“Well, I guess I could take you in for the night. But just one night as I have plans for tomorrow,” Grace was trying to make sure there was no more than a one night commitment for this.
“That would be fine lassie. I'm Sheila, and this is my husband Peter. It's been such a long time since we've been here. Is the front room at the top of the stairs available?” Sheila was obviously familiar with the cottage.
“Yes, it is all set up for you. My name is Grace. I'm Aine's granddaughter. Please come in and I'll show you the room,” Grace thought she should at least sound like she ran a B&B.
“Sweetie, no problem, Peter and I know where the room is. It's where we spent our honeymoon,” Sheila replied with a wink in her eye.
“Have you had any supper yet?” Grace was thinking about the recipe she had tried earlier and had more than enough left overs.
“That would be wonderful. When we came here we always called ahead and asked Aine to have a meal for us.”
Sheila and Peter got settled in their room and washed up for supper. Sheila was bubbling with enjoyment about how fresh the room looked, and Peter just smiled as he looked at his wife. He was mostly quiet, but did thank Grace as she served the dinner.
Grace put out the roast pork and potatoes with a side of carrots and some brown bread she had made earlier. Sheila and Peter declined any wine with dinner, but they did accept an offer of some hot whiskey when dinner was over.
“Grace, please come and chat with us and let us know what has happened,” Sheila pressed Grace for some information.
Over the course of the next couple of hours Sheila and Peter recounted how they came by Aine's cottage on their wedding night and ended up spending their honeymoon in the room upstairs. They talked about all the other visitors they met; poets, writers, and musicians who came here for some quiet and calm. Some also came for inspiration from the nearby Sperrin Mountains. They told of the unique visitors that they had met over many trips to the cottage.
The cottage had become a sort of respite for people stressed from busy lives. Aine treated all her guests as if they were friends, but knew their needs and catered to even the little things. Her garden was something that Sheila had helped with when she visited. Aine taught her about the different roses and plants so that Sheila could create her own garden when she left.
Sheila said that often it was difficult to get a room because of the popularity of the cottage, adding that Aine's cooking added to it's fame. While most B&B's were only busy on the weekends, Aines' cottage was busy every day.
It was about that time when Grace told Sheila and Peter that she was fixing up the cottage for sale as she lived and worked in Dublin. Sheila was heartbroken, and even Peter was teary-eyed.
“Is there no way that this B&B could stay open,” asked Sheila.
“Not unless the new owner wants to open it again, but I doubt it would be the same,” Grace felt bad for Sheila and Peter as they had just found the cottage again.
It was a late night and Grace knew she needed to wake up before Sheila and Peter in order to have breakfast ready for them. They did tell her they would be up a little late, so that gave Grace a little extra time. Her dreams were filled with images of what the B&B was like when it was full all the time seeing her grandmother moving throughout the rooms, chatting with all the guests, and cooking in the kitchen. If only the cottage could be like that again....
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