by Allen, Anne
Since being on the island, Louisa had made several calls to Margaret to keep her up to speed. Her aunt had been cautious about her trip to meet Malcolm, saying she didn’t want Louisa to face more hurt. Meaning rejection. Now, back at the hotel, Louisa phoned her with the latest news.
‘Hi, Margaret. How are you? Good, I’m fine. Malcolm’s invited me to stay at the centre and I’m moving there tomorrow. And I can have any therapies I want!’
‘That sounds lovely, dear. I’m quite jealous! How long will you stay there?’
Louisa chewed her lips. ‘I don’t know. A week or two, maybe. Malcolm’s hired a private detective and he wants me to try hypnosis to see if I can remember more about that…that man. I’m a bit nervous but will give it a go. The session’s booked for tomorrow afternoon…’ She went on to tell Margaret about the meeting with John Ferguson.
‘That’s wonderful news, Louisa. What happens if this man is found? Won’t you need to identify him?’
‘I guess. I couldn’t at the moment, but let’s hope I remember something under hypnosis.’ She sighed. ‘One minute I feel quite upbeat about things and the next I feel I’m back to square one. I keep seeing Mum…’ Her voice caught on a sob.
‘Oh, darling! It does take time, I know. Try to focus on the good times you had with your mother. Remember that wonderful laugh of hers that got everyone else in the room laughing too?’
Louisa forced herself to think back. The memory that flashed into her mind was their last Christmas party at home. People milling about, glasses in hand, while conversations reverberated around the large sitting room. Then her mother, apparently having been told a joke or funny story, suddenly burst out in her deepest, fullest belly-laugh, and a tsunami of laughter spread around the room, leaving no-one immune. Louisa herself had joined in, even though she hadn’t a clue what was funny. The memory brought a reluctant smile to her lips.
‘Thanks. That helps. I’ll remember that next time I’m feeling weepy.’
‘There’s no shame in shedding a few tears. You need to grieve, Louisa. But allow yourself to laugh, too. It’s what Susan would have wanted.’ Louisa heard the catch in her voice and felt ashamed. Her poor aunt had lost the two most important people in her life in the past year and yet here she was trying to cheer her up.
‘Look, when I return to London how about if you come down for a while? We could catch some shows or visit museums. Whatever,’ she said.
‘I’d like that, but let’s wait and see how things pan out for you first. Will you let me know if the hypnosis works?’
‘Sure, no problem. Take care and I’ll ring soon. Bye.’
By ten o’clock the next morning Louisa was packed and ready to leave the hotel. She had enjoyed one last swim before breakfast, giving her an appetite for the full English on offer. After settling her bill she loaded up the car and drove off towards La Folie. The sun was playing hide and seek behind the clouds, making the day feel cooler than of late and she switched on the heater. Ten minutes later she parked her car and carried her case into the entrance hall.
‘Hi, Louisa, it’s good to see you again,’ called Nadine from behind the desk. ‘Leave your case here and I’ll get it taken up to your room. Are you looking forward to your stay? Your father’s insisted you have one of the best rooms,’ she added, with a grin.
‘That’s nice, I could get used to being spoilt,’ she replied, smiling at Nadine whose curls seemed even bouncier today. ‘Is…is Paul about? I think I have to arrange any therapies through him.’
Nadine checked the rota. ‘He’ll be free in half an hour and I’m sure he’ll want to have a chat with you. I know you’re not here as a regular guest, but if you want any therapies, Paul needs some info to provide the right package. Mind you, you look pretty fit to me,’ Nadine said, looking her up and down.
Louisa smiled. ‘I am pretty fit, thanks, but there’s always room for improvement, isn’t there? Do you have a brochure with some details?’
‘Sure.’ Nadine reached into a drawer and brought out a glossy, gold-edged brochure bearing a watercolour picture of La Folie on the cover.
‘Mm, nice. The artist has managed to create a very welcoming look. Still, artistic licence and all that…’ They both giggled.
‘Well, nothing could be done to change the front but it’s a lovely house inside now. Mr Roget spent a ton of money on it, you know, and I think he wants it to be one of the top ten centres in the world,’ Nadine said, lowering her voice, as a guest clad in the ubiquitous white towelling robe walked past.
Louisa nodded, pleased that her father had set his sights so high. Pampering, here I come!
Nadine must have pressed a hidden button as a young man, hardly more than a teenager, and dressed in white T-shirt and trousers, arrived to escort Louisa to her room.
‘Hiya, Miss Canning. I’m Doug and I run all the errands around here, so anytime you need anything, you just let me know.’ His perfect white teeth dazzled against a non-English tan as he shook her hand. Then he grabbed her case, giving the impression it was as light as a feather. His voice had an accent similar to Malcolm’s.
‘Morning, Doug. Are you Canadian, by any chance?’
He started to ascend the broad, sweeping staircase, beckoning her to follow him.
‘Sure am. My pa’s a friend of Mr Roget and suggested I came over here to work for him. Gain some experience from a past master of the hospitality industry.’
As they ascended the stairs, Doug explained that one day he hoped to manage a hotel as his father had for Malcolm, but in the meantime thought he’d try working in a health centre. Arriving at the first floor, he headed off left towards a door at the end. Louisa guessed it was at the back of the house and hoped it would have a sea view. Doug unlocked the door, bearing a nameplate showing the word Serenity inscribed in flowing letters. He ushered her inside before following with her case, placing it on a stand. Louisa walked across the expanse of cream carpet to the window, a large bay reaching almost to the ceiling.
‘Wow! What a view,’ she cried, gazing over the garden towards the cliffs and the sea beyond.
‘Sure is,’ he replied, coming to stand near her. ‘Right, ma’am, the en-suite’s through here if I may explain how to work the shower?’
She followed him into a spacious wet room, with soft cream tiling and a teak bath and vanity unit. The walk-in shower boasted an enormous shower head and no visible controls.
‘It’s remote controlled…’ he said, running through the brief instructions. After ensuring she was happy with everything, he left. Louisa moved around the bedroom, letting her fingers slide along the golden maple wood of the four-poster. Looking up she admired the damson and gold silk canopy echoing the silk throw on the bed. She sat down gingerly, always wary of hotel beds, but was delighted with a comforting bounce. After stroking the smooth ivory bed linen, as soft as silk, Louisa walked around, touching the linen covered sofa, the intimate table with two chairs near the window and the dressing table and chest of drawers. A bowl of subtly scented pot pourri sat on the chest, a faint waft of frangipani filling her nostrils. The honey-toned maple furniture glowed against smooth, soft-toned walls. She couldn’t resist stroking a wall; as smooth as marble, it reminded her of the polished plaster walls found in Moroccan houses. One wall was filled with the mirrored doors of a fitted wardrobe large enough to hold all her clothes from home. But for her the pièce de résistance was the bay window, framed in fine, pale gold silk curtains, and offering the most magical view. Sighing contentedly, she had just started unpacking when the bedside phone rang.
‘Oh, hi Nadine. Thanks. Please tell Paul I’ll be down in five.’
She quickly hung up the rest of her clothes and threw her undies into a voluminous drawer. Glancing quickly at her reflection in the mirror, she ran her hands over her hair to smooth it before leaving to meet Paul. Her pulse quickened as she ran down the stairs, eager to see him again.
He was waiting at the b
ottom of the stairs, his face uplifted to follow her descent. The sun chose that moment to peek out from the clouds and his blonde hair took on a golden hue. She stifled a gasp as for a nanosecond, a halo of light framed Paul’s head, creating the illusion of an angelic being, clothed in white. Shaking her head, she saw him return to his normal physical self. God, I’m going doolally. Taking a deep breath, she joined him in the hall.
Paul’s face split into a wide smile. ‘Hello again. Welcome to La Folie. Everything okay with your room?’
‘It’s perfect, thanks. What happens now?’ she asked, not feeling entirely calm as yet.
‘Let’s go to my office and we’ll chat about the therapies you’re interested in. Won’t take long.’
Once in his office, they sat in chairs arranged in front of a desk. Paul asked her to fill in a questionnaire, saying he needed to know if she had any medical problems before she had any treatments. Glancing at her answers, he said, ‘You must be one of the healthiest guests we’ve had so far. You’re free to have whatever you want.’
Louisa smiled. ‘Great! I’d love to learn how to relax and I’ve heard good things about meditation. And perhaps some aromatherapy?’
‘I teach the yoga and meditation classes so how about joining us? The next class is tomorrow morning at nine. We start with some gentle yoga exercises and finish with a short meditation. Sound okay?’
‘Fine.’ She shifted in her chair. ‘Do you know anything about the hypnotherapist I’m seeing later? I’m a bit nervous…’
‘Molly? She’s lovely. Not at all scary and I’m sure you’ll get along fine.’
‘Thanks for that. Oh, are there any restrictions on the use of the pool?’
He explained the opening times and she got up to leave, asking, ‘Do the staff live in? Only it doesn’t seem big enough for both staff and the guests.’
‘Just me, everyone else lives at home. With the island being so small no-one has to travel far. And I need to be here for safety reasons. I live in one of the converted tower attics, enjoying 360° views,’ he replied, flashing a big smile.
She cleared her throat. ‘Lucky you. Well, I’ll see you around.’
She walked up the passage to ask Nadine where she would find Molly later. Opting for a quick walk before lunch, she nipped upstairs for a sweater before heading out to the garden, hoping to see some of her fellow guests. The brochure had stated that the centre catered for up to twenty-four guests in the dozen “individually styled, luxurious rooms complete with superb, hi-tech bathrooms.” Well, she thought, stepping outside, if my bedroom’s anything to go by, I can only agree. The brochure also quoted the aim of La Folie Retreat and Health Centre was to “provide a full and personal programme of treatments to promote the healing of Mind, Body and Spirit. We offer peace and seclusion away from the stresses of the modern world and advise our guests that we do not provide televisions in their rooms and respectfully suggest that mobile phones and laptops are left at home.” Reading that last bit had made Louisa feel guilty about her own mobile and laptop, but decided that as she wasn’t a regular guest then she could ignore the request. Still, she fully approved of the centre’s ethos and could see why people in the public eye might want to seek refuge here.
In the garden she spotted a woman about her own age heading in her direction. The other guests she’d seen so far had been much older so, as the woman came closer, Louisa stuck out her hand, saying, ‘Hello, I’m Louisa and I’ve just arrived.’
The other woman, a tall, slightly overweight brunette with a look of sadness about her, stopped and shook hands. ‘Charlotte. I’ve been here a week so you could say I’m an old hand,’ she answered in a husky, well-spoken voice.
‘How are you getting on? De-stressed yet?’ Louisa asked, with a grin.
‘I’m feeling tons better than when I arrived, but…’ she shrugged.
‘Sorry, didn’t mean to pry–’
Charlotte waved her hands. ‘No problem. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have…issues to address, would we? And it’s nice to have someone to chat to; I’ve been a bit of a hermit since I arrived.’
‘How long are you staying? Hope you’re not rushing off just as I’ve arrived.’
‘Oh, don’t worry. I’m here for a while yet. Were you off on a walk? Fancy some company?’
They fell into step with each other, setting off in the direction of the kitchen garden around the pool. Louisa stole a glance at her companion as they chatted. It was obvious even to her uninformed eyes that Charlotte’s clothes were designer label and her hair beautifully, and expensively styled. But she seemed friendly and happy to talk. But only about the usual British safe topics of the weather and what they did for a living. Nothing too personal. She said she was “in publishing” and looked surprised when Louisa mentioned she was a physiotherapist.
‘Isn’t being here a bit like a busman’s holiday for you?’ she asked, eyebrows raised.
Louisa laughed. ‘Not really. Here, I’ll be the one receiving treatment, not giving it. It will be a chance to chill out and recover…’ she trailed off, not wanting to say more.
‘Of course,’ Charlotte nodded her agreement. ‘And why not? We all deserve to be spoiled sometimes.’
Louisa noticed she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but her ring finger bore a white mark where one might have been. Perhaps someone else with something to hide? She had agreed with Malcolm that it was best that other guests did not know she was his daughter. The knowledge might create awkwardness for all concerned. If a guest mentioned seeing her with him, she planned to say he was an old family friend. That much, at least, was true. The staff were to treat her as a normal guest in public.
By the time they had finished their walk it was not only time for lunch, but the women were behaving like old friends, automatically sitting down together at a table in the dining room.
‘I can recommend the food here, Louisa. It’s superb; I believe Chef was poached from a top hotel. And, thankfully, it’s not at all fattening,’ Charlotte said, patting her stomach. ‘I do need to lose a stone, which is one of the reasons I chose this place. Didn’t want to be starved but I do enjoy tasty food that will still help me to lose weight.’ She looked across the table at Louisa. ‘Not something you have to worry about, is it? You’ve a lovely figure.’
She mumbled her thanks, saying her work kept her trim. During the meal Charlotte mentioned that she lived in London and Louisa admitted that it was also her home town, leading to an animated discussion about the merits of the city as a place to live.
Charlotte got up to leave at one thirty, saying she had a massage appointment, and they agreed to keep an eye out for each other. Swapping room names, it appeared that Charlotte was in Peace and they both said how apposite the names were. And so much nicer than a mere number. Louisa’s appointment with Molly Ogier was at two o’clock and she went upstairs to change into joggers and sweatshirt. Even her preferred jeans seemed too formal for the laid-back atmosphere of La Folie.
In spite of Paul’s reassurance, Louisa felt apprehensive as she made her way to the room set aside for Molly. Her hands felt moist as she knocked on the door, nervous about what she might remember of that awful day.
chapter 13
The door was opened by a smiling, cuddly woman of about sixty, with grey hair wisping around her broad face.
‘Hello, you must be Louisa. I’m Molly. Do come in.’
They shook hands before Molly indicated a reclining chair placed not far from her own seat. Picking up a pad and paper, Molly gave her an appraising look.
‘Malcolm has explained what happened to your mother. Please accept my condolences. I do understand that you might well be anxious about meeting me, not wanting to have it all raked up again.’ Molly paused and Louisa saw the compassion emanating from her eyes as they held her gaze. She started to relax a little.
‘No I don’t, but…’ she shrugged.
‘I understand,’ Molly said. �
�But we need to try and jog your memory about the man you saw that day, or anything else that might be helpful to the investigation. We can take our time, there’s no pressure to come up with anything immediately.’
Louisa felt somewhat reassured. She had visualised the kind of questioning carried out in the interviews in television police dramas. Silly, she knew but…
‘Okay.’ She managed a small smile.
‘Good.’ Molly went on to describe the process of hypnosis, or a self-induced deep state of relaxation as she put it. She explained that in today’s session she wouldn’t be asking Louisa to recall anything, wanting only to take her through the process to see how she responded. A trial run, she called it.
Louisa breathed more easily. She had a reprieve!
Molly asked her to lie back in the recliner and close her eyes. She then began to talk to her in a soothing voice and Louisa felt her body relax first, to the extent that she could no longer feel it. It was as if she existed only in her mind, and even that was being slowly seduced into a state of utter peace.
Twenty minutes later she opened her eyes, gazing unfocused at Molly, as she returned to full awareness. ‘That was great, Molly! Not at all like I expected. I heard everything you said. Or I think I did!’ she laughed.
Molly’s eyes twinkled at her. ‘You relaxed very well. We’ve made a good start and next time I’ll guide you into an even deeper state, ready to uncover those missing details.’ She reached for her diary. ‘Would Monday morning suit you? Say eleven? I don’t work at weekends.’