by Olivia Swift
Rula actually gasped.
“Oh, Magda,” she said and started to cry. Magda nodded.
“This is the one.”
“It is exactly right,” the lady agreed and moved them along to bridesmaid dresses. They told her about blending the color to match Magda’s hair, and a series of pinks, plums, and purples were held out on hangers. Rula tried on three as Magda was given a glass of bubbly. Then the fourth dress, they both knew, was what they had in mind. It was not just the plum color, but it contrasted two different materials, and in the patterned part, the plum came through beautifully.
Again, it was not too revealing yet showed off Rula’s slim figure. Magda put on the wedding dress again and the sales lady took photographs for her records.
“Decision?” Rula asked.
“Decision,” Magda nodded. “We’ll take these two but leave them here for now.” The saleswoman provided a sample of the bridesmaid dress material so that they could choose flowers and other things needed for the day. They paid, thanked her, and hotfooted it to the nearest coffee shop.
“Oh, Rula. It really is happening,” Magda said.
“And you will be a knockout,” Rula said. “I still feel like crying.” They looked at the material and decided to make a day of it and see what the florist offered. The man in the flower shop was overjoyed to have a wedding to plan and produced a series of designs on paper and on computer. They held up the material and asked his advice.
“Pinks, plums, and lime green,” he said decisively, and right on the spot whipped together a hand-tied bouquet from the colors he suggested. “The lime is the key to showing off the rest of the design,” he added and handed Magda the confection.
“Beautiful,” Magda agreed. “I love it.”
“And a smaller version in the same colors for your bridesmaid,” he suggested, and quickly made a smaller and neater version for Rula.
“Wonderful,” Rula said and took the posy.
“Out of interest and your eye for color,” Magda said, “what would you suggest the men would wear?”
“Hmm,” he said. “Pale-colored suits and dark-plum shirts. He suggested a boutique they all knew and told the girls that the men could also get plum-colored shoes to finish the picture.
Magda ordered the bouquets and other flowers she needed for the wedding, and then the two girls headed back to the café. Katie was keen to hear the details, and when sworn to secrecy, got to see the photos that they had taken of each other.
“Gorgeous,” she said. “Oh, it will be wonderful. You and Sam are meant for each other.”
“Since childhood,” Rula added dryly, “just took them a long time to find out.”
“Branston will love dressing up,” Magda laughed. “I am not so sure about Sam and Declan.
“It seems like reality now that we have chosen the dresses. Michele says that we should choose a menu with a little bit of choice for everyone. We can do that and ask the chapel about flowers there as well.”
“Branston says that you should have a fancy stage coach and horses to take you to the chapel and the restaurant.” Rula added.
“I’ll see what Sam thinks about that one,” Magda smiled. Then her cell phone rang. “I mentioned your name and you called me,” she said into the phone.
“Have I done something wrong?” Sam asked in a joking voice.
“Well, not yet, but you might argue about a light suit and plum colored shoes.”
“Did you choose a dress then?” he asked, and she told him that the dress was fabulous but he was not allowed to see it.
“I’ve got the wood from the mountain and we are starting back home now. We should finish tomorrow. It has gone really well.”
“I’ll pick up some steaks on the way home,” she said. “Love ya.”
“Love ya right back, Mags,” he said and hung up before she could complain about being called Mags.
Chapter 16
“I think it will be two nights before we can all meet again to try and contact Utric,” Magda said to the others, and they agreed that would be fine with them. Magda asked if Rula would go and ask Mikey if he was free then, and said that she would call Branston. “Sam will see Declan.”
“What about Karla, Jeanette, and her auntie?” Katie asked as she set off for the camping shop.
Rula called out that she would ask Mikey to phone them.
“It would be good to have a couple of normal days,” Magda added. “Although, we will have to see about the menu for the wedding.”
“Sam, Declan and Branston will have to go to the boutique together,” Katie remarked. “Will you go as well?”
“Hmm, not sure,” Magda answered. “They might be better as all men together. I might just give them the material and let the store advise them.”
“And that lets you chicken out,” Katie laughed and closed the chiller on the last batch of truffles. “We are about up to date with stock again.”
“I’ll do cheesecakes tomorrow,” Magda said, and Rula came back to say Mikey had called Karla and she would get in touch with Jeanette and Carrie. The girls locked up and fastened the wrought iron gate to the main street. Rula went back into the camping shop and Katie looked at Magda. They just smiled and parted company.
Magda had bought steaks on the way home and sang a little song as she worked in the kitchen. The cats seemed very contented and she took the chance to look at the photo of herself in the wedding dress.
“I’ll have to wear my hair tied up; it spoils the dress hanging down over my shoulders,” she thought and closed the screen down as she heard Sam come to the door. He dropped his briefcase on the floor and came straight over to wrap her in a hug.
“It’s a long day when I don’t see you,” he said into her hair.
“I chose the dress though,” she answered.
“And?” he asked.
“It made me want to cry, it was so beautiful. Rula did actually cry. We are a couple of soppy romantics.”
“I like that,” he said, and she piled steak and potatoes onto two plates. They carried them into the living room and didn’t speak at all for a few minutes.
“I needed that, thanks,” Sam told her. “Is there cheesecake as well?”
“You are getting far too used to being spoiled,” she told him but went to get the cheesecake anyway. When she came back, he had his cell phone out and asked if she wanted to see the tree house.
“It is finished outside. We will finish the inside and the walkway tomorrow.” He put the phone on the table and took the cheesecake. “First things first.”
Crystal stretched and left her fleecy bed. She strolled over to the table and knocked the cell phone onto the floor, and then she went calmly back to her comfy bed.
“Bad Crystal,” Magda told the cat, who ignored the remark entirely but looked at Sam. He retrieved the cell phone and looked at the screen.
“Well she got the photo that I was looking for anyway,” he said and added that he had the piece of wood that had come from Scotland. Crystal came back over beside him and nudged the phone.
“What is it?” he asked and looked at the screen. He looked, glanced up at Magda and then stared back at the picture.
“Not something strange, I hope,” Magda remarked, and he handed her the phone. The tree house was what took her eye immediately because it looked absolutely wonderful.
“You and Declan have excelled yourselves. That looks like something that has grown as part of the forest. A magic forest.”
“Yes, I am pleased with it. You cannot see the staircase up or the walkway,” he paused. “The piece of wood is lying against the trunk of the tree.”
Magda gave him a slightly puzzled look and then looked at the screen again. She was about to be complimentary about the construction when she took a breath and looked up and then back again.
“What do you see?” Sam asked. Magda made another close inspection of the photo, and when she looked up, she said there was a slight shadow that could be feminine. He
nodded.
“We saw the same thing, then.”
“And how did that darn cat know that?” Magda asked but went and picked up Crystal to give her a cuddle. “Are you prepared to send the photo to the others? The tree house is a secret.”
“Merle needs to see it and Rula, Declan, and Katie are fine.” He sent off the photo and Magda added that no doubt Mikey would see it as soon as Rula had it. They lay back on the couch and waited for a reaction. Merle was first as they thought she would be.
“What did you two see on this?” she cried immediately. Sam answered then put her on speakerphone.
“You first,” Sam said.
Branston’s voice sounded in the background to say there was a figure of some sort beside the tree trunk.
“Agreed,” Merle added.
“Male or female?” Magda asked, and Merle said that it was definitely female.
“Crystal knocked the cell phone onto the floor at that picture, and the piece of wood from Scotland is leaning against the tree.”
“When are we meeting?” Merle asked, “because we should have the wood there as well.”
“Not tomorrow night but the one after, if that is okay with you,” Magda joined in, and Merle said that was fine by her.
“One other thing,” Magda said, “Branston, Sam, and Declan have to get to the outfitters to get clothes for the wedding. I have material from the bridesmaid dress to match up colors.”
“What color?” Branston asked, and Magda said it was plum like her hair, and pink.
“Oh, Lord,” Sam groaned, but Branston said that he would enjoy it.
They agreed to find a time to meet up for the clothes when they were all together at the séance. Merle said that she would study this photo in the meantime.
After they had finished the call, Magda reminded Sam that they had to choose the menus as well.
“I’ll take a couple of days off when we finish the tree house,” Sam told her. “We can go and see Michele.” They spent some time on wedding details, and Magda asked if he could find time to move the little chocolate vat from her kitchen to his.
“I don’t use it a lot now that we have the one at the café, but I like to try new flavors on my own.”
Sam said he would do that on his days off as well, and left for his own house, ready for another early start in the morning. She watched him swing into the truck from her front door and roar away into the night.
“Right, cats, no more silly photos. Let’s snuggle down for the night.” Crystal cuddled close and knew that she was back in favor again.
Magda spent another fruitful morning making cheesecakes and chocolate decorations for the tops of them. It was a job that needed concentration, but she heard Rula call her name. The man at the counter was Karl Perez from the distillery, and alongside him, a regular customer.
“Hello,” Magda said and came to meet them. “My pecan and marzipan customer,” she said.
“I come bearing a gift,” Karl Perez told her. He introduced his wife as Meghan, and held up two bottles of something that looked like raspberry syrup.
“You made some already?” she asked, and he nodded.
“I need to know what you think,” he answered. They headed over to a table, and Magda went to find some glasses and spoons.
Karl poured a small portion into the glasses and used a spoon to take a small amount.
“It is quite strong,” he warned, and Magda copied what he did and took a small sip. She savored it on her tongue and looked at Karl Perez.
“I have never tasted anything quite like that before,” she told him. “It is . . . it is quite magnificent.”
“Told you,” Meghan Perez said. He covered her hand with his own on the table.
“She’s always right,” he smiled. Magda called for Rula and Katie to try this elixir as well. They sipped, thought about it, and Katie exclaimed that they just had to use this in truffles. The raspberry syrup was declared an overwhelming success.
“Now tell me it cost a fortune to make,” Magda smiled. Karl Perez shook his head.
“Surprisingly, it was comparatively easy and used up some brandy that was left from ordinary bottling. To sell it as a liqueur, I would have to make it a little milder, but for cooking, you would get the best effect from this very strong version.”
“That is fantastic,” Magda replied, “because I know there is a lot of American folklore about the raspberry plant and its fruit. It is associated with a feminine goddess, and the stories are about patience, love, and goodness. It would be magical.”
“Your truffle selling would help my advertising as well. It can be a win-win situation,” Karl told her. She held out a hand.
“We have a deal, Karl. Thank you so much.” Then she suddenly looked at him. “If it was easy to make, could you make a whisky one as well?”
“It would cost more because we would buy the whisky, but yes, not a problem.”
Magda looked at Katie.
“I think the syrup would work better than the untouched whisky. What do you think?” Katie nodded.
“Easier to measure and a strong punch of flavor from a very small amount,” she agreed. The visitors were offered coffee or hot chocolate and sat to enjoy the drinks. Magda told him that she was going to apply for a license to sell alcohol.
“It is only so that I can offer Irish coffee or, say, bottles of your brandy and liqueur, but it might be very useful.” Karl agreed that it was a good idea. They talked about other things and he left her the two bottles of syrup to make the first batch of truffles. Katie asked if she could make a batch straightaway to see if it really worked, and Magda handed her the bottles.
“I’ll just go back and look up this folklore and refresh my memory,” Magda said. “The stories would go up nicely on the walls or on cards.” She was on her way over to the computer when she came back. “Katie, what about greeting cards with the raspberry plants or things from the folk tales? Could you make them?”
“Easy peasy,” Katie smiled. She took a piece of paper and sketched a plant and a raspberry, a heart and a truffle. “I would take more time and add color but they would work and we could print them ourselves on the normal printer.” As Magda went over to the computer, Katie added that they could do the same for oranges, pecans, violets, and roses.
“I like it,” Magda answered and opened up the laptop. By the time the afternoon was over, she had downloaded quite a few stories about the raspberry plant, leaves, and berries. She printed them off and put them to one side to take home and read over in the evening.
Katie was waiting anxiously for the chocolate to dry so that she could try one of the new local, raspberry liqueur truffles. She had a circle of others all waiting to sample them as well, and finally, Rula, Josh, Rita, Magda, and Katie herself all lifted one at the same time.
“Three, two, one,” Magda said, and each truffle was devoured. She looked from one to the other and then saw a smile spread across each face.
“Magic,” Rula said. “Absolute magic.”
“Lock that syrup away,” Magda said, “It is pure gold.” They cleared up but Magda had decided to take the new truffles home with her. Then she held out a plastic box with four of them to Rula.
“Mikey’s ocean-spotting taste buds should give us an opinion.”
Rula grinned and took them off into the store next door. Magda locked up and went home and found a sweet surprise. Sam’s car was at the door and there was a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. He was wearing an apron and had a towel over his shoulder.
“Welcome to your own kitchen,” he said, and she stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss.
“Smells wonderful.”
“I confess, I cheated and bought it, but the thought was there.”
“It was a lovely thought,” she told him, took her plate, and kicked off her shoes as she settled on the couch. “For dessert, there is the fabulous new raspberry syrup truffle.”
“The wood from Scotland is in the trunk and I’ll leav
e it there until tomorrow night,” he told her. “The cats are not bothered at all.”
“Did you finish the tree house?” He nodded and told her that the boys had come down with their dad.
“The looks on their faces were priceless. They ran up the stairs and along the walkway and tried to make the whole thing sway back and forth a lot.” He laughed. “Declan’s construction held up well.”
“Did he see any ghostly figures?” Magda asked.
Chapter 17
“He wasn’t absolutely certain but thought there was something beside the wood, though he never actually saw it.”
“We are meeting tomorrow night if that is okay with you and Declan. The wood might give us some extra help,” Magda told him and then brought him up to date about the raspberry syrup. She held out the box of truffles. “I need serious opinions.”
Sam slowly let the truffle melt in his mouth and reached for a second one.
“That is seriously the best truffle you have ever made,” he told her, and she let him take the second one from the box.
“Praise indeed,” she smiled and ate the last sample herself. She pulled out her notes about the raspberry folklore and read them out to him.
“People will like that,” he said. “It ties in with native folklore and really old stuff like Greek gods.”
“It is still used in raspberry leaf pills for feminine complaints. It seems to be associated with love and patience and waiting for your plans to mature. I’ll write it up in a sensible sort of way, and I can do the same thing for the rose fondant because the raspberry and the rose are related.”
“And everybody associates roses with love,” Sam added. “I can see a theme developing here.”
Magda told him about the idea for greeting cards. “The roses would work beautifully with that,” she said and smiled. “Katie was quite keen. I bet she brings some in tomorrow.”