by Amy M. Reade
I needed to go downstairs to the kitchen to find a broom and dustpan. Before I went into the kitchen, though, I went to check on Alex, who was sleeping peacefully. I moved quietly, in part not to awaken anyone and in part because I was so frightened. I didn’t want to notify anyone who might be lurking around that I was up and alone, but the house was dark and silent. Whoever had thrown the rock didn’t seem to be around.
I swept the glass from the floor and disposed of it in my bathroom. I didn’t want to venture around the house again to get rid of it. It had become very cold in my room; I was shivering, and my teeth were chattering by the time the floor was free of all the glass. I didn’t know what would happen if I tried to build a fire in the fireplace with a draft coming in through the broken French door, so I opted not to try. The last thing I wanted right now was another fireplace incident.
I didn’t know what to do with the rock I had found, so I put it in the back of the armoire. I would decide what to do with it later.
There would be no sleep for me now. I went into my dressing room and curled up in an armchair with a blanket. It was slightly warmer in there, since the dressing room door had been closed when the rock was thrown. I had the book with me containing stories of the history of the Saint Lawrence River and I tried reading that for a while.
But my mind was elsewhere. Maybe I should be taking Will’s threats more seriously. Maybe I should think about going home. Was it possible that my presence here was upsetting Alex? I didn’t think so, but this incident had unraveled me enough that I was beginning to doubt myself. Perhaps I should talk to Alex, but I didn’t want to upset her. It was possible that she would even send me home after this incident. What if that rock had landed on the bed? I could have been seriously hurt. I shuddered. I didn’t want to think about that. I had to get control of myself. I needed to organize my thoughts and stop thinking about what might have happened. I had known from my first few moments at Summerplace that I was not welcomed by everyone here. Pete had told me that Vali and Leland disapproved of my presence here, and Will had made very clear to me that he didn’t want me here either. I shouldn’t be surprised that someone was trying to scare me off the island.
My thoughts reeled round and round until morning. I tried to rest but couldn’t. Several hours after going into the dressing room, I stepped into my frigid bedroom and saw that a beautiful, sunny morning had dawned. As was common, morning brought with it a renewed purpose and a sense of courage. I had a job to do and I was not going to be scared off. Whoever had thrown that rock into my room would see that the attack hadn’t succeeded and that I couldn’t be intimidated in such a cowardly way.
The first thing I would do today would be to find Leland and ask him to repair my balcony door. Next, I would see Alex and find out directly from her whether she truly wanted me here. If she did, I would stay.
I felt a little better when I went downstairs. Vali had made Alex a tray and taken it to her already, so I made myself a quick breakfast that included lots of strong coffee, then went in search of Leland before I went to see Alex.
I found him working outside the house where he and Vali lived. He was kneeling on the ground and didn’t hear me as I approached, so I startled him when I spoke.
“Leland, pardon me for bothering you, but I was wondering if you could do something for me.”
He twisted around to look up at me and said nothing, waiting for me to continue.
“The glass in one of my balcony doors broke and I need a new pane of glass installed.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said noncommittally. He straightened up and stood next to me. “How’d that happen?” he asked.
“Someone threw a rock through it,” I answered. Then I turned and left him there. I didn’t wait to see his expression. I didn’t think he had thrown the rock, but in case he had, I wanted him to see that I wasn’t afraid.
I went to see Alex next. She was already in her office working, surrounded by sheaves of papers. The phone was ringing, and she looked like she was back in her element. She waved me in, smiling, and I sat down to wait for her to get off the phone.
When she hung up, I waved my hand toward her desk and grinned. “It looks like you’re feeling better this morning!”
“Oh, Macy, I slept so well last night. I feel much better today. You know, you were right. I think all I needed was some rest. I have been working too hard lately.”
“Well,” I cautioned her, “it’s easy to overdo it. Please take it slowly.”
“I will, dear. I promise.” She winked.
I had been trying to decide on the best way to broach the subject of my presence, and I had finally concluded that I should just come right out and ask her what I needed to know.
“Do you have a minute to talk?”
She looked at me with concern and laid her papers aside. “Of course, Macy. What is it?”
“I’ve been wondering whether my presence here is helping you or making things harder.”
“Macy! How could you say such a thing? Now that you’re here, I can’t imagine what I did without you. You have been a great help and comfort to me; you must know that.”
“Thank you, Alex. I was just wondering; that’s all.”
She looked at me suspiciously. “What made you ask such a question?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you feel I’m doing my job.” I didn’t want to tell her about my conversation with Will or about the rock-throwing incident last night. Apparently she knew nothing about it or she would have mentioned it to me by now.
“Macy, please don’t think that. I love having you here. I know that Vali and Leland can be a little rough around the edges, but try to ignore them. They feel a little territorial about me and Summerplace.”
Vali and Leland weren’t the ones I was concerned about at the moment, but I let that go. I got up and thanked her, promising to return to do exercises with her later.
Before I left the office, Alex called me back. “Macy, why don’t you go up to the turret today and try your hand at some painting? Isn’t that something you’d enjoy?”
My face must have betrayed my excitement, because Alex laughed and added, “I’ll bet you’ve been dying to get your hands on a paintbrush again.” She once again handed me the key to the turret door. “You enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you later.”
I was thrilled to be able to go up into that marvelous turret room and paint. It had been so long since I had created anything with my hands; I was anxious to get started. Upstairs I was welcomed into the turret room again by the clear blue sky and an enveloping sunshine that brightened everything it touched.
The first thing I did was to turn on a large space heater I had seen on my previous visit. I would need extra heat so that my hands would stay warm. Cold, stiff fingers were the bane of a painter’s existence.
The heater worked well and soon the room was cozy and comfortable. I looked around for a sketchbook and found one in a large drawer in the artist’s table. As I walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, I tried to empty my mind and let the gorgeous scenery inspire me. Then, sketchbook in hand, I sat down on the sofa with several pencils and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I began to feel myself relaxing and I opened the sketchbook.
I started drawing the first thing that came into my mind: a small pinecone hanging from a bough. I wasn’t satisfied with it, and I drew the same pinecone several times on the same piece of paper. Finally, after a number of tries, I finished one that I liked, so I picked up some chalk pastels and experimented for a bit with different hues. Then, holding the sketch pad away from me to look at the picture, I decided I needed watercolors to bring it alive, but I could do that later. Right now, I wanted to draw something else. I began with a picture of a rowboat. It wasn’t in the water, since I had always had trouble with outdoor scenes; the light playing off the water was difficult for me to catch on paper. So I drew just a rowboat, old and well used. Pleased with my efforts, I added som
e muted color to that picture too.
I must have been so engrossed in my drawing that I didn’t hear Vali come up into the turret room. When I looked up, she was standing at the top of the stairs, watching me. I gave a start and her lips curled in a crocodilian smile.
“Yes?” I inquired tersely. I was not pleased that she had come up here and I wanted her to go away. She had broken the turret room’s spell and I was feeling a little peevish.
“I came up here to see if I could clean. But I see you’ve taken it over. You have a habit of doing that.”
“Vali, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t taken anything over. If you’re still upset about my asking you to set two extra places at dinner last night, then I apologize. But we couldn’t send Brandt and Giselle out into that storm.”
“What I mean is that you’ve inserted yourself into this household rather nicely. You walk around here like you own the place. I’d advise you to remember that everyone at this house was here long before you were.”
I didn’t know what to say in the face of this tirade. I was starting to feel a little nervous up here alone with this woman. I tried to talk to her calmly.
“Vali, I am here to do a job, just like you. And of course I’m aware that I have the low spot on the totem pole here. I can assure you that I have no delusions about my position on Hallstead Island.”
“You aren’t even wanted here. Why don’t you just go back where you came from?”
Not this again, I thought. “Vali,” I responded evenly, “I was hired to be Alex’s nurse. I am not leaving until she asks me to. Besides,” I added, “I spoke to her just this morning and she assured me that she wants me to stay.”
She said nothing but stared at me venomously. I met her stare and tried not to flinch. She’s a bit unstable, I thought. I waited for her to say or do something. Finally she spun around on her heel and left. I listened until she slammed the turret door behind her, and then sank back onto the sofa. What am I doing here? I wondered.
I was at a loss to explain why Vali and Will disliked me so. Pete had warned me on my first day at Summerplace that I wouldn’t find a warm welcome here, but I had no idea that the feelings against me would be so strong. I laid my head against the back of the sofa and closed my eyes, sighing deeply. How could I convince Vali and Will that I meant no harm to anyone and that my only purpose at Summerplace was to be a good nurse to Alex?
I didn’t have long to think, because I heard footfalls on the turret steps again. My body tensed, waiting for another uncomfortable encounter with Vali, but to my surprise it was Stephan’s head that poked into the turret room. He looked around and saw me on the sofa.
“Mind if I come up?” he asked genially.
“Not at all; please do,” I invited.
He sank down in one of the low armchairs opposite the sofa and looked around the room. “I haven’t been up here in quite a while.”
“Have you come up here to tell me to go home too?” I couldn’t help asking.
Stephan looked at me, confused. “Of course not, Macy. Why do you ask that?”
I smiled at him ruefully. “I’m sorry. I just had a confrontation with Vali and I’m a little ruffled by it.”
“What kind of confrontation?”
“Oh, she was just up here suggesting that I go home,” I explained. “I told her that I’m not going away until Alex sends me away.”
“Good for you,” Stephan encouraged me. “Actually, I suppose that’s part of the reason I came up here looking for you.” He crossed his legs and settled into his chair more comfortably. “You and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to talk since I got here, and I just wanted to know how things are going for you at Summerplace. And how Alex is doing, of course.”
“Well, let me start with Alex. I think she’s doing quite well. Hip surgery is very painful and recovery can be a long, drawn-out process. But she is a remarkably determined woman with a great deal of stamina. Her physical therapy exercises are going well, and she and I walk outdoors every day if it isn’t raining.”
“She’s mentioned several times that she likes to go on walks with you around the house.”
“I must say that I’m glad that flagstone path is there for her. Without it, I think walking around Summerplace would be much more difficult. Particularly as she refuses to wear more sensible shoes for walking,” I added with a grin.
Stephan laughed. “She does not like to make concessions to her hip,” he agreed. “If she doesn’t want to wear sensible shoes, no one’s going to be able to convince her to do so.”
After a moment’s pause, Stephan looked at me and said, “And what about you? How are you doing at Summerplace?”
I had been trying to think of an answer to his question, and since he already knew I was having a problem with Vali, I decided to broach that subject.
“Summerplace is breathtaking, and working here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But, as I mentioned when you came upstairs, not everyone is thrilled to have me here. Vali seems determined that I leave as soon as possible, and she has told me that in no uncertain terms on more than one occasion. And I don’t know quite what to make of Leland. He’s not as openly rude as Vali is, but he seems to want me gone too. Do you know why they want so much to be rid of me?”
Stephan was silent for a moment before answering. “Vali and Leland have been with Alex for many, many years,” he began. “Neither one of them is terribly easy to get along with, as you’ve discovered, but they have always been loyal to Alex. And she appreciates that. I think she also knows that, because of their ages, they might have a hard time finding other employment if she were to let them go. So they stay on and we more or less put up with them.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t explain why they want me to leave.”
“Before you came here Vali was Alex’s nurse in addition to being the cook and the housekeeper for this big place. It got to be too much for her. If you think she’s cranky now, you should have seen her a month ago! Anyway, Alex decided it would be for the best if she got another nurse and let Vali go back to the housekeeping and the cooking. Vali is good at those things, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“She is,” I admitted.
“Here’s what I think is going on: Vali thinks she’s going to become less and less important to Alex the longer you’re here.”
“In other words, she’s jealous of me,” I said.
“That’s exactly it. She thinks that the closer you become to Alex, the more of a confidante you’ll become and the more she’ll be pushed to the sidelines. Don’t forget—Vali has held an important post at Summerplace for a long time now without much interference from anyone. I think she views you as a great threat to her position in the household.”
“But that’s ridiculous. I’m the last person who could usurp Vali’s position here,” I protested. “I’m no cook, and I’m not much of a housekeeper, either.”
“You know it and I know it, but Vali is looking at this less objectively than we are. I know this sounds pat, but try to ignore her. And as for Leland, he’s a good handyman, but he lacks personality. I’m sure that hasn’t escaped your notice, either. He more or less does Vali’s bidding. So ignore him too. He’s harmless.”
I wasn’t sure how harmless Leland was, but I didn’t say anything. I thought briefly about discussing Will’s behavior with Stephan but decided against it. After all, Will and Stephan worked together on a daily basis and I didn’t know the extent of their relationship.
Stephan seemed to sense that I was mulling over something, and he looked at me intently. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss, Macy?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you for telling me about Vali and Leland. It helps me to know a little of their background with Alex.”
Stephan went back downstairs then, and I tried sketching again. But my mind wasn’t on the page and I knew I was done for the day. I paced around the room for several minutes, trying to find that calm feeling I had had
before Vali’s visit. I could see Pete down on the dock, working on one of the boats. It must be nice to work outdoors in solitude, I thought. Problems start when you have to deal with people. I sighed and went downstairs, locking the turret door behind me when I reached the balcony. I went through my room again, noticing that Leland hadn’t replaced the glass yet. The room had warmed up a little but was still quite cold. Then I headed downstairs to make lunch and to check on Alex and return the turret key.
I found her eating lunch from a tray at her desk. She said she would be ready to go for a short walk afterward, so I waited for her in her sitting room.
It was indeed a short walk. We went around Summerplace once and then she said she had to go back to her office to prepare for a conference call with people in New York in just a little while. I helped her up the stairs, and after she went into her office alone I went upstairs for my camera then back outdoors. I wasn’t ready to stay inside just yet.
I walked briskly around Summerplace a couple of more times just for some exercise. When I came to Vali and Leland’s house a third time, something compelled me to step off the flagstone walkway and set off through the woods on the path to the leaning tree I had found earlier.
I walked slowly, enjoying the peace of the outdoors. This is how Pete must feel when he’s working outside, I thought a little enviously. I could tell that this place was quickly starting to grow on me, and I wondered how I would feel leaving it to go back to the big city. I snapped lots of pictures to remind me of days like this when I eventually returned to New York.
When I came to the leaning tree I walked up to it carefully, lest I get too close to the edge of the water and slip in. I felt its rough bark under my fingertips, and I stood for some time looking up into its leafy branches. Then I saw something on the trunk of the tree that I hadn’t seen before. There were initials carved into the bark: “AH + FH.” That must be Alex Hallstead and Forrest Harper, I thought. How sweet! I took a picture of the initials to frame as a gift for Alex. My sense of happiness at seeing those initials was inexplicable. It was as if I was getting an intimate glimpse into a happy time in Alex’s past. I examined the tree trunk carefully for other initials but found none. That somehow made me happy, too. This tree seemed to belong just to Alex and Forrest. I noticed that the vegetation around the base of the tree was slightly tamped down, as though someone had been visiting it. Probably Pete or even Will, who perhaps missed his uncle and felt close to him in this spot. I must bring Alex here sometime, once her hip allowed the trip through the woods.