âYes, sheâs an emotional teen, but in two years sheâll be away in college, far from my ability to help her. She has to start using her head.â
I couldnât argue with that logic and didnât want to. âIâll pick up Erin when we pass the stables. Iâm ready to start the lessons.â
âIâm going into town for supplies. I thought Iâd let Margo and Annie prepare dinner tonight.â
I swallowed. It wasnât the game plan Iâd have chosen, but Berta was the boss.
âIâve been thinking, Mimi. The children and I really dragged our feet when Bob moved us here. Listening to Annieâs stories about the old hotel made me realize that we donât really know the history of our home or the hotel. Iâm going to stop by the library and see if there are any books on Coden. It might be a good project for the children. Annie can learn the truth about Belle Fleur and the Paradise Inn along with the children. Put that ghost story stuff to bed. I know Annie doesnât mean any harm, but I donât like to see Donald so scared.â
âThatâs an excellent idea.â I was instantly caught up in the potential of the project. While Cora had told me many tales about Coden and the landmarks here, Iâd never actually thought to explore the facts through research. In high school, weâd studied Alabama history, but Coden had hardly gotten a mention. âWeâll battle the ghost stories with facts. Itâs a wonderful lesson in combating superstitions with knowledge.â
Bertaâs fingers combed through my dark hair. âYouâre an unexpected blessing, Mimi. We were so lucky when we ran into Cora and she told us you were graduating as a teacher. I donât think I could have found anyone better.â
Her praise made me dizzy. âLearning can be exciting. If I teach the children that, theyâll never lack for an education.â
âYou make lessons fun. Thatâs a gift. No matter where you end up teaching after these children are grown, youâll be a star.â
âThank you, Berta.â It was a big compliment, but it also rattled me. Iâd never thought that the Henderson children would grow up and my services wouldnât be necessaryâthat I would become their past. Of course it was the natural course of life, but it still made me sad.
âHey, did I upset you?â Berta asked.
âOf course not. I just stepped into the future for a moment. It was a little disconcerting.â
âWell, soon enough youâll be immersed in the past. Iâll get all the books I can find at the library.â
7
âTell us about the gardens, Mimi.â Erin grabbed my hand and held it as we walked beneath the live oaks that formed a canopy over the path. Iâd decided to head for the natural springs, an area filled with plant and aquatic life. The swamp lilies, an amazing plant with white blossoms that smelled of heaven, were in bloom. The marshy land was also a primo location to find the native Alabama birds, and to that end Iâd brought along my binoculars. It was also the habitat for moccasins, the most deadly of Alabamaâs snakes. There were rattlers aplenty, but they at least gave a distinctive rattle. The cottonmouths and copperheads were sneaky. They hid and then struck without warning.
âOne reason Henri was drawn to Coden was the climate and the vast assortment of plants that grow here. We get more rain than any other place in the United States. While it makes humidity a problem, itâs great for plants.â
âI hate it here.â Margo lifted her hair off her neck. âMy hair is already starting to frizz and we havenât gotten out of the yard.â
I ignored Margoâs whining. âThe swamp lilies, or Cahaba lilies as theyâre also known, were going to be one of the premier perfume plants of the Desmarais familyâs plan to create exotic