Cottage for Beth

Elizabeth Jones and the Cottage in Massachusetts

Elizabeth Jones, at the age of twenty-eight, was well-established as a writer of children’s books in England. And abroad, so when her American godmother left her a cottage in Massachusetts in a community just outside Boston, she was intrigued. Within an easy reach of the downtown, with the condition that she must reside in it for the period of twelve months before she could inherit it.

Beth, as she was called by her family and friends, decided that she would go over. After all, twelve months wasn’t a long time, and at least she could get a book or two out of it while she was there. During her stay, she met two men: Alex, the schoolteacher, who would have married her in a heartbeat, and Dr. James Grant, whom she would have liked to have been married to, and who told her from the very beginning of their meeting that he had no intention of ever getting married at all.

Beth then decided that when the twelve months was up, she would keep the cottage and return to England.