A boy, eleven or so, turned. He was with a young woman in a business suit. Eliza walked over, crouched down, laughed at something he said and then came back.

‘You made a friend on the flight?’ Olivia asked.

‘A lifesaver, to be honest.’

‘I can’t wait to hear all about him,’ she said. ‘Tonight, over dinner.’

As they drove into the city, Olivia watched with pleasure as Eliza marvelled at everything. The silver light in the sky. The terraced buildings. The glimpses of the Castle. The cobblestones, the spring growth on the trees in the city parks, the hills in the distance.

As they reached the Montgomery, the clouds cleared. The stone of the hotel momentarily glowed. The ivy covering the middle building was a light spring green. The glass of the windows sparkled.

‘It’s beautiful, Olivia,’ Eliza said. ‘I’d forgotten just how beautiful.’

Olivia took her in through the staff entrance. Alex was on the front desk today, and she didn’t want Eliza meeting him yet. She knew some of what had happened between him and Eliza all those years ago. It hadn’t surprised her. Alex had always been too aware of his charms. It was a shame Rory was away at that craft fair today. He’d at least remembered Eliza was arriving, asking Olivia to apologise for his absence and to offer his services as a tour guide.

‘You know I’m hoping that Eliza will fall in love with one of your stepsons and live with you forever,’ Maxie had said the last time they spoke.

‘I’m not sure Rory would make a good husband, even if Milly wasn’t on the scene. He’d wander off and forget he was married. And Alex would probably cheat on her before the honeymoon was over.’

The Iris suite was on the third floor of the first terrace. It was Olivia’s favourite in the entire hotel. Where she and Edgar had spent their wedding night, in fact. Not that she’d let Eliza in on that piece of the Montgomery’s history. She opened the door with the heavy key – no modern key cards yet – and stood back as Eliza walked into the centre of the room.

She was wide-eyed. ‘Are you serious? This is for me? Shouldn’t it be kept for your VIP guests?’

‘You are our VIP guest. I actually had a suite in mind for you in our private wing, with an even better garden view. But it’s still unfortunately occupied by a certain Celine.’

‘Your guest from hell? When do I get to meet her?’

‘As soon as your jetlag passes. My advice is to make it last.’