Page 41 of Wilder at Heart
As we walk around the Walled Garden, it strikes me what a perfect choice this is for Saoirse to marry in. The magic I’m feeling must be thanks to the incredible alchemy the team here has created by weaving a chic luxury resort with an abundant biodynamic farm. It’s positively idyllic. And totally unpretentious, despite operating firmly at the top end of the luxury hotel market. The kind of place you could walk around barefoot.
The Montague wouldn’t have cut it for Saoirse. This is much more her vibe. The more I see, the more my mind races. I can imagine her marrying Miles in the Walled Garden with wild flowers in her hair. And I wouldn’t put it past her to go barefoot.
‘Where do most of your wedding ceremonies take place?’ I ask Evelyn. ‘Here?’
‘Some of them. Often we erect a marquee on the south field. But because you guys are taking over the whole resort, we can have so much more fun with this. I’d suggest the ceremony and drinks reception in the Walled Garden, if the weather is looking decent, and then dinner and dancing in the Oast House. We can hopefully have all the doors open, and people can spill out ontothe courtyard. You should see what Siobhan can do with this place.’
‘I’ve seen!’ Saoirse claps her hands together. ‘She’s shown me so many photos. And obviously we saw her handiwork at the Christmas event, where Miles and I kissed for the first time.’ She gazes up at her fiancé, whose eyes go practically all pupil. I assume he’s having some good memories right now. Theo makes a barfing noise and I prod him in the stomach with my fingers. Rock hard. No surprise there.
‘My first event for the farm was right here.’ Evelyn gestures around the garden. ‘It was the same time of year as your wedding will be—July. And I had Siobhan come down and do it all. It was so gorgeous. We had a huge trestle table along the side of the pool. Tonnes of blue and white delphiniums and hydrangeas. It was perfection.’
‘It was magic,’ Siobhan agrees. ‘We have so many options. The sky’s the limit.
Evelyn gives us the full tour. The kitchen garden, the lavender fields, which will be in full bloom by July, the orangery, with its gorgeous indoor pool and spa, and the massive Oast House, which used to house kilns for drying out hops and which still sports distinctive, conical roofs. These days, it’s the hub of the resort, a double-height space with an open kitchen and rows of French doors open to the charming courtyard outside. I could sink into one of those comfy sofas and quite happily spend the day here with a pot of tea and a good book.
‘We’ll book in a time for you to come back down and do a full tasting menu,’ Evelyn tells Miles and Saoirse. ‘You guys know from your stay here that everything comes from the farm and the menus are driven by seasonal produce.’
She takes them over to the kitchen to say hi to Zoe, the chef, and Theo and I wander out into the courtyard.
‘Does your family own any resorts like this?’
‘Nope.’ He stretches. ‘More’s the pity. Metropolitan hotels only.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘I think they wanted to forge an area of expertise. And those buildings are high-value assets that work hard. Something like this is a totally different ball game.’
‘But is it attractive to you? As a business, I mean? A resort like this?’
He glances around us. For a weekday lunchtime, the courtyard is busy with ladies who lunch, business meetings and families who are presumably holidaying here.
‘Yeah.’ He nods slowly. ’Seriously interesting. My family’s trying to fill its city hotels, and places like this are booked up months in advance. I really think all the travel restrictions over the past couple of years have got people valuing their staycations. And the super luxury hotel sector in the UK is on fire—prices have skyrocketed. And they’re still fully booked.
‘Also.’ He gestures at some of the people having lunch. ‘I bet most of these guys are members. So you have a recurring revenue base from that, which is exactly what I was trying to sell to my dad for New York. And you heard what Saoirse said about how amazing it is at Christmas. It’s got something for every season. So, yeah. I think it’s fucking fantastic what they’ve done here. Seriously interesting.’
‘You guys should buy it.’
I’m not sure why I said that. I don’t usually shoot my mouth off without thinking, but seeing Theo fired up about the opportunity put the idea in my head. I mean, I know he has his heart set on Manhattan. But there’s something about this place that gets the creative juices flowing. That inspires the sense of possibility. I feel it, too. One little tour and I’m bursting with ideas for the wedding.
Theo laughs. ‘Evelyn doesn’t look like someone who needs money to me.’
‘That’s because she and Seb Macleod were minted before she even set foot in this place. The farm was really struggling before she came on board—it’s run by her oldest friend from school, who’s married to Zoe, the chef they’re chatting to. Evelyn ended up selling her stake in Seb Macleod Ltd and taking a thirty percent stake in Sorrel Farm instead.’
Theo looks down at me over his sunglasses. ‘I didn’t know you knew her so well.’
I flush. ‘I don’t. I’ve met her a few times, and let’s just say she intrigued me. So I did some reading up on her.’
‘A Class A stalker, aren’t you?’
‘Shut up. It’s all public knowledge. Anyway. My point is, I don’t think they’ve had any investment since Evelyn got on board, unless she’s pumped more money in. So maybe there’s a window there for some kind of strategic partnership. I dunno. Just thinking out loud.’
‘Never, ever stop thinking, sweetheart. I’m getting very fond of that brain of yours.’
Theo closes the gap between us and folds me into his arms just as the others emerge into the courtyard. I let my arms go around his waist and clasp my wrists behind his back as I nestle my head under his chin and inhale the scent of sunshine on skin.
CHAPTER 17
Theo
