Page 82 of A Change of Location
“Yours are by far the nicest. Excuse me a moment, and I’ll put them in a vase. Would you care for tea, some biscuits?”
“Thanks, but I had a late breakfast.”
“An ample one, I should think, at the Ritz.”
“Liz Gregorio travels in style. So does her entourage. Mum insists that we have afternoon tea in the Palm Court, and she’s sure to ask if we did. Won’t you join us?”
“I wish I might, but I don’t go anywhere except to medical appointments. My treatments were delayed until we were certain I hadn’t caught anything flying back from Boston or La Rochelle. I go into hospital day after tomorrow for my initial infusion of cladribine. The rest will be done right here, by a nurse.”
“Martin says it’s the same chemotherapy drug you had before.”
“Most fortunately, I tolerated it without any terribly troublesome side effects. I’ll be immune-suppressed afterwards. I’m hopeful I’ll soon have sufficient energy to move to Somerset. I won’t be at the big house, because of all the filming activity, and people in and out. Martin’s letting me have a vacant house in Milverston Magna. A bungalow, really. No stairs.”
“Holly Cottage?”
“That’s the one. Freshly painted, with fitted carpet installed in the three bedrooms. Martin ordered a new cooker for the kitchen and is replacing the white goods in the utility room. There’s a patch of front garden and a larger one behind. Kateryna Bereza might live there with me, although her host family is quite fond of her. Come and see the picture I’m determined to finish before going into hospital.”
Isobel had set up her easel in her son’s south-facing, sunlit sitting room. Her current watercolor depicted a colorful garden of pink roses and mixed perennials—magenta cranesbill, purple irises, deep blue delphiniums, and green-leafed hosta plants.
“That’s the long border at Bear Knoll.”
“A gift for your parents.”
“They’ll be thrilled. I’m thrilled for them.”
“Gwen sent a lovely, long email, full of news about her upcoming projects. She mentioned coming over later this year, for a recce.”
“She’s eager to see the Stanwell House gardens.”
“I expect Martin will try and persuade her to include them in her television series.”
Hannah laughed. “He’ll probably succeed.”
“I’ve just remembered something. I’ll be right back.” She returned with a shoe box and a dress encased in protective dry cleaner’s plastic. “I imagine you’ll be needing these.”
“Did Martin explain why they’re here?”
“Yes. And I told him that the day after the countryside association annual dinner, Alicia rang me to inquire about a little American my son was squiring around town.”
“It wasn’t a date,” Hannah said.
“You’re aware, I’m sure, that my son is a very transparent individual. There’s never any mystery about what he may be thinking or feeling. At Stanwell I saw quite clearly that his interest in you wasn’t merely casual. During our time at Bear Knoll, the situation became considerably clearer.”
After carrying her belongings to the hotel, she went shopping in the arcades and fashionable boutiques, looking but not buying until flagging energy sent her back to her room for a cup of tea. Examining the items hanging in her closet, she selected a plum-colored trouser suit.
“You look fab,” Liz said when they met down in the lobby. Her hair was arranged in an upswept hairstyle that accentuated her thoroughly classical profile. The woman who determined which movie stars would appear in her films could easily pass for one herself.
“So do you.”
Throughout their taxi journey to the Savoy, Hannah experienced a strong sense of déjà vu. Immediately after her cheese shop meeting with the man she didn’t know was a marquess, she’d followed this same route to the Savoy Hotel. Since then, she’d fallen in love, reunited with Chase, and reconciled with her parents. Her smart leather satchel, a gift from Liz, contained items connected to her new responsibilities: a state-of-the art electronic notepad loaded with documents and schedules and checklists and personnel contact details.
“It doesn’t seem right,” she commented, “going to the place where Owen prefers to hold court. He and Nigel should’ve met us at the Ritz.”
“Not show-biz enough, I guess.”
“Are they aware they’re about to see me again?”
“Of course. You’re executive assistant to the executive producer.”
