“I haven’t called them yet,” said Mary Beth. “I just wasn’t ready last evening. I’ll call each of them tonight, when I know that they are home from work.”
“I’m sure they’ll want to be here with you,” said Gwen.
“Maybe Amy will be able to come,” said Mary Beth. “But Melanie is getting ready for the spring fashion shows. I don’t know if she’ll have time.”
“Well, then she should make time,” said Stella, sounding a little bit outraged. “I’ll speak to her, if you like.”
“No, Stella, it’s OK,” said Mary Beth with a smile. “I think I’d rather just wait and see—if she comes, fine; if not, it’s also fine. Really.”
“If you say so,” said Stella. She didn’t look convinced, but she wanted to support Mary Beth, not add to her troubles.
“How long will you have to be in the hospital?” asked Peggy.
“Incredibly, at least to me, it will be what they call ‘24-hour outpatient surgery,’” said Mary Beth. “I have to be there very early in the morning so they can inject the dye and see how it spreads, and then they mark the placement of the tumor for the doctor so he can do the surgery, but once it’s done and the anesthesia has worn off, I should be able to go home.”
“Even if Amy or Melanie can’t come to Stony Point, you know that any of us that can will be there,” said Alice.
“There’s no need for all of you to be there,” said Mary Beth. “But I will need someone to drive me home, I’m sure. I’ll let you all know what’s going on after I talk to Melanie and Amy tonight. Thanks for all your love and support. You know how much I appreciate all of you, but now, if you don’t mind, let’s talk about something else.”
After a lengthy pause, Peggy said, “Let’s talk about the ‘Proverbs 31 Woman’ tapestry. I didn’t get to hear everything that you said after church about the letter you found, Annie; we had to leave right after the service for a family dinner at Mitzy’s house.”
“I missed it too,” said Kate. “Vanessa wanted to get home fast so she could eat lunch and then could go tobogganing with some friends Sunday afternoon.”
Annie had brought the letter with her to the meeting so everyone could see it. Gwen read it first. “This looks pretty convincing to me, Annie,” said Gwen. “She writes about a “small gift” that she sent, and it’s the right year—at least for the small tapestry—and it’s the right initials.” She passed the letter on to Mary Beth.
“Did you check to see if there were more letters to Betsy from her?” asked Alice.
“Not yet,” answered Annie. “It was the middle of the night—at least for me—when I found this one, and I just haven’t had a chance to go any further. What I might do is go to the 1966 bundle of letters first to see if there are any letters from Lily then.”
Mary Beth passed the letter on to Peggy and said, “At least it’s a place to start. That’s more than you had before. You should be able to find out more about Lily from the college, even if you don’t find another letter. They would surely know if she was capable of making a tapestry like the ones you have.”
“I’m hoping to go over to the campus one day in the next few weeks, though I’m not really sure who I should speak with once I get there,” said Annie. “The important thing for me is to figure out what to do with it when the play is over.”
“We’d be happy to display it over at the Cultural Center,” said Stella.
“I’ve thought of that,” said Annie. “It depends on what else I learn about it, but it’s a better option than anything else I have right now.”
Peggy passed the letter to Alice. “The professor is really excited about using it in the play,” said Peggy. “He stopped in at The Cup & Saucer yesterday morning, and I heard him talking on the phone about it.”
“He was persuasive,” said Annie. “I wasn’t entirely ready to decide when he and everyone else came over to Grey Gables, but he was so enthusiastic. It was just impossible to refuse.”
Alice passed the letter to Kate. “You have to admit,” said Alice, “that it’s perfect for the play. Did you find out any more about how to display it?”
“I stopped by to see Molly at Expert Cleaners this morning,” said Annie. “She’s going to do some investigation and let me know what she finds out. I think most of the antiques she deals with are clothing, so the tapestry is unique for her. She said she can’t wait to see it.”
Kate passed the letter on to Stella. “Molly is one of the people I called to help with the costumes,” said Kate. “She’s so knowledgeable about historical clothing, and she’s a wonderful seamstress too. I’ve been really pleased with the response that I’ve gotten personally about helping with the play.”
“Me too,” said Gwen. “I’m sure you all saw the article about the play in The Point. I had only asked Mike Malone if I could take out an ad to ask for volunteers. He was the one that offered to write an article about the play, including the reason why the play was written and that its purpose is to raise money for breast cancer research. And it was effective. I started getting calls from volunteers as soon as that issue came out.”
Annie looked over at Stella; she seemed to have finished reading the letter and was only staring at it. Her expression seemed distant and a little sad. Annie asked, “What is it, Stella? Do you know the writer of the letter?”
“No, I don’t think so,” said Stella. “It’s just seeing this, about Betsy and Charlie getting married. It brings up old memories—good and bad. I should have been at their wedding, and I should have been happy for them, but I was too wrapped up in myself.”
They all knew the story of Stella’s jealousy and how it came between her and Betsy.
Annie reached out and put her hand over one of Stella’s. “It’s all in the past now, Stella, and I know it’s been forgiven. Don’t go beating yourself up over something that is over and done.”
“I know, Annie,” said Stella. “But I still wish I could go back and change the past.” She sighed and closed the letter and gave it back to Annie. “I am glad to have had the chance to be a friend to Betsy’s granddaughter.”
“That makes me happy too,” said Annie.
****
The Cultural Center theater was abuzz the next evening. There were people standing in little groups on the stage, in the side aisles, and there were some making their way into the house from the lobby. From her vantage point, Annie could see a couple of people backstage as well as they occasionally passed by a gap in the back curtain. There were others, like Annie, who had found a seat in the house and were waiting for something to happen. It wasn’t that crowded, but the noise level was a little high, with people conversing and laughing; it was a pleasant sound, at least to Annie.
She was a little early, and she hadn’t seen any of the other members of the Hook and Needle Club, but she recognized several people from Stony Point. There were just as many that she didn’t know, though, and she assumed many of them were students from the college who had also volunteered to help with the production. She watched and wondered how Professor Howell would ever get this rabble organized so that he could talk to them and then get the rehearsal underway.
She had been in the theater several times now; in fact, she’d made it to every event they had hosted so far—the classic movies, the touring dance troupe, the Myra’s School of Dance recitals, a travelogue about Glacier National Park in Montana, and a community Christmas program. It wasn’t a huge theater, but for a town the size of Stony Point, she thought it was pretty impressive.
In the main theater area, the flooring of the third floor of the Walker Building had been removed to combine the second and third floor spaces to make a high ceiling, leaving columns and beams for support. The support features had been suitably disguised with decorative architectural details, so it was hard to imagine the space had not always been as it presently was.
The ticket office had been placed on the main floor. To get to the lobby of the theater, there were stairs, but most pe
ople took the elevator that rose to the third-floor level where the floor had been left intact. There were two sets of doors from the lobby into the house, each one opening to an aisle that ran along the side of the central seating area, slanting down toward the stage. Between the lobby doors was a glassed-in area where the control booth was located. The glass was black, so even when the house lights were down, it was nearly impossible to see inside the booth. Between the first row of seats and the stage, there was a flat, open area, and right in front of the stage was the orchestra pit. On each side of the proscenium there was an ornate Greek column; the curtains were a rich gold color.
While Annie was taking in her surroundings, she didn’t notice at first that someone had sat down beside her. “Good evening,” said a deep voice very near to her.
Annie jumped a little. “Ian! You surprised me.”
“Sorry about that,” said Ian, smiling. “You’re taking in all the sights, I see. Looks like a bit of a madhouse, but I’ll bet Professor Howell will soon have everything under control.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” said Annie. “Better him than me, that’s for sure. The end of April isn’t all that far off. Do you think we can get all of this together by the date of the first performance?”
Ian didn’t have a chance to answer since, as Annie was speaking, Wally, Peggy, and Emily had walked past and turned into the row just in front of them. Instead of sitting down, they turned around to face Annie and Ian. Wally reached out to shake hands with Ian, and they exchanged pleasantries. “Isn’t this exciting?” Peggy asked. “Wally and Emily are just here for Professor Howell’s speech, and then Wally’s going to take Emily home. When we both have to be here, my mom said she would watch Emily, so everything’s going to work out well, I think. My boss wasn’t thrilled when I told him I couldn’t work Saturday afternoons for a couple of months, but when I told him the reason, he got onboard. Jeff’s not really such a bad guy.”
Ian laughed; he’d known Peggy’s boss since high school and was inclined to agree that he wasn’t always the gruff guy he pretended to be. Ian had been a resident of Stony Point all his life, and it was an advantage for him as mayor. There weren’t many people who could bluff their way around him. He’d known most of them too long to be fooled by outer appearances—and that worked both ways. The people of Stony Point knew that the man they had elected as mayor was a man to be trusted—even if he was a politician.
Annie and Ian chatted with the Carsons for a bit, and soon the other members of the Hook and Needle Club showed up and found seats close to Annie and Ian. Alice and Mary Beth took the seats on the other side of Annie, and Gwen, Kate, and Vanessa sat behind them. Peggy’s sister Mitzy came and sat down next to Peggy. John Palmer, Gwen’s husband, had taken the seat next to Ian so they could talk. Annie took the opportunity to quietly ask Mary Beth if she had called her family.
“Yes,” said Mary Beth. Annie thought it must have gone well because Mary Beth smiled. “I talked to both of them. I called Amy first, and she told me that Melanie was in Paris. Since it was the middle of the night over there, I called her this morning. The good news is that Amy is going to come up to Stony Point tomorrow, and she’s going to take me to the hospital and stay with me until Monday.”
“That’s wonderful news,” said Annie. “What did Melanie say?”
“When I spoke to her on the phone, she didn’t say very much. It was morning here, but it was the middle of the afternoon over there, so she was really busy.” Then Mary Beth started to tear up, but she was still smiling. “But then this afternoon, Jenny Simons—I think you know her; she and her sister Susan own the flower shop Flora & Fern—delivered a beautiful flower arrangement with a note from Melanie. The note said, ‘You’re in my thoughts and prayers. Love, Melanie.’” Mary Beth reached in her purse for a tissue. “It was just the sweetest thing. She’s never done anything like that before. It meant a lot to me.”
At that moment, Gwen said in a voice just loud enough for them to hear over the din of all the conversation that was happening in the theater, “Has anyone seen Stella?”
Annie turned and said, “I haven’t seen her yet, and I’ve been here quite a while.”
Vanessa spoke up and said to Kate, “Oh, Mom, there’s Mackenzie! Do you mind if I go and sit with her?”
Mackenzie was Vanessa’s best friend. The two of them often reminded Annie of herself and Alice when they were teenagers with their penchant for sharing secrets and having long conversations about cute boys they liked and fashion and what they wanted to do when they graduated from high school. Kate gave her permission and Annie watched as Vanessa sat down next to Mackenzie a few rows in front of them. The two girls immediately started talking excitedly, their heads close together, erupting in occasional laughter.
It was Peggy who saw Stella first, “Stella’s up there, on the stage. And there’s the professor too.”
The crowd started to quiet down as the lobby doors were closed, and people came down off the stage and out of the aisles to find seats. Annie looked around again. She saw Dolores and Cyril Fortescue sitting with Stacy Lewis. Felix was nowhere to be seen, but Annie was certain he was there, behind the scenes, making sure everything was in place for the professor. Jacob Martin was standing on the stage with Stella and Professor Howell. It was the first time Annie had seen him since the meeting in the Cultural Center conference room.
The house lights went down to a medium level so that people could finish taking their seats. Professor Howell stepped to the front of the stage where it bowed out in a semicircle, which Annie had learned was called the “apron.” He stood in the very center of the apron behind a little rise in the floor of the stage that Annie knew was actually the roof over the prompter’s box. That was where she would be sitting most of the time during rehearsals and all of the time during performances. Then the house lights went down completely, and the spotlights came on and made a pool of light around the professor. He didn’t have a microphone, but when he began to speak his voice was perfectly audible, and his words were clear.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “to a new adventure … .”
Annie and all the rest of the cast and crew of King Lemuel’s Treasure sat in silence for the next twenty minutes as Professor Howell both informed and inspired them.
11
For Annie, the next few weeks flew by. There were so many things going on that it seemed she never had a chance to stop to catch her breath. The other members of the Hook and Needle Club seemed to feel the same way.
Mary Beth’s surgery had gone well, and when the results came back from the lab, it had been determined that her cancer was in an early stage, which was a blessing. She told the others that she would have to have six weeks of radiation therapy, Monday through Friday, and would have to take hormone therapy for the next five years, but that she didn’t have to have chemotherapy, which she felt was another blessing.
At the meeting after her initial trip to the radiologist’s office in Portland, Mary Beth said she had been tattooed with tiny spots on the areas where the radiation was to be administered in order to ensure it was done in the exact same place each time. After that, the office visits only took a few minutes, with each burst of radiation lasting only seconds. However, the daily drive there and back was time-consuming. Fortunately, the weather had been fairly cooperative. There had been a couple of heavy snows, but nothing that prevented Mary Beth from getting through in her SUV.
Though Mary Beth felt well enough to drive herself, as the days wore on, she became increasingly uncomfortable. She described it to the other members of the Hook and Needle Club as “a really bad sunburn.” The radiologist had recommended a product called “Aquaphor” which helped, but it appeared there would be no complete relief until the end of the treatments. Still, Mary Beth persevered, knowing it was her best chance to beat the cancer and to prevent it from returning, even if it meant that she experienced some pain for a while.
As far as her partici
pation in the production of the play went, Mary Beth had decided she couldn’t attend the practice sessions at the college for the intermission music while she was getting her radiation treatments, but she promised she would continue to practice on her own at home, and that perhaps when her treatment was over, she might rejoin the ensemble. She had explained the situation to Professor Torres, who was understanding and told Mary Beth she hoped she would be able to play with them when the time came for the actual performances.
Though Mary Beth still came into the shop to work, Annie and Gwen took turns volunteering at A Stitch in Time to help Kate during the times Mary Beth was away. It wasn’t always necessary, but sometimes, if there was a new shipment to be put out, or if Kate was expecting a group, like one of the knit or crochet or quilting guilds from the surrounding area, it was good to have extra help.
Having Gwen or Annie at the store, or sometimes both, also gave Kate a chance to get away in the daytime now and then; besides personal errands, she was still busy with the costumes for the play. Other than Sarah and Vera from the college and Vanessa, Kate had a team of ladies in Stony Point working away to cut and sew and finish the various costumes. Kate mentioned to the others how glad she was that the professor had directed her to seek out more help; she couldn’t have done it on her own.
Alice had rarely made the trek from the carriage house to Grey Gables since the rehearsals began, and the suede house shoes she had left by Annie’s front door had sat empty for a couple of weeks. Annie missed her friend’s company, but they did see each other at least during the Hook and Needle Club meetings. All the members had agreed to continue with the Tuesday-morning sessions, no matter what else was going on. It was their chance to catch up with each other and to take a breather from everything else that was going on by doing some needlework.
Many parts of the set were still in the works, and Alice was still working with Wally and Carl Johnson to get all the details finalized. Wally had several volunteers to help him, including two art students from the college who were doing any scene painting that was required. Peggy and Alice both said that Wally worked closely with Carl Johnson, but Annie had yet to meet him.
The Tapestry in the Attic Page 10
