The Wedding Dress

by Mary O'Donnell

  There were just three more flowers on the list. The book said that the meaning of the primrose was “I can’t live without you,” and that Jacob’s ladder meant “come down to me.” Finally, they found the last flower on the list, the spider flower. When Annie saw the meaning, she involuntarily caught her breath. The words on the page said the spider flower was given as a secret message that meant, “elope with me.”

  Alice and Annie looked at each other, speechless for a moment. Then, starting at the top, Annie read aloud the litany of meanings again as she had written them down: “Friendship, fidelity, and marriage; sincerity; ‘be mine’; ‘think of me as I think of you’; faithful love; ‘I can’t live without you’; ‘come down to me’; ‘elope with me.’”

  “These had to have been chosen on purpose,” said Alice. “There’s no way this could be an accident.”

  Annie answered, “I agree. I think that this P.R.G. person painted the hatbox lid … and then gave it to … Amanda, maybe? I’m just remembering the look on Andrew’s face when I pointed out the letters on the box. I think he knows who P.R.G. is. But why keep it a secret? Presumably, these people have been gone for decades; what could it matter? Andrew keeps saying how interested he is in Grey Gables and Captain Grey, but he tells me nothing. I think I’ll make a trip to the library tomorrow and see what I can find out myself about Captain Grey, and Amanda Grey too. There’s bound to be something in the archives about the residents of Stony Point around that time. If all else fails, I’ll just confront Andrew and ask him what he knows.”

  12

  Annie spent a fitful night trying to put all the pieces together from what she had learned so far about the wedding dress with its two labels, and the hatbox with its secret message. She felt certain that Andrew Gareth knew more than he was telling. Annie wasn’t by nature a confrontational person, but she was persistent when it came to finding out the truth. Truth was important to her, and in her experience it was always better for everyone involved to know the truth. The thing was, as far as she knew, everyone involved in this mystery was dead and gone, and had been for decades. It could make no difference to them now.

  There were just too many gaps in her knowledge to come to any definite conclusions. She hoped she could gather some more facts through some research at the library. Andrew Gareth isn’t the only one who knows his way around a microfiche machine! she told herself.

  After they’d had breakfast, Annie and Dervla talked about Tony’s trip to Boston and the jobs for which he would be interviewing. It had been his intention to leave very early that morning, so he and Dervla had said their goodbyes when he dropped her off at Grey Gables the night before. He wouldn’t be heading back to Stony Point until next Monday, after an early-morning interview, and Dervla would have some time on her hands until he returned. Annie offered to drive her to town so she could do some shopping, but before they could decide what exactly to do, the phone and the doorbell rang at the very same time.

  Annie laughed. “Dervla, if you would see who’s at the front door, I’ll answer the phone!”

  Annie picked up the receiver in the living room; it was Molly Williams, from Expert Cleaners, on the phone. “Hi Molly,” said Annie, “is the dress already finished?”

  “No—afraid not,” said Molly. “Remember that I told you that I needed to remove the wire from the veil?”

  “Yes.” said Annie, “Is it all right? I hope it’s not damaged.”

  “No, it isn’t that. It’s just that I found something … unexpected. Do you think you would have time to come into the shop today? I think it’s better that you see it, than for me to try to describe it to you,” said Molly.

  “Well, now you have piqued my curiosity! I’ll be there shortly.”

  Annie rang off, and went to see who had come to the front door, but no one was in the entry, including Dervla. Annie opened the door and looked outside to see Dervla and Andrew standing side by side on the front lawn, several yards away from Grey Gables. Andrew had set up an easel, and next to the easel was a small folding table, which at the moment held the vinyl-sided bag he’d brought with him the day of the storm. She thought he must carry his art supplies with him everywhere, so if inspiration or opportunity struck, he’d be prepared. At that moment, both he and Dervla were looking at the house, and he seemed to be describing something to her using expressive hand gestures. When he saw Annie at the door, he waved to her to come outside too.

  Annie walked down the porch steps and across the lawn to join them. “Good morning, Annie!” said Andrew. “I was just asking a favor of Dervla, and I have one to ask of you as well. It is my plan to do a proper portrait of Grey Gables, but I’d also like to include it in the background of another painting—a portrait of a lady in the wedding dress you found in the attic, and I’ve asked Dervla to be my model—I’d pay her, of course.” Dervla started to speak, but Andrew interrupted, “You don’t need to make that decision yet. Hear me out first.”

  Speaking to Annie, he said, “Seeing her in that wedding dress gave me the idea that a portrait like that could add another layer of meaning to the story I’m trying to tell through my paintings about Stony Point. You see, Grey Gables was built as a wedding present from Zacharias Grey to Amanda, his bride-to-be. Construction was begun in 1895, and they were married in 1896. By the time they returned from their honeymoon in Europe, the house was completed.”

  “I see … I think,” said Annie. “You’d like to paint Dervla wearing the wedding ensemble, and Grey Gables would be in the background—over her shoulder or something—right?”

  “Exactly,” said Andrew.

  “Wait. … Did you just say that a woman named Amanda was married to Captain Grey?” asked Annie.

  “Yes, that’s right. Amanda McKay. She was several years younger than he was. Her family was in the shipping business too. Quite wealthy. It was a good match for him,” said Andrew.

  “Why hadn’t Stella heard of her?” asked Annie. “She said Captain Grey lived alone.”

  “I’m sure that by the time your friend knew of him, he was alone. Amanda died in the flu epidemic of 1918,” replied Andrew.

  “She died … in 1918?” said Annie. In her mind’s eye she saw the embroidered signature and date she had found inside the wedding dress: Amanda McKay Grey … 1918. Was that embroidery the last needlework she ever did?

  Andrew looked at Annie’s expression and read that she knew something more. “What is it, Annie? Have you heard of Amanda Grey somewhere else?”

  “Yes,” said Annie. Then she told Andrew and Dervla about finding the labels in the dress the previous day, and what she had learned from Molly Williams about the dressmakers when she took the ensemble to have it cleaned.

  Looking at Andrew’s expression, Annie thought that he looked like wheels were turning in his head, putting two and two together and coming up with … what? He said nothing. He knows something more, Annie thought, but he’s not telling. There was no way to force him to reveal more than he was willing to.

  “At any rate,” said Annie, “it will have to wait. I’m willing that you should use the dress for the painting, but it won’t be ready until Friday.”

  “Then we could begin Saturday morning, if the weather cooperates, and if Dervla is willing,” said Andrew, looking at her hopefully.

  Dervla seemed to consider his offer, and looked at Annie, “What do you think, Annie? Shall I pose for his painting?”

  “Well, of course it’s your decision, but I think it would be wonderful, and a fitting tribute to both Grey Gables and to Amanda Grey.”

  “Then it’s settled,” said Dervla, taking Andrew’s hand to shake on the agreement. “I’ll be ready bright and early Saturday morning.”

  “Perfect,” said Andrew.

  Annie had noted before that although Andrew was a pleasant man who smiled easily, the distant expression in his eyes usually gave her the feeling that he wasn’t entirely engaged in the moment—that he was always thinking of more and other things. This
time, as he looked down into Dervla’s beautiful upturned face, the smile on his face most definitely did reach into his eyes. She hoped that she had given Dervla the right advice.

  * * * *

  Later that morning, Annie dropped Dervla downtown so that she could pick up a few things that she needed while Annie went to Expert Cleaners to find out what Molly had discovered when removing the wire from the veil. As soon as she entered the little blue cottage, Molly came into the front room to greet her.

  “Hi, Annie! Thanks for coming over so quickly. Come on around the counter and follow me to the back so I can show you what I found.”

  Annie followed Molly into the processing area behind the front room. She could hear the muffled whirring sounds of the dry-cleaning machines from an adjacent room. The processing area was full of racks of clothing—some were covered with clear plastic bags, some that looked like they were waiting to be cleaned, and some looked to be waiting to be steam-pressed. It was hot in the room, even though it was air-conditioned, and it smelled of dry-cleaning chemicals. Annie felt a dampness spring up on her forehead and chin, but Molly seemed to be used to it.

  “I started on your wedding ensemble late yesterday afternoon,” said Molly as they walked. “I wanted to be sure there was plenty of time for everything to air-dry. The trailing part of the veil was attached to the inside of the flower wreath, and I needed to detach it before I could get the wire out. That worked fine—you see the wreath drying over there.”

  Molly pointed to a large, long worktable. On the table, the wreath had been placed on the head of a bust—like one might see in a department store to display hats or wigs—to shape it properly while it dried. Next to it on the table, the long veil was laid out over a light green-color foam mat, with the corners and other strategic points pinned down into the foam.

  “This is what I wanted you to see,” said Molly. “At the top, where it was attached to the wreath, the veil had been folded over a few times, and this is what I saw when I unfolded it.”

  Annie looked down at the veil. Once again, she appreciated the fine detail of the filet crochet … there were scattered motifs of flowers and birds, and tiny butterflies she hadn’t noticed before. Then her attention moved to the area that Molly indicated. There were words across the top rows of the veil, written in the blocks and meshes that made up the technique of filet crochet:

  Dear Father in Heaven, please hear my prayer:

  Be with my daughter, keep her in Thy care,

  Bless her and watch her through all of her days,

  Help us to trust Your mysterious ways.

  “Oh my,” said Annie, struck nearly speechless for the moment by the sentiment of the prayer—a woman’s prayer for her daughter, hidden from the human eye for all that time, but always there. Annie had heard of things like prayer quilts and prayer shawls, where the maker said a prayer for the intended recipient with each stitch she made, but she’d never seen something like this, with the very words of the prayer embedded in the work itself.

  Annie remembered what Andrew had told her earlier that day—that Amanda McKay had married Zacharias Grey. Now she was sure that the dress had been Amanda McKay’s wedding gown, and that it had to be that Amanda had added all of the crocheted trim to it, not when she originally wore it in 1896, but in 1918, for her daughter, shortly before Amanda died. Andrew had said nothing about children; maybe he didn’t know there had been a daughter.

  Once again, Annie wondered why the dress had been in her grandmother’s attic. Even though she now knew what the connection had been between the wedding dress and Grey Gables, it didn’t explain why it was still there if the daughter had been married in it. Or had she? Perhaps she died in the epidemic as well, and her father couldn’t deal with it. If he had just left it in the house, maybe Annie’s grandmother had found it and eventually placed it on the mannequin for Annie to find—as she had left so many other things in that attic. Annie often felt that the mysteries she’d been involved in since she moved to Grey Gables were not accidents. There was some unseen hand, leading her … “divine providence” her grandmother would have said. There is something in that, thought Annie.

  Then she remembered the hatbox and the secret message of the painted flowers on the lid—“elope with me.” What a strange thing for Amanda to keep the crocheted wedding accessories in. Or did she not know there was a message? Perhaps her daughter eloped with P.R.G. and never used the dress and the accessories her mother had made just for her. Only yesterday Annie guessed that it might have been Amanda who eloped with the painter of the bouquet. She’d been wrong about that, but she wished there was some way she could find out who had painted the hatbox—and how the Greys were connected to it. If only Andrew would be more forthcoming about what he had discovered in his research.

  Molly spoke, interrupting Annie’s thoughts, “The thing is, I wanted you to see this before I reattach the veil to the wreath—that is, if you still want me to do that.”

  Part of Annie wanted to leave it separate, so that she could show the ladies at the Hook and Needle Club if nothing else, but then it seemed wrong not to put it back the way Amanda had originally sewn it together. Then she had an idea. “I think we should try to put it back just the way it was,” said Annie, “but, if you would, if you have a dark-color cloth somewhere, when the veil is dry, lay it on that cloth and take a picture of the veil from overhead, so it can be read, and so that we have record of it. How does that sound?”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me,” said Molly. “I agree that it’s better to keep it in the original condition, but it will be good to have a record of the entire thing. I can put all of the photos I’ve taken on a disk for you, so you can view them on your computer, or print them out if you wish.

  “That’s perfect!” said Annie. “Thanks for calling me over to see this, Molly. Knowing that a message is there, even though it’s hidden away, makes the entire ensemble all the more special. I appreciate how meticulous you’ve been in taking care of it.”

  Annie and Dervla had arranged that they would meet at A Stitch in Time at about eleven thirty. Annie walked the short distance from Expert Cleaners to look around the store before Dervla showed up. Mary Beth and Kate said hello, but were both occupied, each helping customers find the perfect yarn or fabric or pattern, as was required. It was good to see so many people in the shop. Tourists who spent time in Stony Point seemed to like to roam through the selection of yarns and fabrics as much as the locals. Annie thought it was partly because of the ambiance of the store—just stepping inside inspired her to be more creative and gave her the desire to try new things with her needlework. She thought others must be similarly inspired.

  Soon, the bell on the door jingled, and Dervla stepped inside. She was a bit early as well. At her side she carried a large cloth tote bag in a bright floral pattern, its straps looped over her shoulder. Seeing Annie she said, “Hi, Annie! This is the first time I’ve been in this store. It’s wonderful. Do you mind if I look around a little before we go home?”

  “Not at all,” replied Annie. “There are still a few things I want to check out. Even though I come here every week, it seems like there’s always something new to see. Where did you find that tote? It’s cute.”

  “I bought it over at Malone’s Hardware. They had a large display, and I thought it would be good to use to carry my purchases, so I don’t have to collect a lot of plastic bags.”

  “Good idea!” said Annie.

  Then Dervla said, “Since we’re here, remember we had talked about making a petticoat to go under the wedding dress? Could you help me find a pattern and choose some material? I’d like to try to make one myself.”

  “Another good idea,” said Annie, smiling. “I’d be glad to help. We can set up Gram’s sewing machine in one of the other bedrooms. I think the first thing to do is to see if we can find a pattern. Then we can check out fabric and any notions you’ll need after we have the pattern in hand.”

  Annie and Dervla s
pent the next half hour doing just that. They ended up looking in the ladies’ costume section of one of the pattern books to find a style that would work to be worn under the wedding dress. Besides a pattern for a full-length petticoat, included with it were patterns for a camisole and old-time bloomers. Dervla and Annie laughed at the thought of wearing bloomers, but both agreed that the picture of them on the envelope, that showed the underclothes on models, was actually kind of cute.

  The petticoat pattern called for seven and a quarter yards of fabric, along with ribbon and lace edging, and six buttons. Dervla chose white batiste, which was lightweight and soft to the touch, pale pink ribbon that matched the color of the flowers on the veil, white crochet lace that looked like it had shells along the edge, and flat white buttons for the back opening. Annie was sure that she had plenty of white thread at home.

  Annie was pleased that she could help Dervla with her sewing project, but she thought how much better it would have been if Gwen would have been the one helping Dervla, forming the bond that occurs when an older woman helps a younger one learn a new skill. She was glad to be there for Dervla. She felt sorry for Gwen—she was missing an opportunity that wouldn’t come again.

  After Dervla had made her purchases and tucked them into her new tote, she and Annie decided to head next door to The Cup & Saucer for lunch. They had chosen the busiest time of day, but hoped they could find a table. When they entered the diner it appeared that every table was occupied, but as luck would have it, Ian Butler was sitting in a booth and waved them over. Sitting across from him was Andrew Gareth.

  “Won’t you ladies join us?” Ian asked.

  As Annie sat down next to Ian, and Dervla slipped into the seat next to Andrew, Annie said, “You’d think after all this time, I’d know better than to come to The Cup & Saucer at this hour when it’s always packed full of customers. Thanks for sharing your table … again! I don’t know how many times you’ve saved me from imminent starvation, Ian.”