Alice-Miranda and her parents spent the rest of the afternoon sailing remote-controlled boats in the inaugural Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones family regatta. In the end Hugh managed to beat his daughter, taking out the championship by just half a boat length. Cecelia told him off for being so competitive but Alice-Miranda said that she didn’t mind a bit. Her father had better skills and that was that.

As the late afternoon sun slanted through the trees and warmed Alice-Miranda’s face, she told her mother and father that she couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day. Hand in hand the family walked out of the park and back across Fifth Avenue to their temporary home, where they found Mrs Oliver midway through making dinner.

‘That smells delicious.’ Alice-Miranda sped through the hallway to the kitchen.

‘Yes, it does, if I might say so myself,’ Mrs Oliver replied. ‘How was your day?’

Alice-Miranda pulled over a stool, and used it to climb up onto the end of the kitchen bench. She sat with her legs dangling in the air as she told Mrs Oliver every last detail.

‘Saints preserve us, slow down and take a breath, young lady,’ Mrs Oliver tutted. ‘From all that, I’d say you’ve already befriended half of New York City.’

‘Oh no, Mrs Oliver, that’s just silly. There are over a million people in Manhattan alone and I only met about twenty of them today.’ Alice-Miranda stared up at her.

Dolly Oliver shook her head and smiled. ‘But if I know you, at the end of four weeks that won’t be the case.’

Alice-Miranda offered to set the table for dinner. Dolly had spent the afternoon perfecting a huge pork loin with the crispiest of crackling, baked potatoes and honey-glazed carrots, sautéed green beans with slivered almonds and a homemade apple sauce to top it all off.

For dessert there was chocolate pudding with praline ice-cream.

‘That’s an awful lot of food just for us,’ Alice-Miranda remarked as she busied herself finding cutlery and carrying it through to the dining room next door.

‘Your mother invited Mr Gruber to dinner,’ Dolly replied, as she stirred the thick brown gravy on the stovetop.

Alice-Miranda dashed back to the kitchen to locate the salt and pepper pots. She pulled a pair of crystal shakers with shining silver tops from the sideboard and grabbed an extra knife, fork and spoon while she was there.

‘Thank you, darling girl,’ said Mrs Oliver to her young assistant. ‘Now, why don’t you run along and have a bath and pop one of your pretty dresses on.’

‘That sounds like a very good idea,’ Cecelia Highton-Smith agreed as she entered the room, fresh from the shower herself.

‘You smell delicious, Mummy,’ her little daughter remarked.

‘Thank you, darling.’

Cecelia Highton-Smith wore a smart pair of white trousers and a lovely deep-aqua silk blouse. Her patent aqua pumps were perfectly matched.

Dolly Oliver glanced at Cecelia as she pulled the potatoes from the oven. ‘That’s a great colour on you, ma’am.’

‘Thank you, Dolly. I rather like it too. Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘No, it’s all under control. Alice-Miranda set the table and the dinner’s almost done,’ Mrs Oliver replied.

Cecelia busied herself locating a bottle of champagne from the wine cooler in the walk-in pantry. Being fourteen floors up, it was a little tricky to have a cellar attached to the penthouse; instead, Cecelia’s great-grandfather had included a very large walk-in butler’s pantry off the kitchen. The recent renovations had included the installation of a wine fridge and climate-controlled ‘cellar’ for the reds.

A plate of smoked salmon and chive crème fraîche blini and another of the tiniest roast vegetable tarts were transported by Mrs Oliver to the sitting room where the family would gather before the main meal.

‘Now Dolly, can you join us for a drink before dinner?’ Cecelia asked as Mrs Oliver walked back into the kitchen having delivered the trays.

‘Why not?’ the old woman grinned. ‘Everything’s under control in here and I just have to serve up when we’re ready. So long as you don’t mind, ma’am?’ Mrs Oliver enquired.

‘Oh Dolly, you’re family. And it will be lovely to catch up with Gilbert and find out what on earth has been happening here,’ Cecelia put her hand gently on Mrs Oliver’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

‘Don’t go worrying yourself about the store.’ Dolly reached over and patted the younger woman’s hand. ‘Cecelia, if I may say, dear, you are the most organised person I’ve ever met. You could run a country, never mind just the Highton’s empire. In fact, if I think about it, Highton’s and all its staff around the world probably are equivalent to a small country.’

‘Thank you, Dolly,’ Cecelia smiled. ‘You always know just the right thing to say.’

Dolly winked at Cecelia. ‘I learned that from the little one.’

At exactly 7 pm the buzzer rang, signifying the imminent arrival of Gilbert Gruber. Alice-Miranda, in a pretty white dress tied in the middle with a large lemon bow, ran to the hallway to greet their guest. The elevator bell chimed and the doors slipped open. Mr Gruber barely had time to exit the compartment before the tiny child rushed forward.

He bent down and Alice-Miranda pecked him on the cheek.

‘Don’t you look gorgeous, young lady,’ Gilbert admired. With a pirouette of his right index finger, Alice-Miranda twirled like a ballerina. ‘You’re getting taller, my dear. I’m sure that you’ve grown at least an inch since last I saw you.’

‘Well, that’s silly,’ Alice-Miranda giggled. ‘I only saw you last night. I couldn’t possibly have grown an inch.’

‘Oh, you cheeky little thing – I meant since I saw you at Christmas at the Hall,’ Gilbert replied. ‘But your mother is always sending photographs and news about your exploits. I hear you’ve made quite an impression on that school of yours.’

‘I love it!’ Alice-Miranda beamed. ‘It’s beautiful and I have the most wonderful friends and the teachers are so clever.’

‘It must be taking quite a deal of courage to come here and try a new school, even if it is just for a month or so?’ Gilbert Gruber leaned down to meet Alice-Miranda’s gaze.

‘Oh no, not at all. I can’t wait to start tomorrow. And besides, it’s not as if I don’t know anyone. I mean, the headmistress is one of Mummy’s best friends. I’ll miss everyone at home but it’s not permanent and really there aren’t too many girls who have the opportunity to try out school in another country.’

Gilbert Gruber smiled at this child with her cascading chocolate curls and eyes as big as saucers. He’d known her mother and aunt since they were small girls too, but he couldn’t help marvelling that Alice-Miranda seemed to have inherited the elegance of her mother with the no-nonsense, loving heart of her aunt.

‘That’s a very handsome tie, Mr Gruber,’ said Alice-Miranda, admiring the old man’s green polka dot bow tie. Bow ties were his signature look and she couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t wearing one.

‘Thank you, dear. I rather like this one. And I have something for you.’ Gilbert passed Alice-Miranda a beautifully wrapped parcel. ‘And I thought your mother might like these.’ In his other hand was a stunning bouquet of roses.

‘Thank you. May I open it later? I want to share the surprise with everyone.’

‘Of course you may,’ Gilbert Gruber replied. ‘All right, lead the way.’

Alice-Miranda took him by his free hand and together they walked down the hallway to the sitting room.

‘Gilbert, darling, how are you?’ Cecelia Highton-Smith walked through from the dining room just as the pair arrived.

‘These are for you. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady,’ Gilbert winked. Cecelia leaned forward and kissed the old man on both cheeks.

‘You know you don’t have to bring gifts,’ she frowned. ‘But they are stunning. And if I didn’t know better I’d say that they’re an apple blossom pink hybrid tea rose called Audrey Hepburn.’

‘I’m impressed. You certainly know your roses, Cecelia,’ Gilbert smiled.

‘Thank you, Gil, but I’ve cheated a bit. That’s the variety I was planning to fill the ground floor with for the opening,’ Cecelia replied.

‘Oh Mummy, that will be heavenly,’ Alice-Miranda said.

Hugh Kennington-Jones entered the room from the hallway. ‘Ah, there you are, Gil, I thought I heard the elevator. How are you?’ He strode forward and the two men shook hands.

‘All the better for seeing this one,’ said Gilbert, glancing down at Alice-Miranda.

‘Well, she’s kept her mother and me on our toes today,’ Hugh smiled.

‘You’ll have to tell me what you got up to over dinner,’ Gilbert invited.

‘Be warned, Mr Gruber, once she gets started you’ll be hard pressed to stop her,’ Mrs Oliver added as she joined the group.

‘Hello Dolly, lovely to see you.’ Gilbert kissed Mrs Oliver on the cheek.

‘And you too, Gilbert. You must be relieved that the renovations are almost complete,’ Mrs Oliver commented.

‘Absolutely. This has been the longest six months of my life and the staff are very keen to get the doors open again.’

The unmistakable sound of a popping champagne cork got everyone’s attention.

Hugh Kennington-Jones poured four flutes and filled another with pineapple juice from the small bar cabinet in the corner of the room. Cecelia delivered the drinks to Gilbert, Dolly and Alice-Miranda.

Hugh proposed the toast: ‘Here’s to a wonderful reopening and a fantastic time in New York!’

‘Hear, hear,’ the rest of the group chorused.