Emeralds in the Attic

by Jan Fields

  “Of course,” Alice said. “I was horribly jealous because you got to eat your Gram’s food. My mom was not a gifted cook.”

  Annie laughed. “Mine either. I think her mind was always somewhere else.” Annie leaned back in her chair and peered at Alice over her coffee cup. “So, have you decided on a date for the Harvest Ball yet?”

  “Since yesterday afternoon? No.”

  “Who are your choices?”

  Alice squinted at her. “You can’t laugh.”

  Annie drew a cross over her heart. “I promise.”

  “Well, Fred Macgruder has been hinting.”

  “The grocery guy’s dad? But isn’t he …”

  “Old, scrawny and on oxygen,” Alice finished. “Yes. He’s sweet though and really funny. And I wouldn’t be marrying him; it’s just a party. But he’s not my first choice because he probably can’t dance.”

  “What with the oxygen tank and all,” Annie said with a perfectly straight face.

  “No laughing! My other choice is Stan Ward. He’s a lobsterman, and he’s also really nice. And has most of his hair. And can breathe on his own.”

  “So an A-list choice,” Annie said.

  “Sort of—” Annie raised her eyebrows. Alice sighed and continued. “He smells like fish. I think it’s one of those things you can’t get out of your pores or something. I’m not sure. We went to the movies a few weeks ago and … sometimes it’s a little like dating Flipper.”

  “I see the problem,” Annie said. “So just those two?”

  Alice sighed again. “Last night Peter Warren called and asked me. He’s associated with the Historical Society, and he’s very nice looking. But I’m not sure he gets my sense of humor. Sometimes he gives me the exact same look my college biology professor gave me when I drew hats on all my frog lab drawings.”

  “Tough choices,” Annie said.

  “I wish Jim were in town,” Alice said. “Then it would be an easy choice.”

  “If you could get Jim into a tuxedo,” Annie said. “He looks like he might rebel.”

  “I have my ways of dealing with rebellion,” Alice said.

  Alice stayed a bit longer, and their conversation drifted to the work they had to do to get ready for the coming winter. Finally, they couldn’t really put off the day any longer, and Alice hurried off. Annie spent the morning doing some light housecleaning, and then curled up with a novel and a warm lap full of cat until it was time for the costume hunt.

  Eventually, Annie heard a car pull up in the drive. She shifted a disgruntled Boots over onto the couch and walked to the porch. Peggy hopped out of the car and waved. Alice must have heard the car in the drive because she was already crossing the lawn.

  “I’m so excited about this,” Peggy said. “Wally grumbled a little about the whole idea of dressing up, but he agreed!”

  “That’s great,” Annie said, giving the younger woman a hug as she reached the top of the porch stairs.

  “Wait until you see this attic,” Alice said to Peggy as they walked into the house. “I believe Betsy Holden’s attic is a little like the Smithsonian Institute.”

  Peggy looked at her quizzically and Alice laughed. “The Smithsonian is America’s attic and this house holds Stony Point’s attic. It looks like everyone in Stony Point gave Betsy something for safekeeping at one point or another.”

  “Betsy was like that,” Peggy said. “You just knew you could trust her with anything.” Then she grinned at Annie. “But it has also meant we’ve had a lot of mysteries around here since you came back to Stony Point.”

  “Well, today I’m closing my eyes to all mysteries,” Annie said. “Except the mystery of what we will wear to the ball.”

  She led the women upstairs to the attic. Though the attic was no longer the mass of confusion it had been when Annie first walked into it after coming back to Stony Point, she still had boxes and trunks she’d never opened.

  “It looks like you’ve sorted the boxes from the furniture,” Alice said.

  “Some,” Annie agreed. “I donated a bunch of chairs to the thrift store since they were willing to come by and pick them up. Gram had stray chairs from at least three kitchen sets in here. Just moving those along helped some with making it look more organized.”

  “What’s the dress on the mannequin?” Alice said, pointing toward the corner where a dressmaker’s dummy was wrapped in an old sheet.

  A hat perched on top of the dummy’s “neck” giving the figure a spooky look. Boots had scared Annie half to death once swatting at ribbons trailing from the hat and making it move in a ghostly way.

  “I’ve never unwrapped it,” Annie said. “I don’t think it’s wearing anything we want—just look at that awful hat! But I do have my eye on some trunks that might just produce exactly what we’re looking for.”

  “OK!” Alice said cheerfully. But she pointed at the mannequin, adding, “You really ought to do an unveiling of that some time.”

  Annie smiled. “I’m sure I’ll look at everything in here someday.”

  They slipped through the tight rows Annie had made through the carefully stacked boxes until they reached a steamer trunk covered with peeling labels from around the world.

  “Oh!” Peggy gasped. “What a wonderful trunk!”

  “Isn’t it?” Annie said. “I don’t know why I haven’t poked around in it yet. There are just so many things up here.” She lifted a small leather suitcase from the top of the trunk, laid it off to one side, and then she flipped the trunk’s heavy brass latches.

  The women gasped as the first glimpse of bright scarlet flashed as soon as light hit the trunk, and the women stared at it a moment in admiration.

  The red satin dress looked like a style from the 1940s. The top of the dress was formed by two pleated strips that crossed in front leaving a low V-neckline, and then separated to go over the shoulders like extra-wide straps. Under these, a wide, smooth band circled the body just under the bust. Below that, two more wide, pleated bands crisscrossed the stomach. The skirt then fell smoothly to the floor.

  “You should try that one, Peggy,” Annie said. “With your dark hair and curves, it would be stunning on you.”

  “Do you think so?” Peggy answered quietly. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “You’ll make Wally’s eyes fall out,” Alice said with a laugh.

  Peggy gently carried the dress to a cleared area of the attic where Annie kept the floor well swept and dust free. Earlier, Annie had set up a faded three-panel screen she’d found to make a temporary “changing room.” Peggy stepped behind the screen and slipped into the dress. It looked as lovely on her as they had expected. She certainly filled out the bustline far more than either Annie or Alice would have.

  “Do I look all right?” Peggy asked. “I don’t want to look silly or … fat.”

  “The way the bands cross at the stomach is perfect for a curvy figure,” Alice said, “and I’m sure Wally won’t be looking that low anyway.”

  Peggy looked down, noticing the deep neckline. “Oh my. Maybe I’ll pin that up some.”

  “So we’ve scored one quick success in the costume search,” Alice said, rubbing her hands together. “Now, back to the hunt!”

  Peggy quickly changed back into her uniform and draped the gown carefully over the stair rail. “Annie, did you say you’ve seen a tuxedo up here?”

  “Yes, now I just need to remember where.” She stared across the mass of boxes and trunks, and tried to picture exactly which one held the tux. “I think it was in that trunk.” She pointed to a spot deeper in the attic, and they wove their way to it.

  Annie knelt and pulled open the lid. Just as she remembered, the handsome black tuxedo lay on top. Peggy gasped as Annie lifted it out. Unlike the tux Ian had described, this one did not have tails, though it did have lovely black satin lapels. Under the suit lay a slightly yellowed tuxedo shirt and a black satin cummerbund.

  “Oh, Annie,” Peggy said softly. “It’s just perfect. Wally is going
to look like James Bond!”

  Annie and Alice exchanged a glance. As fond as they were of Wally, the shaggy-haired handyman didn’t quite bring James Bond to mind. Though, Annie thought, you never know what the power of a tuxedo might do.

  “Now we just need a dress for you,” Alice said to Annie. “And some bling for you both—unless you want me to provide that. I probably have some Princessa jewelry you two could wear. You don’t even have to pass out business cards, unless someone asks where you got it, of course.”

  Annie laughed. “You know I love your jewelry,” she said, “but there’s a box with costume jewelry in that trunk right there.” She pointed a little farther up the attic. “I think I’ll try vintage before I go for anything more modern.”

  “Just letting you know it’s available,” Alice said.

  Peggy gave Alice a quick hug. “And we appreciate it.” Then she looked down at the trunk. “What else is in this one?”

  “I’m not sure,” Annie said. “Once I saw it was clothes, I didn’t really pick through it.” She turned her attention back to the trunk and gently lifted several more nicely made men’s dress shirts. “It looks like it’s all men’s clothes. Certainly that’s all that’s in this upper tray.” She lifted the tray out of the trunk and set it off to one side. She heard Alice and Peggy gasp and quickly turned her attention back to the trunk.

  On the top of the lower section of the trunk, a dress had been carefully folded. Annie reached out and touched it, feeling the slight cling of real silk. She lifted the dress, standing as it unfolded to a floor-length gown.

  The dress was a pale green with a faint floral pattern in dark green, peach, peachy-rose, and lilac. It was cut on the bias and intended to fit close to the body all the way through the hips. The bodice was low and cut straight across; then a translucent short cape in the same pale print wrapped around, forming fluttery, short sleeves. The cape piece pleated and the ends met just above the waist of the gown. Pale silk cabbage roses formed from ribbon were pinned over the spot where the shawl met the dress.

  The overall look was delicate and almost otherworldly. Annie fell in love with it immediately. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly.

  “And you’re definitely the only one I know with the tiny figure to pull it off,” Alice said. “You’ve got to try it on. I want to see.”

  Annie carried the dress carefully over to her temporary dressing area. She was almost afraid to breathe on the delicate fabric. She wondered if it might be too delicate to have survived storage for so long.

  When she slipped into the dress, she was delighted to see it fit perfectly, and it seemed a bit less fragile than she’d thought from looking at it. None of the seams were frayed or strained. She stepped nervously out from behind the screen.

  Peggy and Alice grinned, and Annie knew she’d found the perfect dress.

  4

  “All we need now is bling,” Alice said cheerfully as Annie slipped back out of the silk gown.

  “Let me just close up this trunk first,” Annie said. She bent over the clothing trunk and spotted a flash of white satin peeking out from under another dress. She turned the dress back and found a pair of long white gloves. “Oh, Peggy, these would go wonderfully with your gown.”

  Peggy practically squealed when she saw them and quickly put them on. They were a little snug on Peggy’s hands, but none of the seams looked stressed. “I think they’re perfect,” Peggy said. “You know, now I think I’d like to find a pearl choker. Don’t you think that would make the whole thing perfect?”

  Annie closed the clothing trunk and exclaimed, “On to the jewels!” She moved to a smaller trunk that lay stacked on a flat, steamer-style black trunk. When she opened the smaller trunk, the light from the window flashed on the array of costume jewelry in the upper tray.

  “Oh, now that’s bling,” Alice said. She stepped close and lifted out an elaborate necklace that looked like a whole bouquet of flowers made from Bakelite with rhinestone centers. “I’m having trouble picturing the outfit that would be perfect for this.”

  “Oh look, pearls,” Peggy said.

  She pulled out two different strings and tried them on. “Do you think either of these would go with my dress?”

  “I think both of them would,” Alice answered. “Why don’t you wear them together? Are there earrings to match?”

  They poked through the piles of pins, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets until they found two matching teardrop pearl earrings. Like a lot of older costume jewelry earrings, they weren’t made for pierced ears. Instead, the backing was tightened against the ear with a little screw. Peggy laughed as she looked at them. “They look like tiny versions of Wally’s wood clamps. But they should be perfect with the dress.”

  “You could wear your hair up to show them off,” Annie suggested.

  Peggy nodded. “You know Lisa at the diner? She’s going to cosmetology school in the evenings. She already volunteered to do my hair when I told her I was going to the ball. I have so many fairy godmothers!”

  Annie smiled and turned back to the pile of jewelry. She thought a small string of pearls might be a nice companion for her dress as well, and she was pretty sure she remembered Gram having a necklace like that. As she looked over the mixed-up pile, she sighed. Nothing seemed quite right.

  “Maybe there are more under the tray,” Alice suggested.

  Annie lifted the tray up and set it off onto the lid of the steamer trunk. She saw a couple of smaller jewelry boxes. One seemed to have only broken bits of jewelry and unmatched earrings.

  “Wow, your grandmother really saved everything,” Peggy said.

  “I’m starting to think so,” Annie agreed. “Though some of these might work as embellishments on our masks. You’re welcome to use anything you see that appeals to you.”

  “Oh, good idea,” Alice said, taking the box from Annie to poke through it with Peggy. They each grabbed a few pieces, laughing as they quickly hid them in their pockets.

  Annie pulled another box from the small trunk. This jewelry box was flat and nearly square. The wood of the box was still beautiful, almost glowing in the sunlight coming through the window. Annie opened the box and found a lovely matched set of costume jewelry. A necklace, brooch, earrings, and a hair comb were nestled on a specially made velvet liner.

  “Fancy,” Alice said, peeking over her shoulder. “Look at all the emeralds. Those would look gorgeous with your eyes, Annie.”

  Peggy stepped closer to see. “They are pretty. I like the hair comb. But one of those earrings is definitely broken.”

  Annie picked up the broken earring and saw the screw backing for the earring had been wrenched off. “That’s too bad,” she said. “It’s a lovely set.”

  “You could have them converted to pierced,” Alice said. “I still say they would bring out your eyes. You should wear them to the ball.”

  The necklace looked like it would fall above the neckline of Annie’s gown, but she suspected it was a little too elaborate for the dress. At second glance, she saw the pendant looked like a highly stylized golden tree with tiny emerald leaves and seed pearls that reminded her of spring blooms or fruit. The earrings repeated the pattern, but the “trunk” of each was a larger drop-shaped emerald that dangled from the small canopy of seed pearls and emeralds. In the brooch, the tree design was more elaborate, using more stones. And the hair comb mimicked the “canopy” of the tree but had thin golden loops added with pearls at the apex of each loop.

  “I don’t think so,” Annie said. “I think Gram had a nice string of small pearls in her jewelry box in her room. And for earrings, I have a nice small pair of diamond earrings Wayne gave me. That’s more my style. But I’ll take these downstairs. I might use them for …” she dropped her voice, “… my secret mask. So, are we all set?”

  Peggy suddenly looked wide-eyed at Alice and Annie. “I forgot shoes! I don’t have any shoes that would go with a dress like that!”

  Alice looked down at the yo
unger woman’s feet. “I think I have a pair you can borrow,” she said. “I love shoes! Come on over to my house, and I’ll show them to you.”

  “Thanks.” Peggy beamed again. “And thank you, Annie. I am so excited about this ball. But I need to grab the shoes and run. If I don’t get going soon, I’m definitely going to be in trouble at work.”

  Alice helped Peggy carry the clothes down the stairs as Annie put the tray back in the small trunk and closed it up. She knew that if she left any of the trunks open, Boots would manage to sneak upstairs and run off with sparkling jewelry.

  Annie picked up the small wooden jewelry box and her lovely gown and hurried after her friends. She laid the gown out on her bed, and then she closed the door so Boots wouldn’t decide that she needed to nap in the middle of the dress.

  They chatted another minute or two before Peggy and Alice set off across the lawn to the carriage house. As Annie looked after her friends, a chilly breeze blew in through the door, and Annie shivered. She closed the thick oak door, happy to be in the cozy house.

  Then with a smile, she walked across to the living room and picked up the lidded basket where she had put things to use for the mask. The broken earrings had given her a perfect idea. She carried the basket into the kitchen to work at the sunny table and sip tea.

  As the kettle warmed on the stove, Boots slipped into the kitchen and peeked into her bowl. “Sorry, but it’s not mealtime,” Annie said. The cat sat and wrapped her fluffy tail around herself before offering a questioning meow.

  “You heard me. I need to stop feeding you every time you ask,” Annie said. “It’s not good for you.”

  Boots meowed again, and then walked over to flop in a sunbeam that lay across the floor. She rolled around in the sun, exposing a wide expanse of pale belly.

  “That proves my case,” Annie said, laughing. “Just look at all that belly!”

  Boots rolled over again to show her back to Annie just as the kettle whistled. Annie poured the hot water over her tea bag and carried the mug to the table. She took the small mask out of her basket. She’d already covered the plastic form with a swatch of black satin she’d found in Gram’s scrap basket, and she’d sewn little pearl beads all along the outer edge of the mask.