Apart from the last one, each bad review had followed a run-in with Tallulah. That couldn’t be a coincidence and given how she’d tried to look at her little reception desk, Nell suddenly filled with anger. How could this young woman do something like that to her? And why? Nell hadn’t blamed her for the incident in the restaurant, but maybe Bryan with a Y had. She wouldn’t have put it past him. Maybe Tallulah had been told off or disciplined and she blamed Nell for it. Nell checked Cat and Kieran were cheerfully chatting with their guests and pulled Tom to one side.
‘What’s going on?’ Tom asked, righting himself as she yanked him sideways.
Nell tried to surreptitiously signal towards Tallulah. ‘The waitress!’ she hissed.
‘What waitress?’
‘The one from the Langdon Mansion Hotel. The one who served us that night. It’s her.’
‘So?’ Poor Tom looked utterly confused. She wasn’t making herself very clear.
‘She served us that night then I got a bad review. Then she came to the St Herbert’s thing and the next day – guess what? I got a bad review. I saw her at the Christmas market, and she blanked me, then the next day – boom! – bad review.’
Tom leaned his head down and whispered into her ear. ‘You think it was her?’
His breath tickled her neck and she shivered, forcing her mind onto the matter at hand. ‘Yes.’
‘Why would she do that?’
‘Maybe we embarrassed her. Maybe she got blamed for it or something. Maybe she’s pissed off at me for making a fuss that night. I don’t know but it can’t just be coincidence, can it?’
Cat’s voice carried over Nell’s right shoulder. ‘What are you two whispering about?’
In panic, Nell spun to face her, but Cat was oblivious, grinning in bliss. Kieran clamped a hand on Tom’s shoulder. ‘Nothing,’ Nell replied, faking nonchalance. ‘I was just asking Tom to turn the music up a little bit.’
‘I need you two for photos now, so come on.’ Cat grabbed Nell’s hand, pulling her along to the garden. It was a beautifully dry day and heaters had been installed so it could be used as an extra space. Photos were taken of them all in front of the holly bushes, hung with lights, and the huge oak tree in the garden that Nell had surrounded with giant storm lanterns. While Cat and Kieran had photos with their parents, Nell pulled Tom back inside to hide behind the Christmas tree and discuss Tallulah further.
‘What are you going to do?’ asked Tom, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible which given his height, wasn’t that easy.
In her frustration, it was difficult to think. ‘I’m going to bloody well tell her where she can shove her bad reviews.’
‘And when are you going to do that?’
Nell was just about to bluff and bluster some more, but as the bright lights of the Christmas tree reflected in Tom’s eyes, she felt her anger fade away. She could kick herself that she’d never examined his face properly before. Everything about it was perfect. His eyes studied her as if he knew every inch of her personality. No one knew her better than he did, and she didn’t want anyone to. She’d been so blind. And here they were, hiding behind the Christmas tree, her face just centimetres from his. Her breath caught as she studied his mouth. She was so tempted to blurt out that she loved him but hiding behind a Christmas tree while she uncovered a conspiracy against her hotel wasn’t exactly perfect timing.
‘Nell?’ he asked again. ‘What are you going to do?’
In order to stop staring at his face, she fiddled with a bauble, making sure it was facing the right way. ‘As soon as she goes downstairs, I’m going to follow her and talk to her. You have to cover for me with Cat and Kieran. I won’t be long.’
‘Are you sure you want to do this now?’ Tom asked. ‘Why not just let it go and come and enjoy the wedding.’
‘I can’t risk it. What if she messes up the wedding somehow? What if she makes up a bad review for it and I don’t get any wedding bookings? All our hard work would have been for nothing. No. I’m going to kick her out and I’ll serve if I have to. Niall’s got plenty of staff. I’d only have to help out a bit which wouldn’t look weird to Cat anyway.’
Just then, Tallulah went downstairs to top up a plate of mince pies and Nell slipped out from behind the tree before she was caught in the enchantment of Tom’s eyes again and shouted ‘I love you’ right in his face. Down in the kitchen, Nell came to a stop at Tallulah’s side.
‘Tallulah, I know what you’re up to and I think you should go.’
The girl turned, a mince pie crumbling as her grip on it tightened. Nell felt guilt rise up but reminded herself she was doing this to keep her hotel and livelihood, and to ensure her best friend’s wedding was perfect. After everything they’d been through to get here, she wasn’t going to let it go south now.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Niall, coming over. He was red from the heat of the kitchen and the fast pace of the work.
‘Niall, this girl has been putting up fake bad reviews of Holly Lodge ever since she served me at the Langdon Mansion Hotel. She’s trying to ruin my reputation and I bet she’s here today to do the same for my wedding business.’
Tallulah’s hand, still clutching the mince pie, trembled. Nell had imagined a confidence and bravado that she’d have to knock down to get to the truth, but now tears were forming in the poor girl’s eyes. Her face
