School ReYOUnion

Chapter Five

The Fort Lodge is a place that I've always drove past and thought I'd really love to go in there one day. I mean, it's virtually on mum and dad's doorstep, but it's not a place for your average local, put it that way.

It's exclusive.

It's posher than posh.

An high-end establishment.

It's just somewhere that I've never gotten round to ever checking out, which is an awful thing for a local girl like me to admit. Not that I'm feeling short changed about it or anything. I have stayed in some pretty impressive places in my time. My work has afforded me that luxury. What I do, often takes me away from my home in Minchinhampton, so I get to stay in many different hotels in many different places. So when I am home, that is just where I love to be—home.

But now that I am here, standing outside of The Fort Lodge; yeah, I have to admit that it really is in a league of its own. Set right within the Cotswold countryside, it truly is a charming country lodge. The greenest ivy, beautifully coats the pretty frontage of the grade 2 listed Georgian house, making it so splendidly inviting.

Just having a quick gander all around of me, the mature woodland and the landscaped grounds that the hotel is so gorgeously nestled within, are something that I find to be just as impressive and just as inviting. I really must bring my mum and dad here for afternoon tea, I happily muse to myself while I'm taking appreciative and ladylike strides inside of the rather lovely lodge. With womanly confidence, I approach the main reception. "Morning, I'm here to see Mitch Heston? My name is Rebecca Adams, he's expecting me." With the same confidence, I have a brief little nose around the inside of Fort Lodge. It's elegant and luxurious, decorated and furnished in shimmering golds and silvers, looking every bit as decadent as I thought it would be.

"Mr Heston is indeed expecting you, one of our porters shall escort you up to his suite, Mrs Adams." The well-spoken young man tells me, quickly followed by one of his obligatory hotel reception smiles.

"It's actually, Miss." I quickly correct him, watching that obligatory reception smile literally fall from off his polite and well-meaning face.

"Okay then, Miss Adams, Mr Heston is ready for you." With that, he motions for a porter to come straight over. "Could you please take Miss Adams up to the King Henry suite?"

Nodding just the once, a much more mature looking man, with the name Robert boldly printed on his name tag, kindly starts leading the way to the lifts. Once he has politely ushered me in first and the doors swiftly close, I wonder whether I should start making a little small talk, but by the time I have made up my mind that I will, the lift doors are already opening again and Robert is wanting me to step out of it. "It's just down here," he says with a warm and professional smile.

It's only as we get closer to the King Henry suite, do I actually begin to feel a little anxious about seeing Mitch again. Which is completely and utterly ridiculous. I'm a business woman. I have met with men and women who make Mitch Heston look like candy floss in human form. So I quickly sweep aside those anxious thoughts that I am so stupidly now having and just knock on the door. "Thank you." So caught up in my slightly anxious thoughts, I belatedly call out to the porter who had just so kindly escorted me here. Robert glances back over his shoulder at me, gently waving, but I don't have time to react, because the door is soon opened by the very smiley and welcoming Mitch Heston.

"Rebecca, thank you for coming." Moving back from the door slightly, he is eager to get me inside. "Can I get you anything?" He asks as I begin to enter the very stunning and very lavish King Henry suite.