Page 54 of Not Exactly Mr. Darcy
Liv glanced at her grandmother, who nodded, then back at Liam. “Do we need to check with the owner to make sure this is okay with him?”
“He’s fine.”
“He is?” Liv’s eyebrows shot up, and he realized what he’d said.
“I mean, he will be.”
George shot him a look.
“Yes, he’s a little shy and doesn’t like parties, but he wants the place to open, so I suppose we’ve got to expect things like this if we’re to compete.”
Liv nodded. “That’s exactly it. We might all know that Hartbury Hall is amazing, but we are competing for the tourists who are going to want to spend their time and money at the big places like Chatsworth or Highclere Castle, places that already have the profile and the money. But we can’t discount the fact that we have had a production ofPride and Prejudicefilmed here.”
The woman certainly loved harping on about the same thing, didn’t she?
“I’d like to suggest we get in a professional photographer who can take good photos that we could use for the website. And if we’re clever, we could use the same photographs for brochures, and create postcards and calendars and pens and fridge magnets and all those things that people love to take home as mementos. Those kinds of things can have a nice markup on them, so ultimately, we’d be paying off the services of the photographer much sooner than what you might think.” She glanced around the table. “Any thoughts?”
“I love it,” George said.
“Good idea,” Tobias said, and her grandmother agreed before glancing at him.
Liam shrugged. “I get the feeling you just want to spend money all the time.”
Liv’s eyes widened, and then she pressed her lips together. She took a sip of water as his sister kicked him under the table.
Child. “Look, I have pointed out before, many times, in fact, that our budget is extremely small.” Like close to nonexistent. “We don’t have thousands of pounds to be spending willy-nilly on things.”
For a second Liv’s lips twitched with what looked like amusement—at the willy-nilly comment, no doubt. Then she drew in a long breath and faced him. “I understand that you would like us to open the Hall and gardens and have thousands of visitors come and have all that happen for free.” Her voice was tight. “And while some of us are prepared to work for nothing, other people have mortgages to pay and children’s mouths to feed, so they deserve to be paid fairly.” Her eyes flashed. “I’m not asking anyone to throw good money away, but my experience suggests that we need to spend some money on marketing, even if it’s for a basic website, until we can afford the you-beaut versions of places like Highclere.”
Maybe he was a sucker for a passionate woman, but he really liked how animated she got, as much as some of these quirky expressions she used.
“Well said.” George applauded Liv, then turned to Liam. “Come on, Liam. Give the woman some credit. She’s working here for free. You can’t argue with that.”
“I appreciate it,” he said stiffly.
Liv’s expression said she didn’t believe him. And yes, he knew he had to try a little harder. Shewasworking hard. For free. She didn’t have to do this at all. Whereas he did.
“Thank you.” He managed to sound more gracious this time. “I really do appreciate your efforts. Truly.”
Her chin dipped. “I’m honestly trying to do this as cost-effectively as possible. And I know nobody likes to spend money. Which is why stuff like social media can be such an easy way to start building awareness. It’s free.”
That was something. Yet the thought of people going on social media and connecting him with Hartbury Hall filled him with trepidation. Heartbreak Hall, the place had been called in the past.
“So I’m keen to do what we can to build awareness,” she continued. “Oh, and that reminds me, I got a call today from a local newspaper that wants to come and do an article, and—”
“No.”
“No?” She looked shocked. “Don’t be silly. We need the media to come on board and be on our side. Don’t worry, it won’t cost anything.”
Only what little privacy he’d managed to find. He pushed back his seat. “I don’t want to talk to the media.”
“But—”
“No. You need to cancel it.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Because you’re camera shy?” She snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”
He shook his head. “I’m not prepared to speak to anyone.”
