She nodded. ‘Rory and I have been together for six years. It’s been so sad. For Edgar, for Rory and Alex. Olivia too, of course. I like her a lot. She was so kind to Rory, I know. I’m sorry about your mother, Eliza. Rory told me about her. And about the fight with your godmothers.’

Eliza’s surprise at all Milly knew must have shown.

‘He didn’t go into detail,’ Milly said. ‘And you don’t need to tell me any more if you don’t want to.’

Eliza realised she did want to talk about it. Here, unexpectedly, with this kind-eyed, curious stranger.

Afterwards, Milly was sympathetic. Not to Eliza. To her godmothers.

‘The poor things. It must have been so difficult for them not to tell you the truth all these years. I can only imagine how guilty they’ve felt.’

‘You think my godmothers felt guilty about me? Or about breaking the promise to my mother?’

‘Both, perhaps. I don’t know Olivia very well, but I know from Rory she’s a good person. Perhaps she and your other godmother have wanted to tell you everything, but felt they couldn’t. You were so young when it happened, Eliza. They must have been in an impossible position.’

Eliza wasn’t ready to be sympathetic to them yet.

‘It’s not that simple,’ she said. ‘There was so much they could have told me. They chose not to. Not just about my grandparents. About my mother. My father too.’

‘Why didn’t you ask them yourself before now?’

‘I didn’t feel ready. I was waiting for the right time. The right circumstances.’

Milly gazed at her, then raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s not that simple,’ Eliza said again.

‘Isn’t it? Rory tells me off for being an amateur psychologist, Eliza. He’s right. I don’t have any qualifications. But sometimes I can’t stop myself from saying what I see. Especially when there are two sides to a story, but no one will talk about them. Look, I can shut up if you want me to.’

Eliza hesitated, then shook her head. ‘Please say it.’

‘Take Rory and Alex. Their father always wanted them to love the hotel as much as he did. All they’ve ever wanted to do was other things. Perhaps one day they’d have told him that. But three years ago, the same day he told them about his diagnosis, he asked them both to stay on at the hotel. Of course his news was tragic. But it was also textbook emotional blackmail, don’t you think? Even so, they both obeyed him. They’re still obeying him. Out of love. Respect. Perhaps even some guilt. Even though it’s the last place either of them wants to be.’

Eliza was taken aback at all Milly was telling her. ‘Does Olivia know that?’

‘I don’t know how much Olivia knows,’ Milly said.