by Ruth Hay
Oscar was whining. He always knew when his mistress was upset about something. She got out of bed and signalled to Oscar to come out of the big cage and sit with her on the chair by the window. The dog was like a big, hot blanket leaning against her knees. The huge furry tail curled over Vilma’s feet and she immediately felt the comfort. She stroked the dog’s forehead, scratched behind his ears and looked out of the window.
It was dark in the forest but in Mavis’s garden the tall clumps of late summer’s white flowers caught every vestige of light from the stars above, and from the solar lanterns forming a lit path through the raised beds.
Vilma saw the gardens in passing several times a day when out with the dogs but she never stopped to appreciate what a difference it made to Harmony House to have a real gardener on the property creating beauty in every season of the year.
Her thoughts drifted from Mavis to Andy in a natural progression. Sometimes she forgot his gardening job kept him afloat. She had more connection with the dog training aspect of his life. He had devoted endless hours to working with her dogs in that barn way out in the countryside although he earned no money from his efforts. Should she be contributing something financially? Certainly he could use the money. Despite her best attempts to cheer the place up, the old farmhouse building was something only a man could love; a man who was blind to his surroundings. She had not seen the one bedroom at the back of the house but she suspected it was even less comfortable than the kitchen and as for the winter months, she shivered thinking of the freezing air that must enter between the cracks in the siding. She doubted the insulation was anywhere near current standards.
It was a shame he lived like that but she understood some of his reasons after he told her about King and the divorce and losing everything. He still had his pride. Oh, yes, that was still intact. He was like a vault, shut tight against all possible incursions. She had never encountered a man like Andy Patterson before. All her serious relationships involved suave types who dressed very well and knew how to charm a woman with extravagant gifts and delicious meals in exclusive restaurants.
She sighed, thinking of her Nolan who had died too soon. Her breath filmed on the window for a second and she reached out a finger and drew a heart shape.
Nolan and Andy. How much more different could two men be? Nolan was older than her. She preferred older men. Andy was younger.
She pulled her mind back abruptly. What was she doing comparing these two as if there was any reason to put them together like men in whom she had romantic interest? Andy could not ever be in the same category as Nolan. Never. He simply was not her type.
She pulled the soft throw from the back of her chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was surprised at where her thoughts had gone for that one moment. She had no personal interest in Andy Patterson. He was a means to an end. She had no need of a man. Never again would she risk her peace of mind and her financial independence by letting a man into her life. She had made herself a solemn promise about it.
I do not need him.
But does he need you?
An electric shock ran through her. Where had that random thought come from? Was that what Mavis had suggested? She straightened up abruptly and Astrid looked up at her in alarm. Cold clarity raced to her brain and her eyes dilated.
She was being selfish about the whole Andy thing. She should have been contributing money for his work with the dogs. How could she start giving him cash now, after such a long time, without offending his masculine pride?
It occurred to her that the dog show idea could be his way of getting acknowledgement of his ability in this area so he could become a professional dog trainer again. She had been uncertain about the venture and unhappy about spending the amount of time in close proximity to him, but that was her own perspective. It was not what might help him. She owed him this chance to get his life back on track.
She would call tomorrow and tell him she was willing to go with her dogs on the trip to northern Ontario.
All at once, with the decision made, she felt sleep overcome her. She kneed Oscar aside and kept the shawl over her shoulders as she walked quickly to her bed.
It was settled. It was the right thing to do. She would find a way to fund the whole weekend. It could be their last time together. The financial settlement would set her free of him and all his problems.
Honor was happy to see her niece coming to her office area after school once or twice a week. She was carrying a weighty backpack which spoke of her heavy load of subjects in year ten. Honor had bought a supply of snacks and milkshakes to give Faith some nourishment for the early evening hours and the inevitable homework. The girl was yawning already and it was nowhere near supper time.
“Pull up a chair and tell me how it’s going, Faith.”
There was some mumbling as a particularly large and fruit-filled muffin was devoured. Honor snatched up a handful of paper napkins and laid them over her niece’s lap to catch the crumbs before they scattered onto her keyboard.
“Well, it’s going to be a tough year, all right. There’s a load of new stuff to learn and the expectations are high from all the teachers, not to mention from Mrs. Hilary Dempster.”
“Now, you know you are lucky to have someone like Hilary on your side. She’s like an in-house tutor.”
“I guess so.”
Munching continued for a moment or two. Honor recognized the signs that there was more to discuss.
“It’s just that sometimes it feels like school goes on from morning till night without a break. I don’t know if I can keep this up for the whole year.”
“I agree that it’s difficult, Faith. You are under a lot of pressure to succeed. I will do anything I can to help you. You know that. You will need to focus on the future and all the benefits a good education will bring to you. Have you given any thought to what you might want to do eventually?”
“They keep asking me that at school! How am I supposed to answer? I am barely keeping my head above water most of the time. This school thing is new to me. Remember? I’m the kid who skipped school as much as possible. The next day and the next week is as far as I can see and that’s not always a given. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this kind of effort.”
This was alarming. Faith was despairing of completing the year before the first months were over. Hilary must be told about the situation and together they must find a way to relieve the pressure the girl felt.
“Look, Faith! Drink your shake and eat a cookie. I am so glad you feel you can tell me how you are managing. You need to keep it real, as they say. I admire your honesty and your self-knowledge, and I will help. Tell me one thing about your school work that is giving you trouble right now.”
A grim smile crossed the girl’s face and she stopped chewing for a second.
“Just one thing, eh? Just one? Well, I suppose the Shakespeare stuff is a big worry. I think even Hilary is giving up on that one. I don’t get any of it. The language is weird. The characters are weirder and I don’t relate to any of it. I could fail the English Lit. course because of this.”
“Right then! Let’s get to grips with Shakespeare. Give me a minute and we’ll see what’s available.”
Honor had a project to do. She turned to her computer and consulted Google for help. In seconds a list of print and electronic books and aids to studying Shakespeare appeared on her screen. She gave these a cursory glance and continued. Faith was beyond the point of more studying to learn about the Bard. She needed a quick solution; something more in tune with her own learning style.
A few more clicks and she had it.
“There we are! We can order High Definition film of actual Stratford Festival Theatre stage productions.
These are top class actors and actresses performing the plays in costume and with all the effects and backdrops to make the message of the plays clear for you. This will bring the words on the page to life. It’s what good actors can do with even a very complex text.
; Now, which play are you studying this year, Faith?”
Honor’s niece almost choked on crumbs she was so surprised by the speed with which her aunt found an answer to her worst problem.
“Are you kidding? That could really help me. It would be like seeing a movie instead of reading long, boring pages of ancient language. It’s Romeo and Juliet this year. Can we get the play?”
Faith’s attitude had jumped from dark despair to bouncing excitement in seconds and her aunt was delighted.
“There’s a catalogue here. I’ll order the play and there’s an online introduction video that will be helpful for you.”
Faith jumped up scattering crumbs everywhere but it was worth the later clean up when Honor felt her arms around her shoulders.
“Thank you! You have no idea how much this will help me. Thank you, Aunt Honor!”
The hug recipient swallowed a lump of emotion in her throat.
“You are very welcome, Faith. The programs will arrive shortly and I’ll transfer them to your tablet.
Is there anything else you need?”
Faith did a quick mental turnaround. She took the chance of getting an answer while her aunt was in a good mood.
“I do have a question about the past. Nothing to do with Shakespeare! When you and my Mom were in school in Hamilton, was it called Blackstone High?”
This was a strange switch. Honor wondered what brought such an unlikely question to the fore. Fortunately, she had the answer at her fingertips.
“No. Our school was called Joseph Brant Secondary.”
Before her aunt could ask anything more, Faith grabbed up her backpack and ran up the steps to the porch with a quick “Bye!” sent floating into the air behind her.
Honor Pace was left with mixed feelings; happy that she could provide possible school help for her niece and concern about the school name question.
What’s the girl up to now?
Faith skipped along to the front door of Harmony House with a happy song in her heart. She felt invigorated for a change. Shakespeare would be vanquished. Yeah!
She would text Jo with a disguised message to tell her Blackstone was out. There was still the last response from that Mel Jeffries to deal with, but that could be postponed for now. More clues might arrive tomorrow. Tonight she would do another vlog and deliver the message about misleading responses and how hurtful they could be. She would soften that with a snippet of information such as telling the odd nickname of the man (not her real father!), who lived with her and her Mom until Faith was about four years old.
As she thought about this entry, she suddenly realized where the idea to tell her school pals she was called J.J. came from. Jar Jeffries was the man she thought for years was her father. Her mother referred to him as Jar Jeffries in such a nasty tone of voice, but Faith felt more kindly toward him. In her heart of hearts she had wished for years that he would come back, find them again, and save her mother from the awful downward path she was on.
The J.J. must have been in her memory for all those years and when she had to recreate herself for school in London, the ‘dad’ name and her own initials, blended together without her realizing it.
This shows how much I do want a real father in spite of anything else I have said about it. And, it shows how much I needed to be a new person to blend in with these new circumstances at Harmony House.
Oh, Mom! You would not believe this if you could see me here. I hope you would feel a little bit proud and glad for me.
Chapter 14
Louise Ridley rushed downstairs before Dennis left for work.
“Dennis! Good, you are still here. I must tell you what I saw last night after you went to bed.”
Her husband looked up from his newspaper with a concerned frown. Louise was not usually awake this early. He generally could count on a peaceful start to the day with his paper, his coffee, and a bowl of cold cereal.
“Sit down, Louise. Do you want some tea or coffee? Don’t get yourself worked up like this. You know it’s not good for you.”
“I just need to tell you what’s happening next door. Oh, I know you don’t believe me about those women and their strange habits, but I saw something really odd last night.”
He got up and pulled out a seat at the marble-topped island and pressed down on her shoulders until she sat. He could feel her body shaking with nerves and hoped this was not the start of another bad spell when the doctor and the psychiatrist would be required. He decided to listen to her in an attempt to calm her down, even if he was late for the meeting at the office. His secretary would stand in for him.
“So, Louise, tell me about it.”
She had expected Dennis to dismiss her worries and jet off to work as he did so often. He surprised her and it took a moment to gather her wits and tell the story. She gulped, breathed out, and began, stuttering a bit at the beginning but gradually sounding more confident as she spoke. For once, she had the captive audience she craved.
“I was upstairs. The window was banging against the frame again so I opened it up then went to close it firmly when I saw a light next door.”
“Louise, you know Mavis installed solar lamps in their garden. That’s probably all you saw.”
“No! No! Dennis. You must listen. The light was up high. At first I thought I was seeing things because it flickered back and forth as the breeze blew the branches of that big maple tree, but when the wind dropped I could see there was a light coming from the tower.”
“Louise, the tower has two large bedrooms in it. One of the women in Harmony House may have been up late, or getting a drink or something. There’s nothing sinister about a light in the middle of the night.”
Try as he might, it was becoming difficult to remain patient. These fantasies of his wife’s were getting out of control. He really must talk to Dr. Liston again, soon.
“But, Dennis, this light was far above the tower rooms. It was coming from the very top of the tower itself. Someone must have been inside there. Someone was invading the house and that person could come here next. You must do something about this Dennis. I have a very bad feeling about it.
Something is going on over there, I tell you!”
This was a recurring theme for Louise ever since the house was occupied and the six women moved in.
At first it was mere curiosity on his wife’s part and then it became obsessive. She believed she saw a young girl coming and going although he had never seen any sign of that. Now there were lights in a tower that had a very high hexagonal top, no doubt sealed tight against any incursion.
He was becoming afraid of what came next. What if one day when he was at work, Louise marched over to their neighbours and accused them of all kinds of misdemeanours? He felt the women he had met at the barbecue were sensible types but it could result in a harassment suit, or worse, if the behaviour of his wife persisted.
He patted Louise on the back and made soothing noises. Then he went over to the Keurig and selected a green tea pod, bringing it back to a sobbing Louise as soon as the boiling water had poured into her cup.
“There, there, dear! I promise I’ll do something to put your mind at rest. Sip this tea and take a pill now. You’ll feel better soon.”
As he spoke, he was calculating how fast he could get downtown and how soon he could contact Dr. Liston. It could be time for Louise to be committed for her own safety.
Andy Patterson was in high good spirits as he approached Harmony House. The crescent was the last stop on his Wednesday route before heading home.
He was making good time today. Mrs. Ridley had not appeared to bother him with questions for once. He thought he might catch sight of Vilma coming from the forest with the dogs and ask her about the trip to the dog show. He was now prepared to drop the whole matter if she decided to refuse the opportunity. He knew she would never let him take the dogs without her. She thought his truck was not a safe place for transporting dogs and would insist on taking her car with the dog restraints in the ba
ck seats.
That is if she chose to go. An unlikely prospect at best.
He had thought long and hard about what he would say to her, face to face. He came to the conclusion that he valued her friendship, such as it was, and he would not risk losing that friendship even if his ambitions to set up a business training dogs was going to falter. Without his conscious cooperation, Vilma Smith and her dogs had become an important part of his life. He looked forward to seeing her and, he suspected, it was not all about the dogs any more.
Be that as it may, he was prepared to back down and not show his disappointment. At the moment he needed a decision and the peace of mind that would bring. If, when she reacted badly, he had to retreat into his cold lonely life again, it was the price he was prepared to pay for this one chance at winning all the marbles.
With one eye watching the forest border, he was finishing raking the maple leaves under the big tree when he caught sight of something out of place. A long ladder was lying tight against the porch below the railing. It had some kind of padding on the top rungs. He wondered if Hilary or Mavis had employed a painter. He felt a little annoyed as he had offered to do any small jobs around the house that they might need. He checked the siding on the side of the tower for marks or blemishes. The house was new but the long branches of the maple might have caused scratches. He made a mental note to mention tree trimming to Mavis and was about to turn away when he noticed a section of the wall at the very top of the tower had detached from the rest and now projected outward by a few centimetres.
That could be a big problem. Rodents, or even a raccoon, would be happy to take up residence in such a nice winter home. A lot of damage would be done over one winter. It would be expensive to repair.
“Hi, Andy! Can you spare a minute to talk?”
It was Vilma calling from the tree line. The dogs were wagging their tails, anxious to greet him.
All thoughts of talking to Mavis evaporated as his heart beat increased and he walked briskly over to meet Vilma. This was his chance to get an answer.
