Page 35 of Be More Lucy

‘No, the view over the bay. Let’s give them a call.’

‘We can’t sue them under the trades description act. It does indeed have a view of the bay,’ Jack said as he and Em got out of the car in the hotel car park the following evening.

‘You can see our new home from here.’ Em pointed across the bay. ‘It would be a nice touch to have it in the background of the photos.’

Jack nodded. He looked around at the building and the gardens. ‘It looks like a lovely hotel. I’m not sure why I’ve never been here before.’

They walked inside together. A middle-aged woman in a smart navy suit appeared from the office behind the Reception desk.

‘I’m Lesley, the events coordinator. Pleased to meet you both.’ She smiled and gently shook their hands. ‘My notes say you’re looking for a civil wedding ceremony venue, but I assume you want your reception here as well?’

‘No, we’ve got the use of a marquee at home for that,’ Em smiled back encouragingly, hoping the Bay View Hotel didn’t have the same policy as King Arthur’s Crag.

‘Oh.’ Lesley looked disappointed. ‘You must have a large garden then.‘

‘Yes, we live at Dashford Grange,’ Em said.

‘Oh. I thought Nancy Farnham lived there?’

‘She does. I’m the concierge for her holiday cottages, and Jack is her godson.’

‘Oh.’

There were a lot of ohs. Lesley didn’t seem at all excited by the prospect of hosting their wedding.

‘Is Mrs Farnham on your guest list?’ Lesley asked tentatively.

‘Yes, of course,’ said Jack. ‘We’re very close.’

‘Ahh.’ At least Lesley had moved on to a different letter sound.

‘Is that a problem?’ Em asked.

Lesley looked uncomfortable. ‘It might be. You won’t be able to have her as a guest at your wedding.’

Since when did hotels dictate who could be on your guest list? ‘Why not?’ Em asked.

Lesley looked nervous. ‘She’s barred from entering the hotel.’

‘Barred?’ Em was shocked. ‘Nancy is an upstanding member of the local community. How can she be barred?’

‘There was an unfortunate incident in 1989,’ Lesley continued.

‘What incident?’ Jack asked. ‘I’d heard you poisoned her. But why does that warrant a 30-year ban?’

‘I don’t believe we did poison her. And it’s a lifetime ban, actually.’

‘Were you here in 1989?’ Jack sounded uncharacteristically sharp.

‘No, but it’s one of the first things I learnt when I started working here. The owner is adamant Mrs Farnham is not allowed on the premises. We even have a photo of her pinned up in the office so we can easily identify her if she does attempt to even set foot on the driveway. I can’t tell you anything else about it because of data privacy laws. You’ll have to ask Mrs Farnham. Would you still like to look round?’

Lesley was an optimist - Em would give her that. ‘Nancy’s a big part of our lives. Her attendance at our wedding is non-negotiable. We’ll have to look elsewhere. Thank you for your time.’ Em headed back outside with Jack following.

‘What was all that about?’ she asked Jack when they were both back in the car

‘I have absolutely no idea. I was only six in 1989. I don’t recall any major incident.’ Jack started the car engine. ‘But it does explain why Nancy put you off looking here.’

‘I don’t feel comfortable asking her about it. She’d have said if it was anything she wanted to share.’ Em sighed.

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