Mrs. Walford

A dark secret. A second chance.

Sadie Walford, the wife of a prominent Brooklyn ship broker and mother of two, registers at the Queen Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, using a false name. Two weeks later she is buried in the local cemetery. Or is she?

Without family or friends, health or hope, Sadie arrives already contemplating a drastic next step. But she hasn’t counted on the likes of Eleanor, the hotel’s no-nonsense bookkeeper, or Maggie, the annoyingly helpful head maid, who both have other ideas.

A chance encounter with a thief sets events in motion, and Sadie will be forced to choose: How far is she willing to go, to conceal her past, preserve her freedom, and claim the future she desires?

Inspired by actual events, this epistolary tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope unfolds through journal entries, letters, recollections and accounts. Set in Halifax, Manhattan, and on Long Island during the Gilded Age, Mrs. Walford is a story of found family, love delayed, and the power of friendship in turbulent times.

Enter the world of Mrs. Walford:

​​​​​​​​From a raucous boarding house in verdant Flushing, New York, to the upscale Queen Hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia…
From the heavenly windows department of Louis C. Tiffany’s glass and decorating company in Manhattan, to​ a doctor’s private practice in a quiet Brooklyn brownstone…​​
From the moving of the Brighton Beach Hotel on Coney Island, to the dedication of the statue of Liberty Enlightening the World…
From the bustling green market and waterfront of Halifax, to the tranquil shores of Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island … ​you won’t want to leave.

Meet the storytellers:

Discreet, unruffled ELEANOR, who keeps the Queen Hotel’s books, and one or two of its secrets
​Forthright MAGGIE, who’s undaunted by her difficult beginnings and unfazed by the oddities of the hotel’s guests
Enigmatic SARAH, who’s buoyed by her new employment as an artisan, and burdened by her past
Chatty young MATILDA from the African Nova Scotian farming community of Preston, and her tiny observant Mi’kmaw friend HANAH from across the harbour in Turtle Grove, who together notice everything that goes on at the green market
Thrill-seeking JENNIE, who’s never seen a pocket, or a mirror reflection, that she didn’t like
And perceptive, empathetic FRED, who’s seeking atonement the only way she knows how

If you liked the friendships and atmosphere of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and A Gentleman in Moscow, you’ll love Mrs. Walford.

​​​​​

Author Biography

An author, produced playwright, artist and avid gardener, Brenda Tyedmers likes, and writes, fiction that embeds mystery and romance and is peopled with friends. She’s a sucker for a happy ending and literally finds story ideas in the dirt. MRS. WALFORD is Brenda’s first novel.