
Chapter One. - The First Room.
Chapter Two. - The Second Room.
Chapter Three. - The Cooling Room.
Chapter Four. - Conjectures.
Chapter Five. - “Love.”
Chapter Six. - Enchantment.
Chapter Seven. - Curiosity.
Chapter Eight. - Surprise.
Chapter Nine. - Discussion.
Chapter Ten. - Premonition.
In a sprawling winter resort on the Hampshire coast, an extravagant Turkish bath occupies the first room of a massive hotel built by a syndicate of hopeful investors. The steam‑filled chambers are lined with oriental luxury, and a handful of ladies—each nursing fashionable ailments like rheumatism and neuralgia—gather beneath pink‑cotton wraps, exchanging witty barbs and quiet judgments. The atmosphere is a blend of genteel society and whispered discomfort, as the bath’s opulent décor masks the uneasy economics behind its creation.
Among the regulars are Mrs. Masterman, a widowed socialite, and Mrs. Ray Jefferson, whose American husband boasts a mysterious, lucrative “invention” that has made him a fortune abroad. Their conversations hint at hidden motives, from dubious medical endorsements to the financial strain felt by the company that built the hotel. As the steam rises, so does a sense that something concealed beneath the surface may soon surface, drawing the ladies into a subtle mystery that begins in this very room.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (167K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
Release date
2008-05-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1860–1938
A hugely popular Scottish novelist writing as “Rita,” she produced a remarkable stream of fiction as well as plays and essays, and helped create a space for women writers to connect and support one another.
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