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Alice sighed. She doubted it. She realised she’d been so intent on getting away and taking her pets with her that she just hadn’t thought it through. Cats didn’t like to be taken away from their home, the environment they were used to. She imagined that Marley would not like this one bit.
‘And once you’ve seen the vet, you’re going to feel a whole lot better.’
Alice brightened. Now, that was true. He might even be a different cat.Here’s hoping, she thought when she heard Marley hissing as Gerald opened the door to her room.
‘Oh, this is lovely. Absolutely lovely.’
Gerald put the suitcases on the patchwork quilt covering the double bed and paused to look around the spacious top floor room with its two cottage windows in the eaves. The room was painted white, with a beamed ceiling and matching rattan furniture. The wooden floors and rugs gave it a homely, rustic feel. Alice liked it – a lot. She didn’t recall having stayed in this room years earlier. Maybe the attic had not been converted at that point.
‘This used to be my older sister’s room,’ Emily said. ‘She’s moved out now – well, years ago.’
Gerald smiled. ‘Yes, she certainly had the room with the best view. I know you couldn’t wait for her to move out so you could have this room.’
It sounded to Alice as though there was an age gap. That explained why Gerald was an older parent. And why, being the eldest, Emily’s sister had had the best bedroom.
‘Yeah – but that didn’t happen.’
Although Alice saw that Emily was smiling, it sounded as though the bedroom had become another guest bedroom instead of passing to her, which probably hadn’t gone down well. But then, glancing around the spacious, airy room, with the expensive room rate, she imagined it was one of the best bedrooms in the house.
Gerald just smiled at his daughter. He clapped his hands together. ‘Now, if there isn’t anything else, I promised your mother I would start preparing the evening meal.’
‘But I thought Mum was doing that when she got in with the shopping?’
‘She had some extra bits and bobs to collect, so she asked if I’d make a start and keep an eye on it.’
‘Oh.’
Alice glanced at Emily, realising that if there was an appointment available with the vet that afternoon, Gerald wouldn’t be able to take her either. She watched him walk out of the room and close the door.
Emily shrugged. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort something out,’ she said. ‘Won’t we, sweetie?’ she said to the cat.
Alice looked at Marley, who was staring out of his cat carrier at the room beyond. He turned his back on them.
‘Oh, don’t be like that,’ said Emily. ‘You’re going to enjoy your little holiday, especially once you’ve been to see the vet.’
As if he understood every word, Marley turned his head, looking back at her and hissed.
‘Marley!’ Alice admonished him.
Emily stood up. ‘Don’t worry, he’ll feel better soon. Now, about your room key. Can I just show you the lock? It’s a bit fiddly.’
Alice joined her at the door and handed her the key.
‘My half-brother used to have the room along the hall.’
‘You’ve got a half-brother?’
‘Yes, sorry, don’t know why I said that. Mum lost her first husband when my half-brother and sister were very young, then she remarried, and had me.’
‘So, you’re the baby of the family.’
Emily’s smile faded somewhat. ‘Yeah.’
‘They’ve done a grand job of doing it up. I remember when it was in its original state. I don’t think the top floor was even habitable.’
Alice put Percy’s bird cage down on the dressing table so that he had a lovely view of the cove. She glanced at Hester, who was running around the room, sniffing the carpet. She imagined, even though she could detect no doggy smells in the room herself, that Hester could still smell the pets who had been there before her.
‘You’ve stayed here before?’
