C19 A Brief Hope

The Study on the ground floor was probably the coziest room in the villa. The French windows on the farthest side of the room, situated just behind his father’s polished antique narra desk, opened up to a view of the gardens where dozens of potted palms, ferns, and bonsai sat on pedestals of varying heights. A chess set sat on an ornate Chinese chest at the right-hand corner of the room