian of Milbury Court, was seated behind his wide oak desk with the leather-inlaid top. His smile was, as ever, broad and his welcome warm.

‘Merrin! Yes, do come in and take a seat.’

She liked how he knew the name of every staff member and took an interest in him or her. It made the place feel like home for people like her who lived in, or at least as home-like as it could be for someone whose heart lived in a wild Cornish cove, one hundred and sixty-odd miles away.

‘How was the golf club dinner? I’ve heard great feedback.’ He clasped his hands on the desktop, his chunky gold signet ring sitting snugly on his little finger.

‘Good, I think,’ she said as she sat down. ‘Got a bit rowdy at the end, but I suppose that’s the sign of a great evening. And by rowdy, I mean loud singing in the bar, not a scrap or anything like that. There was no need to call the police, which is always a plus,’ she clarified.

He laughed. ‘The thought of a scrap breaking out among the octogenarians and great and good of the local golfing community is quite amusing to me.’

‘Well, maybe next year.’ She smiled.

‘Yes.’ He took a deep breath and she shifted in her chair as his expression changed to one of seriousness. She steeled herself for what might come next, suspecting it to be bad news. She had, after all, been called from her shift to his study. ‘It has been quite an unsettled time since you arrived. As sometimes happens, we have been a little topsy turvy in terms of staff and I’m glad to say that we have now found our new restaurant manager, which means that Alison, who as you know has been covering the role, can go back to her job as head waitress, and we have adequate numbers to cover the restaurant, as Maxine is due back from maternity leave.’

‘I see.’ Her spirits sank. She’d heard the chat in the staff canteen and knew change was afoot, but she liked it here, was thankful to have found employment when she needed it most, and tried now to think of where she might head next and whether Lionel, as he liked to be called, might be kind enough to give her a reference. A recommendation from an establishment like this could do no harm.

‘Yep, all change!’ He chuckled. ‘I can’t tell you how impressed everyone has been by your attitude and your work ethic. It hasn’t gone unnoticed. You’re always punctual, friendly and as neat as a pin.’ Happy at this compliment, she smoothed her hair behind her ears. Having taken the nail scissors and hacked off her locks soon after arriving, her short bob was not only a way of shaking off her past, it also reshaped her for the future. ‘In all honesty, Merrin, you have sailed through your probation. It feels like you’ve been here for years.’

‘Thank you.’ She smiled into her lap; maybe a good reference would be forthcoming. Fidgeting with her fingers, she waited for the ‘but’.

‘But . . .’

Here we go.

‘With the restaurant at full staff capacity now . . .’ He paused and she waited for the axe to fall, wondered what wording he might choose to soften the blow. ‘We were wondering if you might like to try a different role in another department?’

‘Another department?’ She sat up straight; this was great news!

‘Yes, we were thinking you might like to try your hand at working on reception?’

‘Reception? Yes!’ Her enthusiasm and relief were evident. When Merrin had worked as a cleaner or behind the bar at the Port Charles Hotel, she had itched to have a go at working on reception, wanting to do things differently, better. Having pored through enough glossy magazines, usually left behind by residents, she knew that it was the small touches that could make a difference to a place: bowls of sweets on the countertop; fresh, not fake, flowers on tables; and never, ever letting a stinky old dog like Ernie, who lived at the Port Charles, wander the restaurant floor, shedding his coat and farting while people were trying to enjoy their morning coffee . . . ‘I would really like that. It’s something I’ve thought about before.’

‘Well, that’s marvellous news. So all that remains is for HR to switch your department codes for payroll and to get you trained on the computer system, which, to be honest, Merrin’ – he spoke from the side of his mouth – ‘if I can master it, then anyone can.’ He stood to indicate the meeting was over.

‘Thank you, Lionel, for the opportunity. I hope I don’t let you down.’

‘I have no doubt you’ll do a sterling job.’ He clapped.

‘I’ll do my best.’

She left the room walking a little straighter than she had in a while. It was wins like this that helped dilute the thick, gloopy feeling of inadequacy in her veins. It wasn’t only that Digby didn’t love her and that their whole relationship had probably been some kind of elaborate game to him, but also that her judgement had been so off. It was, even now, a surprise that he had done such a thing, been capable of doing such a thing.

During the day when she was busy, her time filled and her thoughts occupied, it was easy not to dwell on it. However, when she kicked off her shoes at the end of her shift and climbed between the freshly laundered sheets of her bed, settling down in a room that was not where she longed to be, her mind would conjure images of looking over the gap towards her sister with the sound of stays knocking on the masts in the breeze . . . that was when loneliness bit and she gave in to tears. No matter that in her head she could tell herself she was better off, it seemed that her broken heart had not quite got the message. Not yet.