Page 25 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“We’re on an extended holiday,” Ellie said. “We had intended to get as far as Hyères tonight, but the motor car had other ideas. We’ll be here until the motor can be fixed. Only a few days. So you’ve rooms for us?”
“These are your maids?” Mrs Adams asked, eyeing Mavis and Yvette.
“Travelling companions,” Ellie said.
“We’ve only got two singles,” Mrs Adams said. “Who wants to share?”
“Mavis and Yvette can have the singles,” Ellie said. “Miss Smith-Humphries will want a decent room. So shall I. We can both take doubles.”
“Right you are. Facing the waterfront, I expect?” She nodded. “Right. That will be ...” She paused. “Let’s say two hundred francs.”Having stayed two nights in France, one at a superior hotel, Ellie knew immediately that they were being gouged. She turned back to the men, who were waiting patiently behind them, presumably not having understood this conversation.
“Is this a fair amount to pay at this time of year, do you think?” she asked in French, giving him the quote.
The big man called Nico gave a derisive laugh. “You think that these ladies are paying for the entire pension, do you, Alice?” He took a step forward, gesticulating in animated fashion as he spoke. “They do not wish to buy it. Only to rent rooms for one or two nights. And I happen to know that you charge thirty francs for a room. So considering the single rooms are not as nice, I think one hundred francs would be a fair price for four of them, don’t you?”
Ellie was surprised that the woman clearly understood this rapid tirade, when she only just got the gist of it herself. His French was heavily accented.
“Where else would they go?” Mrs Adams asked, her own French surprisingly good.
“You take advantage of your countrywomen?” He made a tut-tutting sound.
“They can afford to pay, I’m sure. They are not dressed like paupers.” She muttered the words, assuming that Ellie and the others could not understand if she spoke quickly.
Nico shrugged. “I expect we could find them rooms elsewhere. Henri sometimes rents out during the busy season over the bar, doesn’t he? And Madame Blanchet, she has a spare room and could use the extra cash ...”
Mavis looked across at Ellie. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Ain’t they got no rooms here?”
“They have rooms. We are just negotiating a price,” Ellie said. “They want a little more than I was expecting to pay, having paid less for a first-class hotel last night.”
“We were about to close up for the winter,” Mrs Adams said, recoiling a little at Mavis’s accent and perhaps realizing it wasn’t going to be easy to get the better of a fellow East Ender. “Not much call at this time of year. So we’d have to go to the trouble of getting everything up and running again.”
“Then you should count yourself bloody lucky that you’ve got some customers you didn’t expect, right?” Mavis said. “If I were you, I’d be grateful.”
Mrs Adams gave an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I suppose I could do you a favour, since you’re fellow Englishwomen and had a bit of bad luck with your motor car. Let’s agree on a hundred, then, if you’re just staying a couple of nights.”
“It includes breakfast, I assume?” Dora had been silent through the negotiation but spoke up now.
“Of course,” Mrs Adams replied.
Ellie got the feeling it might not have included breakfast if Dora’s tone had not been so forceful. She suddenly realized that they’d need to eat that evening.
“Do you serve dinner?” she asked. “We will need to eat.”
“We serve meals when we have extra staff during the high season,” Mrs Adams said, “but not without warning like this.”
“I quite understand,” Ellie said. “Is there somewhere we can get a bite to eat tonight?”
“I expect they can rustle up something to eat at the bar and bistro on the other side,” Mrs Adams said. She repeated the gist of this in French to the men who were standing there.
“But of course. Henri will find something so that these ladies do not starve,” Nico said, getting an affirming nod from one of the other men.
“Thank you. We will come when we have settled in our rooms,” Ellie replied.
“Good. We will warn Henri. Then you ladies are satisfied? We leave you, then, and bid you bonsoir.” He gave a polite little bow.
“Bonsoir, and thank you for your assistance,” Ellie called after him in French.
“I’ll get Mr Adams to help with your bags,” Mrs Adams said, “if you’d just sign the register for me.”
