The English Rose

The First Letter

A small bookstore sat in the corner of a quiet cobblestone road about 30 miles from London. This was no ordinary bookshop. It was a special little shop that was a gift from husband to wife. The English Rose was a restorated century old house. The downstairs and basement were converted to the bookshop while there was a living area on the second floor, complete with two bedrooms, a small kitchen, living area and a bath. Customers could come in shop for their favorite classics  as well as talk about new releases that came once a month. Customers also had the opportunity to sell or donate books to the shop. This was the type of bookshop that once a patron stepped foot into it, they would be loyal customers for life.

Henry Granger had opened this little shop as a gift for his wife, Emily. It was her dream to own the type of store that customers would feel at home in and would always return. The store was full of cozy little nooks with well worn armchairs where people would sit and read for hours. It was a shop policy to never kick a customer out. They were permitted to sit and read as long as they felt necessary. Emily worked in that store every day it was open for 65 years.

Emily had passed away a year ago at the age of 83 and Henry refused to let his wife's dream die. Henry being in his late 80s couldn't keep up the maintenance or responsibilities of owning the shop anymore. It was becoming too much for him. There was only one person to task with the job of keeping the bookshop alive. It was his 30 year old granddaughter, Hermione. Henry loved his granddaughter more than he ever imagined it possible to love another person. She was bright, talented, confident, brave and had a sharp wit. She also had a deep love and respect for books. Hermione would spend time during her summers with her grandparents when her parents would travel. Hermione went on holidays as well but always loved quality time spent at the bookshop.

After Emily passed away, Henry spoke with many
individuals about selling the shop or bringing in new management but ultimately decided against those options because they wanted to change the shop and bring it into the current century. The old world charm would be lost. His wife's vision and hard work needed to be maintained. The bookshop wasn't a big opportunity for money or growth but it had enough customers and with the addition of online selling, it would make a nice living for someone dedicated enough to put the time and effort into the shop. Since the store was in a house, the costs came down to utilities and books. The profits of the business went to the owners and whichever charities the Grangers had donated to yearly. Henry and Emily weren't in it for the money. They were in it for the books, the people and the experience of living. As business owners, they could close up the shop and take a few extra days off to spend time on their relationship. Because of this profession, the light never left their 62 year marriage.

It had been four month since Emily's passing and Henry decided it was time to offer Hermione the business. He had called her on a Wednesday evening as he had every Wednesday evening for as long as he could remember.

"Hello sunshine," he greeted his granddaughter on FaceTime. He was so happy the day Hermione taught him how to video chat with her.

Hermione's face lit up upon seeing her grandfather, "hi papa. I was waiting for your call. How have you been since we last spoke?"

"Fine, dear. Doing just fine. My hip has been acting up."

"Must be all this rain we've been getting." Hermione offered the basic explanation.

"Yes, England is nothing if not notorious for its rainfall, dear." Henry smiled at his granddaughter. She looked as young, hopeful and full of spirit as always. "Listen, Hermione..."

Hermione's face dropped. "What's wrong papa?" She asked with her voice full of worry. Henry noticed a change in her demeanor since her grandmother died. She was always on edge when she thought bad news was going to be delivered.