Elle had some inkling of this as she flicked on the outdoor lighting the night the garden was finally finished. The trees immediately lit up as though thousands of fireflies had alighted in their branches. Everyone else was quiet, as though in awe. She felt that more than anywhere else, the spirit of their mum truly resided here, in a place where Anna could still watch over her guests, listen to whispered secrets and see people enjoying the beauty of her wonderful hotel.

Perhaps that’s why Elle had the sense that they had done something that would outlast them all, and she believed that it was the jewel in the hotel’s crown to date.

Colin agreed to take over the day-to-day maintenance of the garden. He was often in conversation with Elle about what needed to be done, what would look best where and so on. She had an inkling that sometimes he simply wanted to seek out a quiet spot to write or read, but she couldn’t complain. She trusted that he would keep it beautifully, just as she trusted him with her beloved sister. These days he was part of the furniture, and would be central to the future of the hotel.

Chapter 43

With the garden finished, Penny decided that it was time for a celebration of sorts, or at least something to help keep spirits up and restore flagging limbs.

So she, Colin and Ned finally went down to Main Street and called at Ryan’s Antiques.

Wally was smiling as they entered the shop. ‘I have to say I had no idea why my father didn’t sell these.’ There was an uncomfortable moment as everyone could almost see the euro signs flashing in Wally’s eyes. Clearly he’d done some research on the value of the collection in the meantime. He led them out to the box of records, which he’d dusted off out at the back and laid out in the interim.

Turning her attention to Ned, Penny felt tears spring to her eyes as she watched her father delicately pick up an album, flip it over and then give a small smile as he found the sticker with his initials on it that he had placed there so many years before.

He hummed a tune that she recognised as Got a Hold on Me from With the Beatles album. ‘That one was a hit long before you were born,’ he chuckled quietly. He ran his finger across the back cover of the album. ‘Your mother bought this one for me. A birthday present. It was the first present she had given me after we started going steady. I marked the date here. See it?’ He pointed to the sticker marked with the date Anna had given this record to him. He appeared lost in thought and Penny had no doubt that he was reliving a million memories right at that moment.