called The Alnster Inn. It too appeared to be open. I wondered why Penny didn’t recommend it.
As I hit the summit of the steep hill, the entrance to The Anchor appeared. Its small parking lot was already full, so I took that as a good sign. Again, there were outdoor benches and seating for dining outside, but why would you eat in the parking lot when you could enjoy the view on the other side of the building?
As I ventured inside, my heart delighted at the rustic interior. It was everything I imagined an old English pub to be, with low ceilings and thick dark wooden beams. A long bar top ran along the left side of the room, but the right side was cut in half by a wall. In the front room were tables and chairs with hardly any space in between and a massive fireplace that took up nearly the entire end wall. A bench ran down the outer wall beneath the small, old-fashioned windows with their bottled panes and iron detailing, and tables were situated in a row in front of the bench. The front room was busy, and some diners looked up from their plates at my arrival.
A small bark drew my attention, and I could see the diners sitting near the fireplace had their dogs with them.
Yes, it was everything I thought a pub would be.
I smiled at the blond woman that stood behind the bar.
“Table for one?” she asked.
I nodded. “Please.”
“There’s a couple of smaller tables free in the back room.”
Giving her my thanks, I strolled down the narrow passage along the bar and stepped into the second room. It opened up into a much bigger, more modern space with a bank of doors along one end that led out onto the alfresco dining area I’d seen from the harbor. Spotting a free table near the doors, I sat down and gave a happy sigh at the view.
An English breakfast turned out to be nothing like the version of it I’d had back home in Chicago. It was strange to my palate, but, ultimately, I decided I liked it. Feeling better now that I’d eaten, I reluctantly finished my coffee and got up to pay at the bar.
“Staying in Alnster?” the woman asked.
It took me a minute to understand what she was saying because she pronounced the name of the village differently from how it was spelled. “Anster? I thought it was called Alnster?”
She chuckled. “If it’s spelled A-L-N round these parts, it’s usually pronounced like ‘an’ with a silent L. And w’s in place-names are sometimes silent . . . just to confuse you even more.”
“Oh.” I grinned gratefully at her. “Well, I’m glad I found out now before I pronounce the village name wrong to customers.”
At her eyebrow raise, I continued, “I’m renting Much Ado About Books.”
The bartender frowned. “Penny’s still renting it out?”
I shrugged, wondering at the question. “She rented it to me for four weeks.”
“Four weeks? I guess I’ll be seeing you around then. I’m Milly Tait. I own this place with my husband, Dexter.” She held out her hand to shake.
I took it. “Hi, Milly, I’m Evie. Have you been here long?”
“The Anchor was opened by my granddad seventy-five years ago. Was just a pub back then but Dex is a chef, and he turned the place into a proper gastropub.”
“How cool. Does that mean you grew up here?”
“Born and raised. Where in America are you from?”
“Chicago.”
“Ah, big-city lass then?” she teased. “Living here will be quite the change of pace.”
“A much-needed change of pace.”
“I sense a story there. Perhaps you’ll come back in this evening and tell me all about it.”
I hadn’t known what to expect from the locals. Would they resent tourists coming in and running one of their stores, be indifferent, or embrace temporary residents? I was glad Milly was so friendly.
“I’d like that.”
After I paid up and said goodbye to Milly, I walked around the small village. The bookstore was on the very end of the coastline. There wasn’t anything beyond it but a few houses before the road ended and the cliff tops began. There was a path along the cliffs, made over the years by people traversing them, so I decided I’d put some time aside at some point to take a walk along it. On the opposite side of the village, however, where The Anchor was, was the main hub of Alnster. There was The Alnster Inn, a post office, a