Chapter 6: The Transition Meeting
“Then explain,” I said.
Celia stared at me across her desk, one hand resting on the closed laptop.
For the first time since I had walked into the orangery, she seemed uncertain.
Then she pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
“Wrenford is in trouble, Daniel.””
I remained standing.
“What does that have to do with my daughter?””
“More than you seem willing to understand.””
“Try me.””
She opened a drawer, removed a thick folder, and pushed it across the desk.
Inside were financial statements, proposed contracts, and printed emails bearing the letterhead of Evermere Hospitality Group, a company that operated luxury country estates across Britain.
I recognized the name.
Their representatives had approached us several months earlier about expanding their portfolio of private-event venues. I had declined an initial meeting because their proposed terms were aggressive, but the company had continued to express interest.
“What are these?”” I asked.
“Proposals.””
“For what?””
“An operating partnership.””
I turned the first page.
The document described a twenty-five-year agreement under which Evermere would assume responsibility for managing Wrenford's events business. They would finance renovations, expand the number of bookable rooms, and take over several functions currently handled by our staff.
In return, the company wanted a substantial share of future revenue and exclusive access to certain parts of the property during designated periods.
I turned another page.
Then another.
The east wing appeared repeatedly.
My stomach tightened.
“The east wing contains the family bedrooms.””
“Some of them,” Celia replied.
“The guest suites could be renovated. The old nursery could become another premium room. The smaller bedrooms could be combined into a private accommodation package.””
I looked up.
“The nursery?””
“It hasn't been used as a nursery for years.””
“Persephone's bedroom is next to it.””
“I know where her bedroom is.””
“Then why are you discussing it as though it belongs to a hotel?””
“Because the estate needs revenue!””
Her palm struck the desk.
The crystal glass jumped.
Celia immediately looked toward the open door, as though the sound had embarrassed her.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Do you know what happened when the heating failed in the west wing last winter? We spent nearly thirty thousand pounds keeping the affected rooms operational. Do you know how much the roof repairs cost? Do you know what happens when a wedding party cancels three weeks before an event and demands its deposit back?””
“I manage the finances, Celia.””
“You manage reports. I manage the consequences.””
I felt anger rising, but beneath it was an uncomfortable recognition.
I had spent the past year examining Wrenford from the safety of spreadsheets and meeting rooms. Celia dealt with the guests who complained about cold bedrooms, the suppliers who demanded immediate payment, and the staff who needed salaries regardless of whether a client had settled an invoice.
That did not excuse what she had done.
But it explained why she was frightened.
“How much are we actually losing?”” I asked.
Her fingers tightened around a pen.
“We are not losing money every month.””
“Celia.””
“We have a cash-flow problem.””
“How much?””
She looked away.
“Approximately eight hundred thousand pounds in outstanding commitments, including the renovation costs.””
The number landed between us.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I did.””
“You told me the renovation costs were higher than expected. You didn't tell me we were carrying eight hundred thousand pounds in commitments.””
“Because I expected you to find a solution.””
“I was in London trying to secure financing!””
“And while you were there, the staff still needed paying.””
I closed the folder.
“Is that why you contacted St. Aldwyn's?””
She looked at me sharply.
“I told you, I was trying to prepare Persephone.””
“No. You told the admissions office that our home situation was difficult and that a residential placement was being explored. You asked them to proceed discreetly.””
Celia said nothing.
“Were you planning to move her out of the east wing?””
“I was trying to find a practical solution.””
“She is six.””
“You keep repeating that as though it changes the figures.””
“It changes everything.””
Celia rose so abruptly that her chair scraped against the floor.
“You think I enjoy doing this? I have spent fifteen years keeping this estate alive. I have canceled holidays, missed opportunities, and watched my friends build lives elsewhere while I dealt with leaking roofs and impossible clients. Every time Wrenford has needed something, I've been the one standing here.””
“And you think I haven't sacrificed anything?””
“You left.””
The words were quiet.
I stared at her.
“You went to London. You built a career. You came home when Father died and discovered that his problems had become yours.
But I never left, Daniel. I inherited every broken promise he made about this place.””
For a moment, I saw the exhaustion beneath her immaculate clothes and controlled expression.
I remembered our father in his final years, too proud to admit that the estate had become more expensive than his income could support.
Celia had taken over operations during that time. She had stayed through the arguments, the unpaid invoices, the staff departures, and the months when the only light in the house seemed to come from her office.
I had been the person who could leave.
She had been the person who stayed.
But none of that gave her the right to use my daughter as another item on a balance sheet.
“Did Evermere tell you that Persephone had to leave?”” I asked.
Celia hesitated.
That hesitation answered more than a speech could have.
“Did they?””
“They expect a certain standard of operation.””
“That wasn't my question.””
“They want the private and commercial areas clearly separated.””
“Did they require our daughter to attend boarding school?””
“No.””
The word came out almost inaudibly.
I felt something inside me go cold.
“Then why?””
Celia's eyes flashed.
“Because you would never agree to make the necessary changes while she was here. You would keep delaying. You would keep telling me that family came first, and I would keep watching the estate fall apart.””
“So you decided to frighten her until I gave in?””
“I didn't intend for her to be frightened.””
“She asked me whether I had paid someone to take her away.””
Celia looked down at her pen.
“I thought she was old enough to understand that decisions have consequences.””
“She is old enough to believe what the adults she loves tell her.””
For several seconds, she didn't speak.
Then she picked up the folder and placed it neatly beside her laptop.
“Next Tuesday, Evermere will come here to discuss the transition. If we don't give them an answer, they'll withdraw the offer. We may not get another opportunity.””
“Then we'll find another one.””
“With what money?””
“I don't know yet.””
She gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course you don't.””
I turned toward the door.
Behind me, Celia spoke again.
“Daniel, if you walk away from this arrangement, the estate could become impossible to maintain.””
I stopped.
“And if I accept it, what happens to my family?””
“That's your decision.””
I looked back at her.
“No, Celia. It became my decision the moment I discovered that you'd been making it for me.””
I left her office and walked to the west staircase.
Mara was waiting outside our daughter's bedroom.
She must have seen something on my face because she didn't ask whether I had spoken to Celia.
She simply stepped aside and let me enter.
Persephone was awake.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, arranging her stuffed animals in a neat line. When I appeared, she quickly moved a rabbit into the empty space beside the others.
“Daddy, can you sit here?””
I sat.
She placed the rabbit in my lap.
“This is Mr. Button. He doesn't like boarding school.””
Mara drew a sharp breath behind me.
I picked up the rabbit.
“Then Mr. Button doesn't have to go.””
Persephone looked at me carefully.
“Really?””
“Really.””
She leaned against me, but the tension did not leave her shoulders.
I knew I could not undo what she had heard. I could only make sure that what happened next proved my words were worth believing.
My phone rang.
It was our finance director, Ruth Ellison.
“Daniel, I've been trying to reach you.””
“What's happened?””
“I've reviewed the latest material Evermere sent over. I thought you should know there is a problem with the proposed agreement.””
“What problem?””
“The figures Celia gave you are incomplete. And there is something else you need to see before Tuesday.””
I stood.
“What is it?””
Ruth paused.
“The agreement would give Evermere control over more than the event business. According to the draft, the company could take possession of the east wing for the full term of the contract.””
I looked through the doorway toward the corridor where Celia's office stood.
“Send me the complete agreement,” I said.
“I already have.””
“And Ruth?””
“Yes?””
“Don't discuss this with Celia until I've read it.””
May you like
Her next words made my blood run cold.
“Daniel, I think she already knows you've started asking questions.””
