“Did you know, Mrs Speedwell,” Miss Pesel declared, “that Queen Mary came to visit us last month? She takes a keen interest in embroidery, and it was a testament to the Cathedral Broderers’ skills that she wanted to see our work for herself. It was truly a highlight of my career.”
Violet’s mother nodded. She approved of the King’s wife, even if she wasn’t quite Queen Victoria.
Gilda and Dorothy had gone to the Queen’s visit, and told Violet all about it that night: how the Dean took over and ushered the Queen about as if he knew anything about embroidery, how she was much taller than Louisa Pesel, how she had asked informed questions and singled out Dorothy’s work for praise. Violet had been happy to hear about it, though she knew she could not have gone: Iris was too young to leave with someone, and she expected she would not yet have been welcomed by the Cathedral Broderers. Mrs Biggins would have glared her out of the presbytery. Someday soon, she hoped Louisa Pesel would be able to muzzle Mrs Biggins enough that Violet could return to stitching with the others.
When Gilda added, “They rang the bells for the Queen,” and gave her a knowing look, Violet felt her chest tighten. They rarely spoke of Arthur, though Gilda of course had guessed immediately that he was Iris’ father. Her friend had not chastised her, however.
Violet was gazing at the long cushions when she caught sight of a familiar border – a row of fylfots interspersed with flowers on the cushion dedicated to Bishop Wodeloke.
“I made that one myself.” Louisa Pesel was standing beside her. “I haven’t had much chance to do any embroidery for this project other than to make models for the other broderers. But when I heard that the German government effectively banned Jews from all sorts of jobs, I thought I’d like to continue our little stand against Mr Hitler. It was a very satisfying channel for my anger.” They gazed at the border, which was more prominent than those of the King Arthur and Tree of Life cushions. “That is enough, however, I think. We have made our point, and there are so many other wonderful designs in the world to use for the rest.”
Violet nodded. Unfortunately the Chancellor seemed to be consolidating his power rather than disappearing as some had predicted. The strengthening of Germany should worry her, open the abyss inside. But she had Iris, even with all the remarks behind her back and the sideways looks to put up with. Her daughter blotted out that despair and made her stalwart.
High above them a single bell began to ring – tentative at first, like a mistake, then clanging and urgent, like the ringing she and Arthur had done together at Nether Wallop. Calling all sinners.
“That’s Arthur,” Maureen whispered, sidling up to her. “Keith went up to tell him the christening’s finished. It’s his gift to Iris.”
Violet’s eyes widened. Bells were only rung for Cathedral services, and for the Royal Family; not for a daughter’s christening. “But – what will William Carver make of it? He’ll ban him from ringing.”
“Arthur will take his chances. If we’re lucky, Old Carver may not hear it.”
Violet listened, remembering that morning in Nether Wallop and all that went with it. She looked at the consequence of that day, in her arms. Her daughter was alert now, eyes fixed high above her. Was she looking at her mother’s face, or listening to her father’s bell? When Iris smiled, a wide, toothless grin, Violet thought it might be both.
Acknowledgements
Just to be clear: canvas embroidery as referred to in this book is what we now call needlepoint.
Louisa Pesel did indeed exist, as do the cushions and kneelers (and fylfots) at Winchester Cathedral; they are still in use and can be sat upon or knelt on most days. I hope I have honoured Louisa’s work and spirit in a way she and her descendents would approve of.
I used many resources for this book. Here are a few if you want to do a deeper dive.
Louisa Pesel and Winchester Cathedral embroidery:
Louisa Pesel Collection at Leeds University: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections
Embroideries of Winchester Cathedral by Dorothy Carbonell and Hugh Carey (1982)
Crewel Embroidery in England by Joan Edwards (1975)
Stitched and Woven: The Embroideries of Winchester Cathedral by Sheila Gray (2006)
Winchester Cathedral:
The Cathedrals of England by Harry Batsford and Charles Fry, revised by Bryan Little (1960)
The Glories of Winchester Cathedral by Raymond Birt (1948)
Winchester Cathedral by John Crook (2001)
Bellringing:
“The Ringing Men”, in Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village by Ronald Blythe (1969)
Discovering Bells and Bellringing by John Camp (1968)
An Elementary Handbook for Beginners in the Art of Change-Ringing by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (1976)
Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers website: https://dove.cccbr.org.uk/
Bells and Bellringing by John Harrison (2016)
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (1934)
1930s women:
Diary of a Wartime Affair: The True Story of a Surprisingly Modern Romance by Doreen Bates (2016)
Testament of Youth Vera Brittain (1933)
The English in Love: The Intimate Story of an Emotional Revolution by Claire Langhamer (2013)
Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson (2007)
Britain in the 1930s:
The Thirties: An Intimate History by Juliet Gardiner (2010)
The Long Weekend: A Social History of Great Britain 1918-1939 by Robert Graves and Alan Hodge (1940)
I would like to thank the following:
The Archivists and Librarians. Jo Bartholomew at Winchester Cathedral; Suzanne Foster at Winchester College; David Rymill at the Hampshire Archives and Local Studies, in the Hampshire Record Office; Jill Winder at Leeds University Library’s International Textile Collection, which houses the Louisa Pesel Collection.
The Embroiderers. The current Winchester Broderers, who showed me their work and explained stitches; they are currently cleaning and repairing Louisa Pesel’s cushions and kneelers so that they sparkle with their original vitality.
The Bellringers. The Winchester Cathedral bellringers, who allowed me to watch them ring; and in particular, Tower Captain Nick Bucknall and Colin Cook, who both patiently answered my many questions, as well as reading through the bellringing sections and making much needed corrections. (Bellringing is a complicated business.) Also the bellringers at St Anne’s Highgate, for allowing me to attend a practice and try ringing a bell. Finally, my friend Catherine Moore, who knows her bells and gave me a much better understanding of what it feels like to ring; she also read the manuscript and nudged me in the right directions. Any mistakes I have made are all mine.
The Others. Phil Yates, who gave me colourful details about life in 1930s Winchester. Textile restorer Jacqui Hyman, for sharing what she knows about Louisa Pesel. Winchester Cathedral tour guide Jeff Steers and verger Benedict Yeats. Staff of the Documentation Team at the British Film Institute, London.
The Rest. Gemma Elwyn Harris, for winkling out all kinds of information without batting an eye at my odd requests. My husband Jon Drori, for walking in the rain with me between Winchester and Salisbury cathedrals, all in the name of research.
My editors Suzie Dooré and Andrea Schulz, for wholeheartedly embracing Violet, embroidery, bellringing and me. My copy editors Kym Surridge and Rhian McKay for quietly fixing the errors large and small. And assistant editor Ore Agbaje-Williams, for calmly finding the right title when the rest of us were despairing. My agents Jonny Geller and Deborah Schneider, for making the business side of books painless so that the writing side is a lot more fun.
Finally, I would like to thank Keith Bain for the use of his name. Keith bought the privilege of having a character named after him at an auction to raise funds for Freedom From Torture, an admirable UK charity that provides treatment and rehabilitation for survivors of torture. Keith took a generous gamble on me and A Single T
hread; I hope he feels he won.
About the Author
Tracy Chevalier is the author of ten novels, including At the Edge of the Orchard, Remarkable Creatures and Girl with a Pearl Earring, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. Born in Washington DC, in 1984 she moved to London, where she lives with her husband and son.
www.tchevalier.com
@Tracy_Chevalier
/tracychevalierwriter
@tracychevalierwriter
ALSO BY TRACY CHEVALIER
The Virgin Blue
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Falling Angels
The Lady and the Unicorn
Burning Bright
Remarkable Creatures
The Last Runaway
At the Edge of the Orchard
New Boy
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