The Last Dinner at Wisteria House

Prologue

As Alice Bennett stood across the road from the handsome Victorian building a slow smile spread across her face.

The rather grand entrance had half a dozen stone steps flanked by wrought-iron railings that led to the shiny black front door.

Above the doorway was an arched, stained-glass window that Alice used to love.

The colourful glass had a fairy-tale quality to it, like something you would find in a prince’s castle, and it would fire up her childhood imagination.

Adjacent to the door an intercom system displayed the numbers for the four interior flats the house had been split into since she was last here.

Taking in the red-bricked residence stirred up memories for Alice. It was like looking through her old photographs that were kept in a treasured leather-bound album.

Wisteria House, built around 1880, still had all the hallmarks of a grand Victorian residence, its well-maintained exterior spanning the decades, and proudly displaying the natural elegance and grandeur of days gone by.

Days that used to be filled with parties and laughter. But it was all too quiet now.

Glancing around the familiar wide, tree-lined street, lost in memories, her eyes rested on the ‘To Let’ sign on the ground-floor apartment. It overlooked the well-kept front lawn but there were some climbing plants making their way up the corner of the building.

Following them upwards, she spied the window boxes outside the upper apartments, the one on the left displaying vivid pink and red flowers, the one on the right some slightly wispy greenery that may have been an attempt at growing herbs.

As Alice wondered what the herbs might have been, a young woman appeared at one of the windows.

She did a quick double-take at the older lady, before pulling it shut.

Her attention was pulled back to the front door as a tall, well-built man came out of the apartments. He looked lost in his own heavy thoughts, but even so Alice realised that she probably shouldn’t attract any more attention. She must look odd watching the building like this.

As a light drizzle of rain began to fall, she put up her large black umbrella, walking away from the apartments with determined steps.

It was time to bring Wisteria House back to life.