Page 37 of The Missing Sister

‘I know, and the worst thing is, I have to live with her forever.’

‘Oh, come now, Star, it was obvious from the start that you fell in love with High Weald too.’

‘Of course I did, and yes, it will be worth it when it’s finished. Anyway, far more urgently, please tell me what exactly you have planned.’

‘If all goes well, it should be a most pleasant way to pass the time,’ Orlando said. ‘We will arrive, unpack, then wander downstairs separately to take a light lunch in the Foyer restaurant that overlooks the entrance. Having researched all the flights that took off last night from Toronto, there are only four that our Mrs McDougal could be on. They all land between half past noon and three p.m. I have drawn a map of the ground floor at Claridge’s. We will choose where we sit accordingly, so that we can espy the entrance and anyone who checks in to the hotel with luggage between those hours. Look.’ Orlando dug a sheet of paper out of his ancient leather briefcase and pointed out the entrance, the Foyer and the reception desk drawn neatly onto it. ‘When we check in, we must make sure to reserve tables in the restaurant with the best view.’

‘But there may be any number of women arriving in the entrance area between those times.’

‘We know that Mrs McDougal is in her late fifties – although she looks younger – and is slim with blonde hair. Plus, her suitcases will have airline luggage tags on them.’ Orlando produced another piece of paper from his briefcase. ‘This is a picture of the tag that would indicate Merry has travelled from Toronto Pearson. The airport code is YYZ.’

‘Okay, but even if we do manage to spot her and her luggage, how will we introduce ourselves?’

‘Aha!’ said Orlando. ‘You can leave that part to me. But of course, I must first introduce myself officially toyou,’ he said, dipping once more into his briefcase and handing Star a beautifully embossed business card.

VISCOUNT ORLANDO SACKVILLE

FOOD AND WINE JOURNALIST

Orlando had put his mobile number at the bottom of it. ‘Viscount?’ Star smiled. ‘Food and wine journalist, eh?’

‘I feel I jolly well could be, given the amount of fine fare and quality wines I have ingested over the course of my life. Besides, my brother is a lord, so me being a viscount is not too much of a stretch.’

‘Okay, but how is you having a business card going to help? And how did you get these printed so quickly?’

‘Ways and means, my dear girl. The printing shop down the street knows me well, and as to how it will help, I simply took into account everything that you have told me. I looked up The Vinery, and it tells me the proprietors are Jock and Mary McDougal. The business was started in the early eighties and is now one of the region’s most successful vineyards, mainly selling wine within New Zealand, but also beginning to sell in Europe. In other words, given that New Zealand wine did not appear on any dining table further afield than Australia up until a few years ago, Jock and Mary McDougal have built up a business they must be very proud of.’

‘Yes, but her husband – Jock – died a few months ago.’

‘Exactly, and you have told me that their son Jack is taking over from where his father left off. If he is currently in France learning from the masters of the craft, it is easy to deduce he is aiming to grow the business further. Agreed?’

‘Probably, yes.’

‘Now, from what I understand of human nature, I do know that the maternal instinct normally overrides any other. Therefore, Mrs McDougal will wish to give her son any help that she can.’

‘And?’

‘What better than to bump into a food and wine writer whilst staying at Claridge’s? Especially if he has an “in” with the well-known food and wine magazines and newspaper columns in Great Britain.What such an article could do for our vineyard, she thinks to herself.And for my beloved son.Are you getting the gist now, Star?’

‘I think I am, yes. So, in a nutshell, you’re going to introduce yourself to her as an aristocratic journalist – how you may get that introduction, I don’t yet know – and then ask her if she’d be happy to be interviewed by you about her vineyard.’

‘And her son, too, as he is the new official proprietor. It is patently obvious to me that we need to find some way of making contact with Master Jack to help establish further facts about his younger sister. For example, we have no idea if he too is adopted. Mummy dearest is bound to give me his contact details.’ Orlando clapped his hands together in glee. ‘Isn’t it brilliant?’

‘It’s pretty good, yes, but where exactly do I come in?’

‘Well, I need Mrs McDougal to feel reassured that I am not some charlatan trying to gather information about her surreptitiously. Therefore, after I have spotted her, then introduced myself at the reception desk, you will stand up from your table and walk past us. I will turn and stare in surprise. “Why! Sabrina!” I shall say. “What on earth are you doing here?” I will ask as we kiss each other politely on each cheek. Then you will reply that you’re up from the country with your husband, doing a little light shopping. You will ask me to join you for drinks in your suite tonight at six p.m. I utter, “Delighted to,” and you go on your way, having told me which suite you’re in,’ Orlando added. ‘If all goes well with our little charade, Mrs McDougal will be convinced of my excellent credentials and social gravitas, which will warm her up for when I ask her for an interview.’

Star breathed in deeply. ‘Goodness, I really do have to act! I hope that I can pull it off without saying something that will give us away.’

‘Do not fear, Star. I’ve made your part short and sweet.’

‘But when are we actually going to get to the crux of the matter? I mean, when do I come clean about who I am and why I’m masquerading as Lady Sabrina in an enormous suite?’ she asked as the train pulled into Charing Cross station.

‘As you said earlier, this is not an Oscar Wilde play, dear Star, merely a real-life improvisation. We will have to see whether we get past the first hurdle, which is spotting her entering the hotel and me being able to entrap her before she can escape to her room. There are many imponderables that I simply cannot take into account, but let us go one step at a time, shall we?’

‘Okay,’ she sighed as they left the train to head to the taxi rank and she felt her stomach turn over.

‘Oh my goodness!’ Star exclaimed as the general manager – who had shown them to her suite personally – left the sitting room. ‘Isn’t this amazing?’