Unforgettable Embrace (33 page)

Holly had the Inverawe smoked salmon which came from one of the best organic salmon producers, whose smokery was located just outside Oban, on the west coast of Scotland.

“
These are just the first courses!” Rachel exclaimed, her eyes about to pop out of her head with the heaving table in front of her.

“
I don't know where to begin,” Holly said, “it almost makes me nervous looking at all this food.”

“
The great thing is it's quite low in fat and very healthy too,” Jen said, “cos it's mostly fish.” “Yes, and very high in omega fats which are excellent for the brain,” Liz interjected, helping herself to some sashimi.

Three bottles of white wine later and the girls were musing over what to choose for their main courses. Holly and Rachel had lost all their will power and were thoroughly enjoying the white wine with Liz and Jen.

“
I'll have to leave the car parked in the village overnight, girls. I'm afraid we'll have to get a taxi home,” Holly apologised.

“
No need to apologise, girl,” Jen said, “we're all here to have a good time.”

“
Yeah, Holly,” Rachel hiccupped, “it's been ages since you let your hair down. You're always in mother mode with Simon and Mia hanging off you.”

“
It's true, I know,” Holly agreed, “sometimes I can barely remember my life before them. I love them to bits, but it is nice to have a break once in a while.”

“
You'll have to come out with us more often,” Liz smiled, “you're great company.”

“
I'd really like that,” Holly smiled back.

“
Ladies, your main courses,” their waiter, whose name they discovered was Scott, arrived with a huge tray filled with food, and there were two other waiters behind him carrying side dishes and more drinks.

Liz had ordered the bouillabaisse with sea bass, monkfish, red mullet, langoustines and mussels, which was served with rouille and parmesan.

Jen had the “Singapore Chilli Crab” which was stir-fried whole crab with garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander.

Rachel went for the Indonesian seafood curry with monkfish, squid and tiger prawns. Her curry was served with a side of green bean and grated coconut salad with crisp fried shallots, garlic and chilli.

Holly decided to stick with a traditional chargrilled cotes do boeuf which was served with sautéed potatoes and a salad of cos lettuce, sliced shallots, cream and Cabernet sauvignon vinegar.

“
This bouillabaisse is divine,” Liz said, “it's not a classic taste, but it's so light, well-flavoured and fragrant.”

She inhaled the delicious aroma dramatically.

“
I can smell it from here,” Jen said, who was getting gloriously messy as she dissected her crab with her hands.

“
My curry is hot, hot, hot, just the way I like it,” Rachel grinned at her friends, with bright red lips from the spices.

“
How's your beef, Holly?”

“
Absolutely scrumptious,” Holly sighed, “cooked to perfection. I feel like I've died and gone to food heaven.”

“
Me too,” the girls chorused.

“
Dessert anyone?” Scott piped up, just as they finished their last mouthfuls.

“
Oh, no way,” Jen groaned.

“
I don't know how we are going to have the energy to walk out of here,” Liz said. “We might have to roll.”

“
I certainly feel like a barrel,” Rachel laughed, patting her round stomach.

“
I need either a cosy nap or a long, brisk walk to help my digestion,” Holly said.

“
There are lots of very picturesque walks in the area,” Scott advised, “my favourite walk is through the village, walk up the hill and just on the other side is a beautiful beach, which should help you ladies digest.”

“
Thanks so much, Scott, you've been so attentive,” Jen smiled at him as he came back with the bill.

“
My pleasure, ladies,” he grinned around the table, “anytime.”

This last being directed at Rachel.

“
Oh my goodness, Rach!” Holly exclaimed, as Scott walked away, “he was openly flirting with you.”

“
Don't be silly, Holly, he was just being polite,” Rachel said. “Besides, I have a perfectly lovely boyfriend at home, well, I think I still have a boyfriend.”

She looked a little crestfallen as she recalled her last exchange with Batt. He hadn't bothered to text or call her since their argument, apart from his cursory text asking her if she had landed safely. Scott arrived back at the table with mints for all of them. Rachel smiled up at him as she handed over her credit card. He smiled back readily.

“
I saw that little exchange,” Liz admonished her friend.

“
Oh, who cares?” Rachel said nonchalantly, “what's wrong with a bit of harmless flirting anyway? Batt's too busy having a hissy fit, even though I apologised to him several times. I bet he'd change his tune if he saw this young man flirting with me.”

“
Ok, Rach, that's enough,” Jen said, “I think you need some fresh air, let's go.”

Chapter 46

The girls took a leisurely walk through the village and up the hill as their waiter, Scott, had suggested. It was exactly what they needed to recover from their lunch-time excesses. The views out over the ocean were stunning and the bright, spring sun shone down on them as they strolled. They chatted happily as they walked, arms linked together.

"Girls, I am having an absolutely wonderful time, thank you all so much," Jen said.

"Our pleasure," came her friends' response.

"We have a lot more treats still in store for you, missus," Liz smiled at her friend.

Jen clapped her hands in delight. "I love surprises so much. It's almost worth getting married just for the hen weekend and the honeymoon."

"Jen, you are so naughty," Rachel smacked her friend's arm lightly.

"Are you definitely going to Hawaii for your honeymoon?" Holly asked.

"We certainly are all set," Jen said, "thanks to Rachel everything is booked. Vic was thrilled at the idea of going to Hawaii. He loves the sun and the sea, so it will be perfect for him."

"You're so lucky," Liz sighed.

"I feel very lucky," Jen agreed, "lucky to have such wonderful friends, an amazing fiancé who loves me to bits and lots of surprises still to come" and with that she took off at a run down the beach, getting a sudden burst of energy. Her friends followed more slowly behind her, not feeling quite as energetic as Jen.

"Steady on, girl," Rachel puffed, "some of us aren't as young as we used to be."

"I need a coffee," Liz gasped."

"Oh, yes, brilliant idea, why don't we go and get some coffee and gorge ourselves on luscious scones with clotted cream," Holly's face lit up.

"Dare I say it, but I'm starting to get a bit peckish," Rachel said.

"Already?!" Jen exclaimed, "you little piglet, after the enormous lunch we ate!"

"I have to agree with Rach," Liz said, "I could murder a yummy scone or three right now." "Come on then, piglets, let's go find you some scones," Jen said, leading the way, "but only if you run the length of the beach first."

It wasn't long until the girls were sitting at a cosy cafe, gorging themselves on huge, fruity scones which were smothered in lashings of Cornish clotted cream.

"Little bites of heaven," Holly groaned, in between floury mouthfuls.

"It's official, I am in heaven," Rachel sighed, licking her fingers. "I don't care how fattening this cream is because I am going to buy as many pots of it as I can cram into my fridge."

"Do you think they'll let us take it on the 'plane?" Liz asked, ever the pragmatist.

"Oh, I forgot about that," Rachel looked disappointed, "well I'm going to hope for the best and buy some anyway."

"So what's the plan for the rest of the afternoon, girls?" Jen asked.

"Nothing too strenuous, that's for sure," Holly said, "I think I might be on the verge of a heart attack with the amount of food I've eaten today."

"Major dieting for me next week," Rachel moaned.

"Yeah, I'll have to keep an eye on my waistline between now and the wedding," Liz said, "I don't want to burst out of my bridesmaid dress."

"Let's not talk about dieting now," Jen said, "we're here to have a good time, let our hair down and escape from the stresses of our lives for a few days. It'll all be there waiting for us when we get back home, so we might as well relish our free time now."

"I'm a little ashamed to admit that I haven't thought very much about Simon and Mia since we left," Holly said, "I'm just having so much fun. I don't think I've left them alone for more than a few hours in the evening since they were born."

"Everyone needs a break," Liz said, "especially mothers. Young children are so demanding." "It's the best job in the world, and I know how lucky I am to be able to stay at home and look after them full-time, but it is all-consuming. Sometimes, I barely have enough time to go to the loo in peace, without one of them banging on the door wanting to come in to me. Nobody warns you about the tiredness, especially when they are newborns.

My goodness, there were times I was so tired that I thought I was going to throw up. The good times more than make up for the tough times, like when Mia looks over at me sometimes and just says "mommy" and gives me a big smile, that's enough to melt my hear or when Simon says I'm the best cook in the whole wide world. I wouldn't change my life with them for anything, but it is sooo nice to have a little break sometimes. Besides, I know their dad is taking good care of them anyway," Holly said.

"Why don't we go to Pencarrow House and Gardens?" Liz suggested. "We can get the bus there and have a wander around inside."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rachel said, struggling to her feet, "and it doesn't sound like too much effort is required, which is even better."

"Admission is quite reasonable too," Jen said, reading the brochure they'd picked up earlier at the tourist information centre. The bus dropped the girls at the gates of Pencarrow House, where they walked a mile along the magnificent drive through an Iron Age hill fort.

The mansion that is Pencarrow House stood before them in all its majes
tic glory.

"Wow," Liz gasped. “I
magine actually living in a house like that."

"It would be a total nightmare," Holly said, "imagine all the dusting and cleaning you'd have to do."

"This house has been in the Molesworth-St-Aubyn family for the past five hundred years," Rachel interjected, "there's so much history in those walls."

"Apparently, John Molesworth, who originally lived in the house, was Auditor for the Duchy of Cornwall and Queen Liz the first," Jen read aloud to them from the brochure.

"I can't wait to have a look inside," Holly said, "I love having a nose around other people's houses. Will and I used to travel around to different towns every Sunday just to investigate the show houses on new housing estates. It was such fun and I got so many tips on interior design." "Well, let's see what you can discover in Pencarrow," Liz said, leading the way inside.

The first room the girls entered was the Music Room.

"Gosh, look at the detail," Jen said, pointing at the rococo ceiling which depicted the four seasons.

The panelling was decorated in fine mouldings of birds, fruit and flowers. The Drawing Room was their next discovery. Holly was in awe of the beautiful Chinese silk which covered the suite. Apparently, the silk was taken from a Spanish treasure ship in 1762.

"It might be a little out of my price range," she grinned, touching it gently.

There was a very expensive Collard and Collard piano in the room, on which Sir Arthur Sullivan composed much of Iolanthe when he stayed at the house in 1886. Next was the Pink Bedroom, which contained a George the fourth four-poster bed.

"I wonder what sort of antics they got up to in that bed," Rachel said irreverently.

"Rachel!" Liz exclaimed.

There were many family portraits in the dining room, most interesting of which was the one of Sir John Molesworth, hanging above the mantlepiece. He was co-founder in 1771 of the banking house Sir John Molesworth and Company, the forerunner of the modern-day Lloyds Bank. The Boudoir was the personal sitting room of the lady of the house and looks south over the Italian Garden.

The girls enjoyed a very civilised afternoon tea in the tea rooms, before heading out again to explore the breathtaking gardens. The fifty acres of garden include the Italian Gardens, lovely lawns with magnificent specimen trees, woodland walks and lots of flowering plants and shrubs. Rachel was particularly interested in the flowers. The whole garden was ablaze with camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as primroses and daffodils.

It was a beautiful myriad of colour. The gardens were designed and laid out by Sir William Molesworth, between 1831 and 1855. Sir William said that he planted a specimen of every conifer, except for ten. Lt. Col. Sir Arscott Molesworth-St-Aubyn extensively restored and replanted the gardens which had become derelict during and after the Second World War. Sir Arscott planted more than one hundred and sixty different species of specimen conifers, more than seven hundred rhododendron hybrids and more than sixty different camellias. Rachel was in awe at the amount of dedication and love that had been put into the gardens.