TEA AT THE BILTMOREby Maureen Mullis Published by Maureen Mullis at Smashwords Copyright 2011 Maureen Mullis Visit the author at her blog: http://www.maureenmullis.blogspot.com Check out
Trang 1TEA AT THE BILTMORE
by Maureen Mullis
Published by Maureen Mullis at Smashwords Copyright 2011 Maureen Mullis
Visit the author at her blog: http://www.maureenmullis.blogspot.com
Check out other books by Maureen Mullis
at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/maureenmullis Follow the author on twitter! www.twitter.com/maureenmullis
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This is a work of fiction Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products
referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission The
publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners
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TEA AT THE BILTMORE
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There are many things in life that have changed since I was a girl As a teenager
my friends and I would grab a booth at Woolworth’s and over sodas and a shared plate of French fries we would discuss everything and anything that was going on in our lives I remember my mother complaining that young women then had no refinements, no
manners to speak of I used to brush off her comments as my companions and I were living in the moment not seeing the need for the sophistication my mother longed to see
in us
But now, as I am well established in my golden years, I see what she was feeling After an afternoon of shopping downtown I felt dismayed to find there was nowhere to relax and have some refreshment Nowhere truly relaxing and gracious It felt as if the center or our city wasn’t that different from the outskirts with its flashy fast food
establishments or quick serve restaurants that specialized in sandwiches and booth
service
Although long dead, I could remember how my mother always preferred stopping
at the tea room after an afternoon of shopping where she could relax and enjoy a cup of tea and some sandwiches and cake in an unhurried manner while she gathered her
thoughts before heading home to her family Today I found myself longing for the same thing
Trang 3But sadly, in today’s hustling and rushed lifestyle there seemed to be no such establishment Making my way back to where I’d parked my car I passed by the old Biltmore Hotel Mature and stately, the Biltmore had been around for as long as I could remember It is the hotel of choice for elegant getaways, weddings and receptions and if one wanted to have a four star meal in their elegant dining room
I looked up at it’s tall weathered structure remembering my own daughter’s lovely reception there and saw a sign advertising tea being served at four o’clock Tea! Why that was just what I needed, and pushed open the doors to make my way inside
It was everything I’d been longing for, and later as I sat sipping a final cup of tea and watching the patrons milling about something caught my eye I turned and noticed the hand of a young woman strumming the table next to me, a large diamond ring on one finger winking at me as it caught the light
“My goodness! What a lovely ring my dear,” I remarked to her
Stopping her strumming she turned her hand so she could examine the ring and smiled
“Thank you I’m very fortunate to be getting married this evening,” she told me
“Congratulations!” I cried “And look at you, the afternoon before a wedding and
so calm and relaxed having tea You are a composed young woman Are you being married here at the hotel?”
She shook her head “Oh no We’re being married at St Matthew’s down the street I’m here having one last rendezvous before we say our vows You know,” she leaned over to look me in the eye, “you aren’t supposed to see the groom before the wedding I came here so no one from the wedding or family would see us.”
I nodded my understanding “Of course Those old traditions must seem rather silly in this day and age.”
She shrugged “Some of them, although Gerald is rather a traditionalist But I’m
a very lucky girl.”
“I’m sure you are,” I smiled and began to gather my bags when a young man approached the table The young woman rose and wrapped her arms around him and leaned in for a deep kiss
“Are you ready for this?” he asked as she pulled away She nodded and turned to retrieve her purse and glanced back at me
Trang 4“Here I go!” she said with a laugh.
“Good luck, my dear,” I said to her and turned to her young man
“Congratulations, Gerald I hope you’ll be very happy.”
“Oh this isn’t Gerald!” the young woman said laughing at my confused
expression “Don’t you remember? Gerald is a traditionalist, and you aren’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding.”
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I hope you enjoyed reading Tea at the Biltmore Check out my other free short stories and books on smashwords.com, including the cozy mystery What Would Nancy Do? and the novel In the Company of Women I love hearing from readers You can
reach me at my blog at http://www.maureenmullis.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter and Facebook, or contact me via email at maureenmullis@hotmail.com