Page 4 (1/2)
CHAPTER ONE
GRACE BRUSHED THE snow from her shoulders as she ducked in the back door of the exclusive Ar hotel in Chelsea, London It was just after six in the , the streets were still dark and she could see her footprints in the snow outside
Frank, the senior concierge, carin lit up his face as he saw her looking at the snow outside ‘Finally,’ he muttered as he shook the snow fro To Look A Lot Like Christave her a nudge ‘You’re too young to remember this one’
She raised her eyebrows ‘Frank, you should know, I know every version of every Christ that’s ever existed’
They walked into the changing rooo for? Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, or Michael Buble?’ She started singing alongside hi brown hair up into a loose bun and tied on her white chambermaid’s apron over her black shirt and skirt
Christreat randmother in the little flat they’d shared in one of the poorer parts of London But what they didn’t have in wealth, they’d certainly made up for in love This would be her first Christran and she was deterran would never have wanted that for her
Frank slid his ar the buttons ‘I swear this thing shrinks every night when I put it into my locker’
Grace laughed and closed her locker, walking over to Frank and pulling his jacket a little closer across his wide girth, helping hi the whole tih ‘I wish those words were true’
Frank frowned as he glanced at his reflection in the nearbydown the lower corridor of the hotel together She shrugged ‘I wish it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ She held out her hands ‘Because it certainly isn’t in here’ She gave a shake of her head ‘I don’t get it All the other big hotels in London have huge Christarlands and holly wreaths everywhere’
The Ar hotel was part of a luxurious chain across the world Locations in London, Paris, Tokyo, Roularly used by statesmen, politicians, rock stars and Hollywood celebrities They were the epitolamour, renowned for their exclusivity, personal touches and attention to detail It was a far cry from the small flat that Grace lived in and over the past fewhow the other half lived their lives She knew one pop star that never laundered their underwear and instead just threw them away A politician who had a secret interest in romance novels and a statesman that only ate red-coloured candy
They reached the stairway up to the main reception Frank held the door open for her and pressed his lips together But now Grace had started, she couldn’t stop ‘I mean, I know this place is exclusive, but the ave another shake of her head ‘They just look—wellcold’
Frank sighed as he headed over towards his granite-topped desk He spoke quietly as he glanced around the reception area Everything was sleek and shades of black or grey ‘I know’ His eyes took in the sn on the main reception desk
The Ar wishes youa Merry Christmas
It was the only concession to Christer on the desk in front of hi used to have beautiful Christhts All exclusive All extortionate But they added colour to the place Vibrancy’
Grace started to autolanced upwards ‘So, what happened?’
Frank paused for a second before finally answering Her gaze narrowed Although she’d only been working here a few hly professional, good at his job and for the guests who returned ti,’ he said finally
Grace frowned She wanted to ask es, Frank had always been the soul of discretion It was unlikely she’d get any more out of him
She waved her assign around here I could sprinkle some Christmas fairy dust’ She held out her hands and spun around ‘Sohts up here, solass doors How about soe pile of beautifully wrapped presents in the little alcove, just as you go through to the bar’ She stopped spinning, closed her eyes and held her hands to her chest For a few seconds she could actually see in her head what this place could look like The welcome The warmth The festivities
Frank let out a wry laugh ‘Keep drea, Grace’
Her eyelids flickered back open Grey Sleek Blackness everywhere She leaned forward across Frank’s desk ‘I could even make this place smell like Christmas Cookies Cinnamon sticks Cranberries Pine trees and Christmas spices And not from some tacky candle’
Frank arched an eyebrow and leaned over towards her ‘There’s a lot to be said for candles And I’s packed up in the basement somewhere’ He shook his head ‘But I doubt very ave her a careful nod ‘You should take soood use of them’
She gave a half-sirls that she was on her own Grace didn’t like people feeling sorry for her But Frank had only the best of intentions She knew that So, she couldn’t be offended by his good intentions In fact, she was quite sure that soht actually dress up as Santa
Truth hile The Arest asset was actually the staff There were no ‘bad pennies’ as her gran used to call them
Everything here was luxurious Fros, the Michelin-starred restaurant, even the heavy-duty stationery that her daily work assignment was printed on
It was a world away fro with the Maids in Chelsea agency had been a blessing in disguise When her grand battle with cancer, Grace had realised it was tiran had been the biggest part of her world For a few years she’d only ed to take te full-tiht not be ood and her work colleagues had turned into the best bunch of friends a girl could have
As it was one of London’s exclusive hotels, work at The Aruests that stayed here per businesses always had rooms on hold for their overseas visitors A few of the suites seeuests
In the space of a few h scandal and impropriety to keep the tabloid presses in headlines for the next year But confidentiality was part of the contract for Maids in Chelsea—and she would never have breathed a word anyway