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Elsie went to her without hesitation. “Is it a Christmas tree?”

“No, but I think it’s better than a Christmas tree.”

Poppy sniffed. “Nothing is better than a Christmas tree.”

“Wait until you see and then you can decide.” Mabel glanced at Brooke and Izzy. “You should all come. I think if we’re going to be here over Christmas, it’s time for you to discover other parts of the house. You must make yourselves at home. I’m going to show you my secret room.”

Elsie’s eyes grew wide. “Secret room?”

Izzy was out of her chair in a moment. She didn’t need any encouragement to see more of this beautiful house. And a secret room was too good to miss.

They followed Mabel into the hallway. Instead of heading up to the bedrooms, she walked towards a door that was tucked away behind the stairs.

Izzy hadn’t noticed it on their first trip upstairs.

“A secret door?” Elsie was breathless with excitement, all fears of the darkness apparently forgotten. She scooped up Crumpet, who had followed them. “Where does it go?”

“It leads to the best room in the house,” Mabel said.

Izzy wondered if there really was something special behind the door, or if this was some elaborate distraction technique on Mabel’s part. She couldn’t imagine any room more perfect than the turret bedroom. She watched, intrigued, as Mabel opened the door.

They all stepped inside, and Mabel flicked a switch on the wall. The room was illuminated by hundreds of tiny lights. They were strung around the ceiling, turning the room into a cosy winter retreat. The roof and one entire wall were glass, and through the endless swirl of snowflakes it was possible to catch the occasional glimpse of trees.

The walls that weren’t glass were covered in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. In front of the bookshelves were large, downy sofas in shades of terracotta and forest green, stacked with cushions and draped in warm throws. A series of low coffee tables appeared to have been carved from the thick trunk of a tree, and the whole place made Izzy feel as if she was part of the forest. She could almost smell the moss and hear the crunch of twigs underfoot.

Elsie gasped. “Books. Books everywhere.”

Brooke gazed around her in wonder. “It’s a library.”

Izzy said nothing. She had no words to describe the room she was standing in. She’d thought the turret bedroom was the pinnacle of perfection, but this—

It was as if they were part of the forest. Like being inside a snow globe.

Her eyes stung. It was truly beautiful.

She felt Jason’s hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

She heard the concern in his voice and pulled herself together. “Yes. Isn’t it fantastic?”

“Yes. It’s giving me all kinds of ideas.” He glanced up at the roof. “I didn’t know you could do that in Vermont, where you have so much snow.”

“It has been designed to take the snow load safely,” Mabel said. “Also, the snow usually slides off, which gives it an advantage, although you need to be careful when walking around outside in case there’s a sudden avalanche. We need to remember that if the snow ever stops and the children go outside to play. There’s someone local who comes to clear the snow for me when I need it. He’ll be in touch when the storm dies down.”

“I can’t see us going outdoors for a while,” Brooke said, gazing out the window and then looking at the bookshelves in awe, “but I’m not sure that matters. It’s not as if we’re going to run out of reading.”

“It’s my special place,” Mabel said. “There are plenty of books and places to sit, and when there isn’t a blizzard, there is a beautiful view over the forest. Walter built this room for me when we first moved in. It means that we can enjoy our surroundings whatever the weather.” She flicked another switch and a series of reading lights came on.

In one corner was a fireplace and a desk overlooking what was presumably the forest, although right now it was shrouded by the storm.

The room smelt faintly of old books and wood smoke.

The other three cats padded into the room and curled up in various places. The room was obviously a favourite of theirs, too.

“If this was mine, I’d never leave it.” Brooke turned to Mabel. “You read in here?”

“Yes. And I used to work in here, although not for a long time.”