Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [46]
She had a quick shower and put on the black and red dress and a lot of makeup.
Teddy the maître d’ was surprised to see her when she arrived at Anton’s.
“You’re a stranger round here, Lisa,” he said with his professional smile.
“Too busy thinking up marvelous ideas for this place, that’s why,” she laughed. In her own ears her laughter sounded brittle and false; she didn’t much care for Teddy. Tonight, though, she was going to establish her place in this restaurant. Anton would see how brilliant her scheme was; she wasn’t even remotely nervous about meeting him and explaining her new plan.
“And are you dining here, Lisa?” Teddy was unfailingly polite but very focused. There was no room for vagueness in Teddy’s life.
“Yes. I hoped you could squeeze me in. I need to talk to him about something.”
“Alas, full tonight.” Teddy smiled regretfully. “Not a table left in the place.” They were having a special event, he explained, a four-for-the-price-of-two night in order to get the word out about Anton’s. Of course it had been April’s idea.
“The place is packed out tonight,” Teddy said. “There’s a wait list for cancellations.”
This was not what she had come to hear. She had come here to give Anton news about how to change the downward spiral.
“But I really need to talk to him,” she insisted. “I’ve got a great idea for bringing in new business. Look, Teddy,” she continued, becoming aware that the shrillness in her voice was attracting attention, “he’s really going to want to hear my ideas—he’s going to be very angry if you don’t let me see him.”
“I’m sorry, Lisa,” he said firmly. “That’s just not going to be possible. You see how busy we are.”
“I’ll just go back into the kitchen and see what Anton has to say about that …,” Lisa began.
“I think not,” said Teddy firmly, stepping smoothly to one side and gripping her elbow. “Why don’t you telephone tomorrow and make an appointment? Or better still, make a reservation. We’d love to see you here again, and I will certainly tell Anton you called in.” As he spoke, he was guiding her firmly towards the door.
Before she knew what had happened, Lisa found herself outside on the street, looking back at the diners, who were staring at her as if hypnotized.
She needed to get away quickly; turning on her heels, she fled as quickly as her too-tight skirt would allow her.
When she was able to draw breath, she pulled out her cell phone to call a taxi and found, to her annoyance, that she had let the battery run down. The night was going from bad to worse.
And then it started to rain.
The house was quiet when she let herself in but that didn’t make it any different than usual. Here there was no conversation, unless Katie had come on one of her infrequent visits. Lisa hoped that no one was going to be there tonight. She was in luck. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, there was just silence about the house, as if it were holding its breath.
And that’s when it happened. Lisa saw what the newspapers would have called “a partially clothed woman” come out of the bathroom at the top of the stairs holding a mobile phone to her ear. She had long, damp hair and was wearing a green satin slip and nothing much else by the look of her.
“Who are you?” Lisa asked in shock.
“I might ask you the same,” the woman said. She didn’t seem annoyed, put out or even embarrassed. “Are you here for him? I’m just ringing a taxi.”
“Well, why are you ringing it here?” Lisa asked childishly. Who could she be? You often heard of burglars coming into a house and just brazening it out with the householders. Maybe she was part of a gang?
Then she heard her father’s voice. “What is it, Bella? Who are you talking to?” And her father appeared at his bedroom door in a dressing gown. He looked shocked to see Lisa. “I didn