Written in the Stars (2 page)

As she drove away, Suzi hummed a tune and wondered why she was so pleased at seeing a total stranger again. Try as she might, she could not get Steve Pardoe off her mind for the rest of the day.

As she slipped into bed that night, she realised meeting Steve Pardoe had taken the edge off the disappointment over her inheritance. It had given her something else to think on. Then the verse of scripture that Uncle Bart had loved to quote popped into her mind. He had always solemnly intoned the words whenever she had complained about life’s injustices.

She wanted to find it right now, so she jumped out of bed and padded into the sitting room to fetch the old family bible. She quickly leafed through the pages until she found what she was looking for, in the book of Ecclesiastes. Old Uncle Bart’s voice seemed to echo in her head as she read the timeless words aloud.

‘‘To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven.’’

As she closed the book, Suzi recalled her maternal grandmother’s admonition. The old lady was adamant there’s a reason for everything; ‘We must fulfil our destiny,’ she would state emphatically. And then again, there was Jennie, with whom she had worked years ago; she always claimed that everything was preordained. ‘Chance is a fine thing,’ she would say, ‘it brings whatever is written in the stars for us’. If that was so, had her spontaneous trip to Caxton Manor been predetermined? She smiled. Was she meant to meet Steve Pardoe? Surely they could have met under more favourable circumstances. But did it matter? A smile played around her lips as she fell asleep.

She woke early, recalling having stirred in the night, and now, in a state of half-sleep, a dream tugged at her memory. The more she tried to remember it, the more it eluded her. Then she opened her eyes and thought of Steve, feeling sure he had been part of the dream. Maybe she should file it under pleasant memories and not concern herself whether the chance meeting was written in the stars or not. But as she drifted off to sleep again, she recalled that dreams sometimes come true.

Chapter Two

‘Okay, okay,’ Suzi muttered, as she rushed from the bathroom to snatch up the phone. A man’s voice wafted down the line before she could speak.

‘Hello, is that Suzi Lysle Spencer?’

‘Yes,’ she replied, unsure who was calling.

‘It’s Steve Pardoe.’

‘Steve? Ah, I should have recognised your accent.’ Suzi smiled as she recalled their conversation at the hospital. ‘Where are you? More importantly, how are you? Have you made a full recovery?’ The questions tripped off her tongue.

‘I’m fine, thanks.’ He laughed softly. ‘Hey, you suggested dinner at your place, and I’d like to take you up on the offer.’

Suzi hesitated. She had intended the invitation to show an appreciation of his effort to stop the thieves at Caxton Manor, but that was before he had stirred up those feelings within her. She thought quickly. Proud as she was of Stow Restaurant, she was reluctant to spend an evening with him in a place where she would be unable to relax and enjoy his company. It would be better to go somewhere else, somewhere private, somewhere away from Mark’s questioning gaze and the prying eyes of the staff.

‘I can’t stop to talk now,’ Suzi said. ‘Give me your number and I’ll ring you back to make arrangements. You’ve caught me at a bad moment; I’ve just popped out of the shower.’

She made a note of Steve’s number as he continued to talk. ‘I’m leaving for Belgium pretty soon, and I’d hate to miss out on a free meal, so I’ll look forward to hearing from you.’

She replaced the phone, delighted he had phoned, and thrilled at the thought of seeing him again. Ahead was a busy day at the restaurant, but her thoughts were on Steve Pardoe more than on anything else.

When she arrived, the first thing she did was to forewarn Mark that Narelle, the senior waitress, was to be hostess for the following evening. He gave her an inquisitive look. ‘Sorry, Mark, but I’d forgotten an arrangement I’d made for tomorrow evening. I can’t cancel it at this stage, and anyway it’s important.’

Mark nodded, and curled the corner of his mouth, a habit that usually indicated he did not believe what he was hearing. However, he made no enquiry as to what it was about or whom she was meeting. ‘How about we discuss the menu for that large dinner party we’re having on Sunday?’ he went on, drumming his fingers on the kitchen surface. ‘I keep telling you we should think seriously about new premises. We’ve outgrown this place, so you’d better put your thinking cap on.’

‘Too soon, and too risky. We should concentrate on weddings and parties and not try to compete with the big boys.’ Suzi stabbed the table with her finger. ‘You’re too stubborn to listen to me.’ She turned away, knowing he did not realise her objections were centred on the necessity to consolidate before expanding.

She gazed out onto the busy street, nodding as sensible thoughts ran through her mind.
After all, we’ve only been in business for just over a year. The restaurant is well patronised and provides the bulk of our income, but it’s early days yet, and we must use common sense.

‘Trying to do things the way we are means setting up in a hall every time we book something big,’ Mark complained, following her around and interrupting her thoughts. ‘It’s messy, it’s time consuming. If our premises were bigger, we could have everything under one roof.’

Suzi took a deep breath and stared straight at him, wondering was he so thick he couldn’t see the folly of what he was suggesting? She was about to lay into him with the whys and wherefores once again when the early arrival of a party for lunch brought their disagreement to an end. She knew it was inevitable that Mark would demand that they discuss it again. He seemed determined to have his way, even though he knew she could ill afford to take the risk, with her house fully mortgaged, plus the personal loan to finance her share of the business.

She recalled discussing that very same situation with her friend, Charlize, when Mark had first suggested their buying a restaurant. At the time, she and Charlize had met for coffee in the Old Forge Inn shortly after Suzi’s mother, Annabelle, had died following a long illness. Her mother had never come to terms with her husband’s abrupt departure for Scotland when he had been made redundant. She had never been very outgoing, but after he left she had become even more introvert and difficult to live with. Few people mourned her passing; even less attended her funeral.

Judith Brinstead, an old school friend and former neighbour, had driven down with her brother, Mark, to pay their respects and attend Annabelle’s funeral. Although their paths had diverged over the years Suzi had kept in touch, and had visited Judith in Leicester for a weekend when Mark happened to be there. When he learned that Suzi was in charge of catering at The Lodge, he had laughingly suggested, ‘How about we go into business together? I’ve finished my training as a chef, so we could open a restaurant. With our combined talents we should do very well.’

When Suzi returned home, she forgot all about the idea, but to her surprise, a few days later she received a letter from Mark, saying he had given considerable thought to the idea, and wanted to know if she would be seriously interested in his proposal.

As they had a second cup of coffee Charlize had asked how Suzi really felt about the idea.

‘I don’t know. Mark said he’s tired of working for others and wants to branch out on his own. He says meeting me at the right time was fortuitous and could be a heaven sent opportunity for both of us.’

‘But you don’t?’

‘A heaven sent opportunity? No, not really. According to Judith he’s a brilliant chef, but not very good with the finer details of running a business. He needs someone to take care of that side of things.’ Suzi sighed. ‘I wouldn’t consider it under normal conditions, but I may take him up on the idea. Anyway, I feel I can trust him.’

‘And nothing else?’

‘What do you mean?’ Suzi looked quizzically at her friend, and then laughed. ‘You mean a personal relationship? Oh, no way; not with Mark. First of all I don’t think it’s wise to become involved with a work colleague, and secondly, he doesn’t appeal to me. No spark there.’

Charlize had warned her at the time that Mark might not see that as an obstacle, but Suzi had dismissed that out of hand. She and Mark had spent months looking for suitable premises and were just about to give up when The Stow Restaurant came on the market. Somewhat against her better judgement, Suzi had gone ahead with the plan, and had invited local media personnel to a complimentary meal before the restaurant was officially opened. It had paid off, and since then the restaurant had done well.

They had capitalised on the influx of tourists that thronged the picturesque village a few weeks later. By the time the winter set in they were nicely established and well patronised by the local community, catering for weddings and all kinds of parties.

When Uncle Bart died, she had turned immediately to Charlize for comfort. ‘I was so fond of Uncle Bart,’ she had said. ‘I imagined he’d go on for ever; just shows, doesn’t it?’ From there on, with Uncle Bart having no other living relatives, Suzi did not envisage any problems about inheriting Caxton Manor. The thought of using Caxton Manor as a venue for what Mark was proposing had never occurred previously, but now she thought differently. It provided the means to expand the business without a huge financial outlay. Of course they would have to make some alterations to the place, but that did not concern her too much. Charlize had listened patiently while she talked, and had counselled her not to borrow any more money.

‘You’re up to your neck in debt now with The Stow, Suzi,’ she reminded her at the time. ‘If you took out a mortgage on the manor, and things went pear-shaped you’d risk losing everything.’

‘There’s always that possibility,’ Suzi agreed, ‘But you know me. I’ve a habit of making dreams come true.’

But Charlize had the last word. ‘Just remember, dreams can turn into nightmares.’

And now, as Suzi dismissed her reverie, she said goodbye to the last customer and prepared to close the restaurant. It was only then that she remembered her promise to ring Steve Pardoe. Picking up the phone she dialled his hotel.

‘Suzi.’ Steve sounded pleased to hear her voice. ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t forget.’

‘How could... ?’She stopped and gave a self-conscious laugh. It wouldn’t do to let him know he had been on her mind for days. ‘If you’re free tomorrow night we could meet for dinner, but I would prefer somewhere more private than my own restaurant, if that’s all right with you.’

‘That’s a good idea. Best not to give the natives too much to talk about, eh?’

‘You’ve hit the nail on the head; too many wagging tongues in this place.’

‘And no doubt a jealous boyfriend lurking in the background?’

‘I won’t answer that. Shall I pick you up at the hotel?’

He agreed readily. ‘Until seven tomorrow then.’

As she replaced the receiver, Suzi wondered why he had made the remark about a jealous boyfriend, but then her thoughts settled on Mark. Although he was a likeable person, and nothing was too much trouble for him, his attitude towards her had changed over the last few months. She had made it clear from the outset that she was happy to be a business partner, but he was becoming persistent in wanting it to be something more.

The following day her mind was mainly preoccupied with the thought of meeting Steve; the hours dragged. The luncheon bookings were light and there were few walk-in diners to take her mind off him. Suzi kept looking at her watch, willing time to pass, and as soon as everything was set up for the evening meals, she closed the doors and hurried home. It was only as she pulled into her driveway that she began to have second thoughts about things. After all, she knew nothing about the man; he could be married, on the make, or… She stopped and raised her brows. ‘What
is
the matter with me thinking like this?’ she murmured, consoling herself that they were meant to spend this time together, because,
chance is a fine thing
.

However, the niggling fears returned as she looked into her wardrobe. She wanted to look attractive, but without giving the impression she had taken too much trouble. Finally, she settled on a navy and white pinstripe suit, matching it with a long sleeved blouse of pure white silk and a navy tie. She swept up her hair into a chignon, balancing the coiffure with a pair of exquisite blue Lapiz Lazuli long-drop earrings. Then she smiled at her reflection, convinced she would have Steve’s undivided attention.

He was waiting in the foyer when she arrived. Obviously impressed, his eyes ranged over her shapely figure and back to her hazel eyes before uttering a word. ‘Suzi Lysle Spencer,’ Steve muttered in a low pitched voice, ‘You look stunning.’

Suzi coloured slightly as she murmured a thank you, but she was pleased with the compliment. ‘My car’s outside.’ Then she glanced sideways at Steve as he slipped into the car beside her, immaculately dressed in dove-grey trousers and a pale grey shirt with a tastefully patterned tie.

‘We’ll go to the Old Forge Inn,’ Suzi said, letting out the clutch. ‘It’s my favourite place.’ She glanced at him again. ‘Oh, by the way most people call me Suzi.’

‘I’ll bear it in mind. But I like the sound of your full name; I find it both attractive and intriguing.’ He held up his hands as if fending off a question. ‘Don’t ask me why.’

Within a very short while she nosed the car into a parking space outside the quaint little sixteenth century coaching house situated just off the busy road that ran through the tiny hamlet of Penhow. The manager greeted Suzi by name as they entered the beamed dining room, and ushered them to a small intimate bar. As Steve read the menu, Suzi silently studied his face. He had an air of confidence about him as if he were accustomed to making decisions and getting things done. He caught her eye in the bar mirror and raised his glass.

‘To an enjoyable evening.’ She returned the toast, then Steve gestured to the tiny windows that caught the last rays of the setting sun. ‘Now tell me all about this interesting little place. I guess it has quite a history.’

Suzi had just finished answering his questions when the manager informed them that their dinner was ready. When the waiter asked if they would like a bottle of wine with the meal, Suzi deferred to Steven. He chose a Merlot from a Hunter Valley vineyard. There was little conversation while they ate, and as the waitress cleared away the dessert plates, she asked if they would like their coffee and liqueurs served beside the fire.

‘That would be lovely,’ Suzi said, and they made their way to the fireside. After an hour or more of conversation, they were reluctant to tear themselves away from the cosy warmth and bring the evening to an end, but when a member of the staff pointedly asked them if they wanted more coffee, Suzi knew it was time to leave.

When they reached his hotel, Steve grasped her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘It’s been a delightful evening, Suzi Lye Spencer,’ he said, softly. ‘You are a not only a very beautiful woman, but a charming companion, as well.’

‘Thank you. I’ve enjoyed your company, too, Steve.’

‘It’s a pity I won’t see you again before I leave.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed, and then suddenly blurted out. ‘If you’re free tomorrow I can show you some of the local sights. A mini tour of the area?’

‘I’d like that,’ he said, eagerly. ‘What time will you call?’