Chapter 3

Double doors led to the drawing room, which was the brightest, airiest room in the house. The wall that faced the cobbled street outside was simply panes of glass that ran, uninterrupted, from floor to ceiling. The lush vegetation in the garden immediately beyond the windows and the overhanging canopy that shaded the veranda helped keep the room cool, even in the most sweltering summer sun. There was a fireplace on one side of the drawing room, a bulky edifice mostly for show, and a handful of plump chairs and overstuffed loveseats dotted the room. Shelves lined the walls, displaying shells Marien had gathered from the beach and books Eduard hadn’t bothered to read. This was where the van De Liers met with guests, where Marien held her social teas on Sunday afternoons, where Eduard had entertained the governor-general one raucous evening that had led to him bedding a swarthy Indian administrator.

Ah yes.He threw the doors wide, a smile already in place. Good times.