Chapter 55

“Hey, this is quite nice. When she called it the ‘Rose Room,’ I was envisioning violent cabbage rose wallpaper and scads of pink doilies.”

Danny chuckled. “No, Martha doesn’t go in for fuss. In the summer though, she adds a huge vase of flowers from her rose garden. And you know I like roses.”

Now it was Evan’s turn to laugh. “Even if they are ‘a somewhat tawdry cliché,’ right?” Evan added, mimicking Nessa’s disapproving voice.

“Come on, I want to see if you like your room.” He led the way across the hall and unlocked the Iris Room. It overlooked the gardens, which at this time of year still sported an impressive collection of tulips, daffodils, and masses of tiny grape hyacinths. The room itself was done in pale shades of lavender with dark purple accents. The furniture and drapes were white and the bedspread and rug were dark purple. Evan walked around the room slowly, ending at the window where he looked out at the gardens.