Mary Beckwith lives in a magnificent English castle during the twilight years of the gilded age. With the help of an American millionaire, she has succeeded in renovating her beloved Whitefriars castle into a splendid estate just in time for Christmas. Everett Wooten has spent a fortune propping up Whitefriars to add modern conveniences and rebuild crumbling old walls. Even though he’s never met Mary, they have enjoyed a lively business correspondence over the nine years they have been working toward a renovation. Now he has finally come to see Mary and the castle in person, but nothing is as he was led to believe. Can a Manhattan business tycoon and an English lady come to an accord, or will their joint venture in Whitefriars result in heartbreak for them both?Something about the name Whitefriars had seemed familiar, but it wasn't until I started reading the story that I realized the novella was connected to the Empire State books. At last! We find out what is happening to Colin's sister in their moldering old castle in England, and how she has felt to be essentially abandoned in their ancestral home.
It's impressive how the characters shine, even in so short a story. Both Mary and Everett are complex--she loves people but cannot leave her reclusive home, and he's uncomfortable with people, yet he lives in one of the world's busiest cities. It was fun to discover Everett's hidden depths (and quirks), and to see Mary's heart for all her quirky (and next to useless) tenants. It was lovely to have a brief glimpse into the continued lives of Colin and Lucy, and Nick and Rosalind.
Empire State
1. A Dangerous Legacy
2. A Daring Venture
3. A Desperate Hope
3.5 "Christmas at Whitefriars"
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