Annie showed them the collar she was making, now half-finished. It had taken her a while to get used to the pattern stitch, and she’d had to pull it out a few times, but now she had gotten the hang of it and knew that she’d be able to get it finished in time.
Mary Beth reported that there had been no contact about the shower from Gwen, her daughter-in-law Sandra, or from Meredith. It was unlikely that any of them would attend, especially now that it appeared that the engagement was at an end.
Annie sighed. “I wish this could have all turned out differently.”
“You haven’t given up hope, have you Annie?” asked Mary Beth. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
Annie smiled. “No—I haven’t given up hope. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to see what good can come of things that have gone so wrong—at least in our eyes.” Annie thought of the faith that Amanda had demonstrated when she crocheted her prayer into the veil, at a time when she must have felt that everything had gone wrong. “I guess it’s natural to always want a happy ending to every story, but if life always turned out the way we wanted it to—or expected it to—we’d forget to practice faith in God and to turn to Him for all our cares. I need to remember that.”
17
The day of the hope-chest shower, Annie enlisted Andrew’s help to get Dervla out of Grey Gables so Annie could help Alice get things ready at the carriage house. He told Dervla he needed some research done and asked her to go to the library with him. He picked her up in the morning to take her to the library when it first opened. Andrew planned to take her out to lunch at Maplehurst Inn and asked Ian to join them for a leisurely meal. The shower was planned for two in the afternoon, and Annie had instructed him to bring Dervla back to Grey Gables about one thirty.
Annie and Alice spent the morning making sure the carriage house was extra spiffy. Annie always marveled at what a knack Alice had for decorating. The outside of the house had charming architectural details that were original to the building, but the interior would have been rather nondescript, except for the flair with which Alice had made it her own. Annie thought Alice would make a great interior designer, and sometimes told her she ought to open her own business.
Annie set up her laptop in Alice’s living room so that she could display the photographs that Molly had taken of the wedding ensemble as a circulating slideshow. She especially wanted everyone to see the prayer that had been crocheted into the veil.
Alice had arranged to borrow a long folding table from the church hall so Annie helped her set it up at the end of the living room closest to the kitchen. While Alice made punch with raspberry sorbet and ginger ale, Annie covered the table with a pretty tablecloth and set out dessert plates, napkins, and flatware at one end, leaving space in the center for whatever dishes the other ladies were bringing. Alice would place the punch and cups at the opposite end of the table.
When that was finished, Annie went back to Grey Gables. She arranged a crudités plate with a bowl of dip in the center, and covered it all with plastic wrap. She had finished the collar the previous day and had wrapped it upstairs in her bedroom. She went to retrieve it, and then she carried her gift and the plate of crudités to the carriage house. Then she went home to shower and change. She didn’t want to dress up too much—she wanted Dervla to be completely surprised. As promised, Andrew dropped Dervla back at Grey Gables half an hour before the other guests were scheduled to arrive.
Annie was supposed to keep Dervla occupied so that she wouldn’t be looking out the window when the others came. They’d agreed that they would carpool as much as possible, stop at the carriage house to drop off their presents and finger foods, and then park their cars down the street and walk back to Alice’s house. Annie asked Dervla to come into the library to show her Gram’s scrapbook of all the cross-stitch patterns she’d designed. It was all Annie could think of to keep her busy. It worked fine since the samples were beautiful, and Dervla really was interested in seeing them.
At two o’clock, as arranged, Alice called Annie on the phone to let her know that all was ready. Annie walked back into the library where Dervla was still looking at the scrapbook and asked innocently, “Alice asked us down to the carriage house for a cup of tea—shall we go?”
“Sure,” said Dervla, “that would be nice. I haven’t been over to Alice’s place yet.”
Annie rang the doorbell when they arrived and stood to the side so that Dervla could go first. Alice opened the door, and Dervla stepped inside to the sound of “Surprise!”
“What’s all this for?” she asked, laughing. “It’s not my birthday, you know.”
“We planned this for you,” said Mary Beth. “We’re calling it our ‘hope-chest shower.’ Do you know what a hope chest is?”
Dervla smiled, “Yes, we have that custom in my country too. I have my grandmother’s old hope chest.”
“Well, you’ll have some new things to add to it when you get home,” said Mary Beth.
“This is very kind of you,” said Dervla. “You didn’t have to do this, but thank you so much.”
The noise level rose as everyone began talking. Vanessa introduced her friend Mackenzie to Dervla, and they both proceeded to inundate her with questions about Ireland.
Soon, the doorbell rang. Annie and Alice exchanged puzzled looks. Everyone who was expected was already there. Alice opened the door. It was Gwen and her daughter-in-law Sandra. Sandra carried three prettily wrapped gifts, and Gwen balanced a large tray with different kinds of cookies.
Gwen seemed reticent, as if she wasn’t sure how she would be received. She may have thought that Annie had told everyone about their conversation on Sunday, but the only person she had told was Andrew. Not even Alice knew about the mistruths that Gwen had told Tony about Dervla and Andrew.
Alice asked the two ladies to come in and took the cookie tray to place on the food table. Peggy and Emily offered to take the gifts and place them with the others. Both Gwen and Sandra greeted Dervla; though the exchange seemed very awkward to everyone present, at least it was friendly. Alice carried in a couple more chairs from the back, and everyone was seated.
Alice handed out pencils and copies of the list of questions for the game she had described to the others when they were planning the shower. The room was mostly quiet while they filled out the questionnaires, except for the sound of Peggy’s voice as she read each question to Emily so she could play too, or when Emily occasionally asked, “Mommy, how do you spell …?” When everyone was finished, Dervla read off her answers so each one could “grade” her answers. No one was surprised when the winner was Annie; after all, she had spent the most time with Dervla. Alice gave Annie her prize—a scented votive in a frosted-glass candleholder.
Next, Dervla began opening her presents. Mary Beth explained that all the gifts were homemade. Each one was appreciated and passed around the room so that everyone could look closer. One of the packages that Sandra had carried in was from Meredith. It contained a lovely crocheted ecru drawstring purse. Sandra had knitted a beautiful neck scarf in mint green with a repeating leaf pattern and long fringe on the ends. Gwen gave Dervla the Fair Isle pillow cover Annie had seen her working on at the Hook and Needle Club meeting before Tony and Dervla arrived from Ireland.
When she had finished opening all the presents, Dervla thanked everyone and said she would treasure each gift always. As the guest of honor, Alice asked Dervla to head the line at the food table. With snacks and punch to drink, everyone settled in to visit in the living room, except Vanessa and Mackenzie, who went with Emily into the kitchen so that she could have her snack at the kitchen table.
Annie took the opportunity to turn on her laptop to begin the slideshow of the wedding-dress photographs. Annie said, “I’ve uploaded the photographs that Molly Williams took of the wedding dress and the veil and gloves that I found in the attic, so that you all can see the details, including the labels and one other ‘new’ aspect that I was saving as a surprise.” Then she explained
how Molly had discovered Amanda’s stitched prayer. As the pictures slowly changed on the screen, Annie told what she had learned from Andrew about the story of Zacharias and Amanda Grey, their daughter, Lydia, and of her elopement with Philip Gareth. Annie didn’t think that Andrew would mind if she told them the other details he had shared about his family—that Lydia and Philip had moved to Washington and had had seven children, the youngest of which was Andrew’s father. Lydia and Philip had lived happily together for over 50 years until Philip’s death in the early 1970s.
“Just think,” said Peggy, “her prayer has been there all this time, with no guarantee that anyone would ever find it.”
“I think you’re missing the point, Peggy,” said Stella. “It’s a prayer from Amanda to God, and He has always known that it is there. It’s instructive to us now, as an example of faith—perhaps that’s why Annie found it in the first place.”
Annie smiled at Stella’s wise observation.
Later on, the party began to break up. Mary Beth, Kate, and the teens came together in the same car and left first. Stella had told Jason to pick her up by four, and Peggy and Emily had gotten a ride with her, so they headed out as well.
Sandra had to drive back up to Portland and made a special effort to speak to Dervla before she left. “I hope I see you again, Dervla. I know that Gwen wants to talk to you. I hope everything will be straightened out.”
Annie, Gwen, and Dervla were the only ones remaining and they set about helping Alice clean up everything and wash the dishes. When things were tidy again, Gwen asked Dervla if she could have a word with her in private.
Dervla looked at her friends and said, “If you don’t mind, I don’t have any secrets to keep from Annie and Alice. If you have something to say, I’d like them to hear it as well.”
“Yes,” said Gwen, “that’s fine. I just wanted to apologize to you, Dervla. Please forgive me for not welcoming you as I should have and for refusing to get to know you. I was taken aback when you came home with Tony and he announced that you were engaged, but that is no excuse for treating you as I have.”
Dervla said nothing. Gwen sighed deeply and looked down at the floor. “I’ve wronged you terribly, and I’m ashamed. I have to tell you that Tony did what he did attacking that man—because of what I told him about you. I told him you’d been seeing that artist, intimating that it was more than just friendship.”
Dervla’s shock clearly registered on her face. “Why would you do that? What have I done besides love your son?”
“I’m so sorry, Dervla!” said Gwen, with true remorse. “I know there’s no excuse. My only thought was to stop him from getting married. I knew it was wrong. But I didn’t imagine he would get so angry and actually become violent. He’s never behaved that way before. Please believe me.”
“I do believe you, Mrs. Palmer. I know that Tony is good. But you may have been right. I might not be good for him. I don’t understand why he hasn’t tried to speak to me or to contact me. If he asks, you may tell him that I’m flying back to Ireland on Tuesday.”
“That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I’ve been trying to call him all week, but he hasn’t picked up his phone. Finally, he called me this morning. He is in Boston. That’s where he went when he left Wedgewood. His new job started last Monday.”
“He accepted a job in Boston?” asked Dervla.
“Yes, he was on his way to tell you on Saturday, but when I told him my stories, he became angry and stormed out of the house. I didn’t know what had happened at Grey Gables until Annie told me on Sunday when she came to Wedgewood.”
Dervla looked at Annie. “Why didn’t you tell me you went to Wedgewood?”
“I didn’t want to add any more stress to what you were already burdened with, Dervla,” said Annie.
“It was good that you came over, Annie,” said Gwen. “I’m glad that you spoke to me the way that you did. I needed to hear it. I knew I had to tell Tony what I had done. When he called, I told him.” Gwen was almost crying now. “He was so hurt that I had lied to him. I don’t know if he will ever trust me again.”
Dervla looked away. It seemed to Annie that she was torn between her anger at what Gwen had done and compassion for her.
Gwen composed herself somewhat and continued, “Tony is driving up to Stony Point tonight. He’d like to see you if you are willing, Dervla. What shall I tell him?”
“Tell him to call me on the phone at Grey Gables, and we’ll talk,” said Dervla.
Gwen left the carriage house to walk home to Wedgewood, and Annie and Dervla walked back to Grey Gables. Tony called later in the evening, and he and Dervla talked for over an hour. Afterward, Dervla told Annie that she had agreed to meet him on Sunday to see if they had any future together.
“I just don’t know Annie. I want to be with him, but I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do,” said Dervla. “Tony said he called Ian to ask him to set up a meeting with Andrew so that he could apologize and offer to pay Andrew’s medical expenses. I’m glad to see him take responsibility for what he did. Even so, I don’t know if I can ever forget how he attacked Andrew that day; even though I know the reason for it now, it doesn’t change what he did.”
“I wish I could tell you that everything will be perfect, but in truth, none of us knows what the future will bring,” said Annie. “My only advice is to take your time. My tendency is to err on the side of love. If you love him—and I think you do—you can overcome a lot. Gwen has been a hurdle, but I think she learned something about herself, and you’ll find she’s very different than the person you’ve seen before today.”
* * * *
Annie saw very little of Dervla on Sunday. Tony was at Grey Gables early in the morning to pick her up. Tony’s face was slightly bruised too; there was a lingering mark along his jaw line. He was rather sheepish and apologized to Annie for his behavior. The confidence that he had exuded in her past contacts with him seemed to have been diminished. Annie wondered how long it would take for all the effects of Gwen’s deception to wear off, or if, like a deep wound, there would always be scars.
That evening, Annie and Boots relaxed on the sofa, watching a movie on television—at least Annie was watching; Boots was more interested in relaxing. Annie had gotten out the baby afghan she had put aside when she was working on Dervla’s present and proceeded to add more rows. During a break in the movie, she wandered into the kitchen to get some ice cream with Boots at her heels. Though the kitchen light was off, the room was quite bright. Annie walked to the window to see the full moon rising over the ocean. There was movement below on the beach that caught her eye, and she could make out the dark forms of two people standing close together, holding hands and looking at the moon. It was Tony and Dervla. Annie watched for a moment as they leaned together in a lingering kiss. Turning away from the window, Annie smiled and said to Boots, “It looks like there might be a wedding after all.”
Epilogue
The October evening was clear and brisk, a gentle breeze rustling the multicolored leaves in the trees. Annie and Alice sat on the front porch of Grey Gables, each bundled up in a warm afghan. Mugs of hot tea helped make the cool night tolerable.
“Wasn’t Dervla stunning today?” Annie asked Alice as they relaxed. Tony and Dervla’s wedding had been held that Saturday morning in the chapel at Boothbay Harbor. It was followed by a huge reception at Maplehurst Inn, which had been arranged by Gwen and John Palmer. After the couple had departed for a brief honeymoon in New York City, and the crowd of well-wishers had begun to disperse, Annie and Alice decided to unwind back at Grey Gables.
“Yes,” Alice agreed, “she was truly beautiful. Amanda Grey’s wedding dress seemed destined to be worn by her.”
“That was the feeling I had the first time I saw it on her,” Annie said. “And I thought that Andrew ‘giving away’ Dervla completed the circle.”
“It was a very touching service all-around,” said Alice. “I did think that the matron of honor was als
o quite stunning,” she teased. “You turned a few heads—especially one in particular—a well-known city official, I think.”
“I don’t know about that,” Annie said with a hint of a smile. She had been pleased to have been asked to stand up with Dervla. She had to admit that Ian did seem to stick close to her side during the reception.
Annie’s gaze turned out to sea, and her thoughts turned to the wedding dress, and Zacharias and Amanda Grey. “It’s sad that Amanda never got to see her handiwork worn by her daughter, and that Zacharias, the man who built this lovely old home, never got to know his grandchildren because of the same stubbornness that Gwen displayed. I can’t imagine never knowing John and Joanna.”
“It is a tragedy in many ways,” Alice said, “but fortunately, Gwen got it right in the end. I thought it might have ended when Dervla returned to Ireland, but it was a good idea for Gwen and John to go with Tony to Killarney when he asked Dervla to marry him the second time. And it was good to see Gwen being her old self at Hook and Needle Club meetings after she came back from their trip.”
“And she loved Ireland so much!” Annie laughed. “I thought John was going to have to chain her to something in Wedgewood to keep her from going back.”
She sipped her tea and thought again of the bitterness that had kept families separated. Stella had been right. The embroidered prayer from Amanda Grey to God had been answered in unexpected ways, but answered nevertheless. The wedding dress, the veil, and the gloves had, in their own way, brought reconciliation to a whole new generation.
Earlier that day, Annie had watched the wedding photographer record the wedding and the reception, capturing the bride and groom, and their guests, in all their finery. All around there had been smiles and laughter—a most joyous occasion. Thinking of that now, she remembered the photograph that Andrew had shown her of the Greys on their wedding day, and the pictures of his grandparents near the time they were married. She thought, too, of the photograph of her young and newly married parents that Dervla kept next to her bedside.
The Wedding Dress Page 18
