Belinda reached for her tote and took out her notebook. ‘I took some photos before I left.’ She handed the tablet to Molly. ‘Have a scroll through. Alain and the workers have done a grand job getting the place up to scratch. Shame we’ve had to delay the opening really, but at least it will give Alain and the others time to really get the place sorted for a grand reopening for the late May Bank Holiday.’ She turned to Nigel. ‘We need to decide about the shop and café. Are you happy to lease them both out? The village shop seems keen to expand, but the café is maybe different. I think there is huge potential there that we’d miss out on if we allow someone else to develop it.’

‘Do you know how Alain feels about that?’

‘Honestly? I think Alain would be happy for the site to become set in a time warp, say the l970s where there was no internet, definitely no social media and everyone was happy with their lot. As for pods and glamping,’ Belinda laughed, ‘he’d never heard of them. I think he would say that a café serving, pizzas, frites, sandwiches, wine, beer, coffee and ice creams is all that is needed for a campsite.’

Molly nodded. ‘That pretty well sums up the cafés I remember from my childhood.’

‘And we all know people’s expectations are so much higher these days,’ Belinda added. ‘Anyway, it’s your campsite now and you two get to decide how you want it.’

‘Let’s get Easter out of the way and then have a meeting to discuss things,’ Nigel said. ‘Alain is a good bloke and I know he has his own reasons for wanting the campsite to succeed. He told me more about them when he was here recently.’

‘He was here?’ Belinda couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. ‘What was he doing here?’

There was a slight pause before Nigel answered. ‘There were some things he wanted to discuss face to face about his parents, since they are old friends of ours. Have you met them yet?’

Belinda shook her head. ‘No.’

‘Lovely couple.’

Belinda waited for him to expand on that, but he changed the conversation by asking Belinda how Chloe was and talk became veered away from hotel and campsite business. Belinda made a mental note to ask Nigel at their next meeting what he’d meant about Alain having his own reasons regarding the campsite succeeding and – importantly – how the sale of Moorside affected her job.

Belinda turned down an invitation to stay for lunch and left soon afterwards. Driving home, she found herself thinking about Alain, wondering in what way his reasons differed from Nigel’s in wanting the campsite to succeed. And why hadn’t Alain mentioned his visit to Nigel to her? What was the big secret?

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