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ROSEMARY AWOKE THE next morning to the sound of knocking on the suite door, and for a moment couldn’t figure out where she was. She grinned at the sight of the sunlight peeking through the drapes and hopped out of bed to open the door for the hotel maid. It seemed a touch out of the norm for the girl to be stopping by so early in the day, especially considering the sign on the door clearly stated “do not disturb,” but Rosemary let her in anyway and roused a grumbling Vera from sleep.
“I can come back if you’re still sleeping, miss,” the maid said when she took in Rosemary’s disheveled appearance.
“No, no. Come on in,” Rosemary replied, slightly annoyed but trying hard to keep the irritation out of her voice. “We need nothing at the moment, but you can make up the beds if you’d like.”
“All right,” the maid replied. “I’m Charlotte. Holler if you need anything else.” She approached the bed and then, instead of simply making it up as Rosemary had instructed, stripped the blankets and sheets and tossed them into a pile on the floor.
Anna had come out of her part of the suite and watched Charlotte with wide, incredulous eyes. When the girl moved on to her room before remaking Rosemary’s bed, Anna’s expression turned sour. Like a hawk, she watched while the maid did her duties, but didn’t say anything. If her mistress was unhappy with the service, Rosemary would make the necessary complaints herself. That didn’t mean, however, that Anna intended to keep quiet entirely.
“I can’t believe her,” she exclaimed once Charlotte had retreated with her loaded cart and was safely out of earshot. “And I really can’t believe that Miss DeVant allows for that kind of service. When I was a chambermaid at the London Grand, we were held to a much higher standard. In fact, it was drilled into our heads that we were to be neither seen nor heard. She should have left when she realized you weren’t ready and come back when we were all gone. That’s the proper way.”
It was more than Anna usually had to say, and it surprised Rosemary to hear the timid girl speak so candidly. Vera laughed, though her voice sounded thicker than usual. “They can’t all be like you, Anna dear,” she said with affection. “Though I have to say, I agree with you. I could have slept another hour, at least.”
“She must be new, that’s the only explanation. New, and improperly trained,” Anna continued, her brow still furrowed in irritation. She believed that whether one enjoyed one’s job or not, one ought at least to do it properly. Not that she had any complaints about her own employment; Rosemary took great care of her, and she realized exactly how lucky she was. It made her want to go above and beyond, which in turn earned Rosemary’s favor. A symbiotic relationship, not that Anna would have put it in those words, that pleased them both. Charlotte, on the other hand, didn’t appear to possess the same sort of drive to please. For what reason, Anna couldn’t guess, but she was intrigued and vowed to watch the girl carefully.
“Do you have any plans for today, Anna?” Rosemary asked, changing the subject. With less to do for her mistress, the girl could enjoy a half-holiday, at least. Anna assured her she’d arranged to meet up with some people she’d met down on the beach the evening before and tottered off to ready herself, forgetting about Charlotte as other more pleasant thoughts invaded her mind. “Unless, of course, you need me,” she said, almost as an afterthought.
Rosemary brushed the suggestion aside. “Nonsense, Anna dear. The staff is quite capable of caring for our basic needs. The only thing I’d like is for you to try to keep our personal possessions organized; you know how messy Vera gets with her wardrobe, and her ill concern for her belongings always seems to extend to my own.” Rosemary aimed a sideways look at Vera, but as usual, it contained more mirth than irritation.
How the woman managed to get away with acting the way she did was beyond Rosemary’s comprehension, but she guessed it had something to do with the kind heart that lay beneath the seeming insensitivity. “Otherwise, you’re free to do as you please. We are on holiday, after all, and I want you to enjoy yourself. Just be careful.”
Anna thanked her mistress profusely, dressed and readied herself quickly, and went on her way after bidding Rosemary and Vera goodbye. The spring in her step brought a smile to Rosemary’s face, but evidently, Vera had a different opinion on the subject.
“Mark my words, that girl has met a boy she fancies,” Vera said once Anna exited the suite. She sneezed, a dainty noise that sounded more like the squeak of a mouse, and her eyes widened. “I do hope I’m not catching a cold. We’ve only just arrived!” she said, and then returned to the subject at hand. “Did you notice how prettily Anna made herself up? I do hope she’s careful.” Had Vera realized just how maternal she sounded, it would have shocked her to the core.
“She’s a big girl,” Rosemary assured her. “She can handle herself, and God help the man who tries to take advantage of her with Freddie and Des around. I fear we’d have to defend my brother’s good name a second time.”
Vera nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. He certainly can be quite chivalrous. When he feels like it, of course. Still, the men here aren’t like the men at home, and Anna is young enough yet not to see the difference.”
Rosemary thought about that for a moment and found the notion more concerning than she had before. It might have been Vera’s flair for the dramatic, but she wasn’t wrong that Anna was still quite naive when it came to the workings of men. “Perhaps you’re right,” she sighed. “We’ll need to keep our eyes on her, but there’s nothing much to be done about it right this very moment. How much trouble could she really get into?”
“Plenty,” Vera snorted. “I realize you were the picture of propriety at her age, but times have changed. Luckily, you have me. I can smell a love affair from a mile away.”
Rosemary found it amusing that her friend considered herself schooled in that area but failed to notice the romance burgeoning right beneath her very nose. She supposed it had something to do with people being able to see clearly the entanglements of others while remaining blind to their own.
Determined not to worry about Anna any more than absolutely necessary, the women readied themselves for another day amongst the sunshine and olive trees.
A lazy afternoon ushered in the evening while Rosemary and her friends lounged on the beach. She watched as a group of children splashed around in the warm seawater, thoroughly enjoying themselves and causing a tiny ache in her chest. Children were one of life’s great gifts, and she was no longer certain if she’d be blessed with any. Still, she enjoyed watching them while they ran back and forth with boundless energy.
It didn’t seem to matter that, due to the diverseness of the island guests, several of the little ones spoke different languages; they appeared unhampered by the barrier of language, all laughing jovially together. Rosemary thought the world would be a much better place if adults could come to the same sort of understanding.
When they finally packed up and headed inside, it was nearly dinnertime, so once again, the women were expected to hurry up and meet the men at the bar. Vera scowled at Frederick the third time he reminded them to hurry and nearly shoved him out of the lift when it stopped on his floor.
“She’s going to hurt you, Fred, if you don’t leave off,” Desmond warned with a laugh. The operator closed the doors on Frederick’s response, which was probably for the best.
Up one more floor they went, Rosemary relishing the thought of removing her shoes and taking a long soak in the tub despite her brother’s urge for speed.
“Hold the door,” a voice called just as the gate closed once more. “Oh bother,” Cecily said with a frown that turned upside down when she realized who occupied the lift.
“Rosemary dear, how are you enjoying your stay?” Cecily included Vera in her query with a wide smile in the woman’s direction.
“Very much, indeed,” Rosemary replied.
Vera snorted and leaned in conspiratorially. “So much so that we may never go back home!”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Cecily said as she pressed the button to summon the lift. “I’ll be standing here for fifteen minutes before he returns.” She grimaced, swapping a slim envelope of a purse that didn’t quite coordinate with her casual outfit from one hand to the other. “I suppose I ought to take the stairs. You dear young things have a wonderful evening.”
“Wait,” Rosemary replied as Cecily made for the stairwell. “Why don’t you come in for a drink?” she offered.
Cecily raised an eyebrow and then let out one of her tinkling laughs. “I wouldn’t dream of turning down that offer.”
Once inside the suite, she set the purse down next to the bar cart and served all three of them dirty martinis as though tending bar was part of her job description.
“I was sorry to hear about your loss, Rosemary,” Cecily said, referring to Rosemary’s late husband. “From what I’d heard, the two of you were quite the couple. A private investigator, your mother said he was.”
“Yes,” Rosemary replied, “he was. He was a wonderful man, and the world is a darker place without him. Life goes on, though, does it not?”
Cecily nodded, her eyes taking on a faraway expression as though she might know more about tragic losses than she let on. “It certainly does,” she said lightly, and then abruptly changed the subject to Rosemary’s mother.
Once Rosemary had assured her that her mother was thriving, Cecily proceeded to tell one or two childhood stories about her friend. The sort dear Evelyn might have wished never to come to her daughter’s ears.
“—and once we were safely on the other side of the fence, Evvie pelted the poor groundsman with the rest of the green apples she’d tucked into her skirts. Lucky for us, I suppose, as I’m certain we’d have become quite sick from eating them.”
Thankful for the rare glimpse of her mother as a young girl, Rosemary asked for more stories until Cecily declared it was time to get back to work.
“That horrid estate agent Mr. Wright is just full of complaints this evening. He’s requested my presence in his room so many times you’d think he was trying to seduce me.” Cecily laughed at the image of herself cozying up to the plump, bald-headed man.
“He does seem rather demanding,” Rosemary agreed.
Cecily snorted. “More than demanding, and he’s been here for weeks, pestering my staff and me to our wit’s end.”
Vera snorted. “At least he’s a guest rather than one of the staff. He’ll have to check out eventually, won’t he?”
At that, Cecily threw back her head and laughed. “I’ll drink to that!” she said and lifted her glass before downing the last of the martini in one gulp.
“In my line of work, I wake up in strange hotel rooms more often than my own bed,” Vera said, waving her tumbler towards Cecily, “so you must take it as a compliment when I tell you that you have turned the Aphrodite Sands into a fine establishment.”
Nodding her head, Cecily thanked Vera, then went on to say, “We’re a bit short-staffed at the moment. Two of our maids left us recently to get married. We seem to have had a run on holidaymakers striking up a romance with the staff. Our second porter took a tumble on the beach and needs another few days to recover, and Gloria is sharing the bulk of the receptionist duties with the other girl, Margaret, and we’ve had to train one of the buffet attendants to man the desk during the slower times.”
Vera made sympathetic noises and Rosemary patted Cecily’s hand. “One would hardly notice the lack.”
“You’re too kind. I know poor Charlotte falls down on her duties. She’s something of a lost soul, and I’ve had to make certain allowances for her, though I do expect a great deal from all of my people. Hotel of Lost Souls might have been a more apt name for the place, as we seem to attract workers with tragic pasts.”
Cecily fell silent for a rare unguarded moment, and her face fell into lines of the worry and fatigue she kept carefully hidden. The poor thing, Rosemary thought, she’s working herself half to death.
“You do find the work rewarding, Cecily? Mother will ask how I’ve found you, and I’d like to be able to report back that you’re happy.”
“What?” Cecily put a hand to her hair. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry if I’ve given you the wrong impression. I love my work, and this hotel has become home to me, the workers like family, foibles and all. It’s just a frightful amount of work sometimes dealing with so many people. Not all of our guests are as easy to please as you.”
“Yes, the irascible Mr. Wright.” Vera’s lips twisted, and she shook her head. “He who wishes to contact the owner and make his complaints directly. How shocked he would be to learn he already has.”
“Oh.” Cecily smiled conspiratorially. “Mr. Wright has an ulterior motive of which he is certain I am unaware. He’d be even more shocked to learn I know exactly why he remains immured in a suite in a hotel he insists is not up to his standards.”
Always one to relish a juicy piece of gossip, Vera encouraged Cecily to spill the details. “Do tell.”
“Now, now, you know it wouldn’t be seemly to tell tales on a guest. Not even one as frustrating as he is. Still, one does what one must.” Cecily smiled. “Now, I must get back to work. Thank you, ladies, for lightening my mood. It would be lovely if neither of you had to check out. Have a good night!”
She waved goodbye at the door and left the suite, a lighter spring in her step than had been there before.
