Rob acted as a voice of reason, though Elle noted that he seemed more inclined to take Penny’s view. Ned interjected here and there, but mainly seemed to enjoy the strenuous discussion. Elle supposed that it was a good distraction for him.

‘Well, here’s what we’ve definitely decided on,’ said Penny, reading from a neat list she’d made. ‘Painting the exterior and interior; re-carpeting the entire place, replacing some of the wallpaper and repairing cornices and moulding. Repair the chandelier and re-sand the ballroom floor. Refurbish the entrance hall, including ripping out the wall to expose the entrance to the staircase. Which will be the most expensive thing by far.’

‘And the most impressive,’ finished Elle with some satisfaction.

‘And,’ Penny went on, ‘there’s the landscaping of the gardens, including the installation of a what did you call it again . . .?

‘A pagoda,’ Elle said. ‘If you’re going to attract weddings in.’

‘Plus we have to get someone to repair the antique furniture. Is that about it?’

‘Don’t forget sparkle,’ Penny added laughing.

‘Sparkle. Of course,’ Rob chuckled. ‘Well, sparkle is my speciality.’ He focused his gaze on Elle. ‘Anything to add?’

She met his gaze and a burst of some kind of energy passed between them. She wasn’t sure what it was, but at that moment Elle knew that he truly would be the best person for this job. ‘There might be a few other bits and pieces as you go along,’ she mumbled, looking away, ‘but those are the major things.’

‘It’ll be a big job,’ Rob said, nodding. ‘You’ll have to close for a couple of weeks, and we’ll have to work around the clock if you want to be back open for the summer trade.’

‘Which we absolutely do,’ said Penny.

‘OK then. We’ll go to the bank, talk to this new guy, and then we can get started,’ said Elle.

‘New guy?’ said Ned. ‘Who’s that? What happened to Maurice?’

‘Retired end of last year,’ Penny told him. ‘We got an appointment with his replacement, Doug Grant.’

‘But we’ve always dealt with Maurice,’ said Ned, looking troubled.

‘It will be fine, Dad,’ Penny assured him. ‘Everyone here knows us.’ Though she didn’t add that she’d asked Elle to meet with the new manager, arguing that she’d be much more professional. ‘And formidable,’ she added teasingly, but Elle didn’t mind. In fact, she welcomed the opportunity for getting a full overview of the hotel’s finances, and agreed that it was best for them to present a professional front to the new guy from the outset.

‘I have to warn you, though,’ Rob said, looking through the list. ‘Even with me doing much of this at cost, it will all still add up to a fair amount. We’re talking . . .’ He wrote down a figure on the bottom of Penny’s list.