As Sarah came down the long staircase to the bottom floor of the house, she could see muted morning light coming in through the tall windows in the parlor to her right. To her left, in the dining room, she spotted Jessica Lodge already at the table with her cup of hot tea to one side and the morning papers spread out before her on the table. At the sound of Sarah’s footsteps, Jessica looked up and smiled.
“Good morning, my dear. Are you well rested?”
Sarah nodded. “Yes, very, thank you.” Over the past however many days—she had lost count somewhere along the way—she had come to feel like a favorite granddaughter making an extended visit in her grandmother’s large house.
“Well, sit down and have some breakfast, and we can decide where we should walk this morning.”
Sarah pulled out a cha
