‘I know. I’m as annoyed as you are.’

‘Well, we’d better think of something.’

She could hear an edge of panic in his voice she’d never picked up from him before.

She leaned over and shut the door behind him so that they were both enclosed in the tiny space, no bigger than a lift. ‘David,’ she asked, dreading his answer, ‘is there something you’re not telling me?’

David knew this was the moment he should own up: that he had messed up their finances by not knowing about this stupid tax and spending far more than they could afford on extending the terrace by the pool. It looked terrific, but actually the guests didn’t use it as much as they’d expected. And it still wasn’t paid for. It was only Steve’s surprising generosity in not pushing for payment that had kept them from disaster.

‘Well . . .’ he began. Then he stopped. There was so much fear in Steph’s eyes that he felt like more of a failure than ever. It was his job as a husband to protect her from this kind of worry. He’d find a way. It wasn’t too late. And he’d tell Suzi that, much as he liked her, it couldn’t go any further between them.

Relief flooded through him. If he had to tell Steph about his involvement with Suzi, it might be the end of everything – their marriage as well as their business. This way, at least, he had a reprieve.

She was still waiting for an answer.

‘It’s just that our finances could do with a bit of a boost. Nothing to really worry about. But it would be good to find ways of encouraging trade, especially off-peak during the week. I don’t know, cooking courses or art lessons or some such thing.’

Steph thought of her sister’s email. It would help on so many fronts. The girls needed a wedding, and they needed more business. The wedding would mean guests to put up, and they were the nearest B&B. She’d never thought of it before, but a link with the Château St Savarin could be really good for Fleur-de-Lis. The immediate family might stay in the château but nearby B&Bs would certainly benefit from putting up their guests. Until now the duchess had only put far posher places on her accommodation list but now things would be changing, and they should definitely make the most of it.

Steph took a deep breath and dived in. ‘There is one thing . . .’ She explained about Nicky’s wedding, and David started to get excited. Coming from a family with a lot of brothers, he’d always thought she complained too much about her sister’s habit of sticking her nose in other people’s business.