The Garden Arms Hotel was closed. Doors locked tight. Staff paid off. Sheets covered the tables and buffets, the bar had been draped in old curtains. A sign in the window stated a reopening date two weeks hence, when renovations had been completed.
James would be disappointed the hotel couldn’t open. Rosalie whispered apologies to his memory. Renovations, at least, were not a lie. John and Mr Michaels would start soon on clearing pipes, cleaning spouts, replacing rotting wood and weakened floorboards. Honora and Bridie, who’d refused to leave, were in the kitchen, cleaning.
Thudding on the staircase brought Rosalie from her reverie. She hadn’t been able to shake off the melancholia of the night before. Today, Flora and the twins were leaving. She’d put on a brave face, hoping it might se
