Free Room for Love by Sophie Pembroke Page A

waiting for his response, so she saw the look he threw at his grandmother, a secretive sort of glance, and she wondered what Moira knew that the rest of them didn’t.
    Whatever it was, Cyb wasn’t feeling any better than she had when listening to Mr. Norton’s offers. If anything, she felt worse. And, looking around the table, so did everyone else. Probably not the time to try to discuss passion with Stan, she decided.
    It would either be a very somber, or a very exciting, dance night that evening.
    * * * *
    The only good thing about Anna arriving early, Carrie decided, was that she’d managed to get rid of her before the Seniors returned and started decorating for dance night. And before Nate got back. Nate, she knew, would have questions.
    She really didn’t want to answer them.
    Sighing, she stared up at the Union Jack bunting strung around the dining room and tried to decide if she liked it more or less than last week’s international flags. At least she was reassured her decision not to let Cyb put it up until the last moment had been the right one. God only knew what Anna would have made of it, since she didn’t even approve of the beautifully stitched unicorn tapestry that had hung behind the reception desk for the entirety of Carrie’s life.
    She hadn’t approved of anything much, actually. “Other than the location, I’m really not sure this inn has what we need, Carrie,” she’d said, shaking her head with disappointment.
    “If you just look a little deeper...”
    “Is there solid gold wallpaper under the hideous lilac stuff in the bridal suite? No? Shame.”
    Then Carrie’s flash of inspiration had struck. “Better. I’ve got a potential bride.”
    But even the promise of Ruth’s wedding hadn’t been enough to win Anna over fully. Bunting would probably have tipped her over the other edge.
    Still, in context, the bunting looked quite jolly. Along with the posters Stan had hung after Anna’s departure, when Carrie had been working up in the Green Room again and thus unable to stop or question him, the dining room began to resemble a 1940s American army base. Complete, apparently, with its own Wren, ready to keep the soldiers company in return for some nylons.
    “Cyb, that’s a...great costume.”
    Cyb grinned at her from under her perfectly pin-curled hair. “Isn’t it? It belonged to my older sister, you know. She married an American during the war. Moved to Ohio when it was all over.”
    “It certainly seems to fit with the theme,” Carrie assured her. “Are many dance nights so...Second World War centric?”
    Cyb laughed. “Oh, no. Only the second Monday of every month.”
    “Of course.” Because that was totally normal.
    “We even have food like they’d have had on the American bases in Britain,” Cyb chattered on. “Jacob did some research for us on the internet and found all sorts of exciting recipes. And Stan runs old movies on the screen at the far end without the sound on. And we play all these wonderful thirties and forties songs to dance to. And–”
    “Cyb?” Nate interrupted the monologue from the doorway. “I think Gran’s looking for you in the drawing room. She’s finalizing the song list for this evening.”
    Cyb bustled straight off, and Nate came in, apparently unconcerned by the sudden time warp.
    “No costume?” Carrie asked, hoping to forestall the inevitable questions about Anna’s visit, and Nate chuckled.
    “I should be so lucky. Just wait until Gran gets done with Cyb.”
    Carrie noticed the Donut Dugout sign in the corner, and suddenly felt more optimistic about the evening. If she could just distract Nate long enough for him to forget everything she told him about Anna...
    Nate opened his mouth to ask something, but shut it again when Izzie appeared in the doorway calling for him. “We’ll talk, later,” he promised before disappearing again, with Izzie babbling something about ticket collection. Carrie sighed with relief. Only another three