Page 3 of A Winter By the Sea
The man scowled, leveling a suspicious glare at her. “Who told you? The news is not yet public.”
“I... That is, our...”
Sarah squeezed Georgie’s hand to forestall her, not wanting to cause any trouble for Miss Stirling.
“It is only natural that such good news should travel quickly through town,” the secretary said, clearly trying to smooth things over. “General Baynes, or the property agent, or the tradespeople we’ve contacted might have mentioned it.”
“Very true,” Sarah said. “It is an exciting prospect.”
Mamma added, “An honor for us all.”
The captain huffed before continuing. “Their Royal Highnesses shall reside in Woolbrook Cottage with as many attendants as the house can accommodate, which unfortunately is not all. The duke travels with a large suite of servants, advisers, et cetera. We have also rented a house in Fortfield Terrace for the upper staff, but we need accommodation for a few others. We understand you run a sort of boarding house here.”
“Yes,” Mamma agreed. “Although we prefer the termguest house.”
He ignored that. “How many rooms have you available?”
They all looked to Sarah.
“We have six guest rooms,” she said. “Seven if we include a small adjoining chamber. Three rooms are now occupied, but all save one shall be available come the end of the month.”
Their current guests included a Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, who shared one room, while their twin sons slept in the adjoining chamber. The family planned to stay with them through October. Mr. Hornbeam was their other guest, and as far as Sarah knew, he had no plans to leave.
“How soon would you need accommodation?” she asked the men.
“Not until December.”
“Would you like to see the rooms?”
Captain Conroy waved a dismissive hand. “No need. I amsure they will suffice for lower staff. Proximity to Woolbrook is key. I estimate we shall need an additional three or four rooms.”
“And the specific dates?”
“Yet to be determined. Mr. Thomson here will write and apprise you of all pertinent details once arrangements are finalized.”
Sarah hesitated. They were to hold in reserve four rooms with no specified arrival date? She was tempted to protest, to say they could not promise to keep rooms available without guaranteed dates, but Captain Conroy’s fierce expression dampened her courage.
Besides, as Mamma had said, things had been quiet and guests few. The prospect of three or four rooms occupied for the entire winter was an opportunity they could ill afford to jeopardize.
“Very well,” Sarah said. “We shall await your instructions.”
2
John Wallis, proprietor of the Marine Library, was not one to miss a chance to be able to add the prefix ‘Royal’ to his establishment.
—Nigel Hyman,Sidmouth’s Royal Connections
With Viola’s exhortation echoing in her mind, Emily walked to the Marine Library to speak to Mr. Wallis, respected local publisher and bookseller.
The slight, bespectacled widower in his forties possessed a thin, intelligent face. Single females flocked to his circulating library, but Emily had never seen him show romantic interest in any of them. His attention seemed firmly fixed on his two sons and his many publishing ventures.
While other women cooed over his tales of famous visitors, Emily had always been more interested in the authors he’d met over the years. During the twelvemonth the Summerses had lived in Sidmouth, Emily and Mr. Wallis had enjoyed many conversations about books and authors. Surely the man realized how well-read she was. Was Viola right? Might he be willing to allow her to edit future works for him, perhapscorrecting galley proofs when they arrived from the printer? If so, she would enjoy earning a little money of her own while learning all she could about publishing.
Reaching Wallis’s establishment, Emily tentatively entered. The jingle of the library door usually gave her a thrill of pleasure. Not today, however. She was too nervous.
Inside, she looked at the desk and among the shelves of games, maps, and periodicals. She saw neither Mr. Wallis nor his usual clerk. Instead, she saw only the older of his two adolescent sons, sitting on a stool, idly swinging his feet.
Perhaps Mr. Wallis had gone upstairs for something and would return any moment.
