EXCERPT
Maggie smiled, but changed the subject. “Did you notice? The garden is filled with everyone’s flowers. Those that weren’t quite in season, your mother had the gardener force into bloom in the hothouse and then plant them in pots in the gardens. She wanted each of you to have the flower you’re named after in and out of the house. I cover them if it’s going to be cold.”
“When is mother arriving?”
“She’ll be here the twenty-ninth. We’ve planned a huge party for the holiday, as usual. I think she’s only missed one.”
“If I can help let me know.” Vi smiled.
“I think everything is under control.” Maggie’s face lit up. “All of you will be staying in your old rooms. Jacob and I have put cots in your sisters’ rooms so the children can stay with their mothers.”
“What is Mother up to, Maggie? I know there’s a party, but what’s the surprise?”
“Now, Miss Violet, I’ve been sworn to secrecy. It wouldn’t be a surprise, if I told, would it?” Maggie smiled as she gave Vi another hug.
Vi smiled, she had her own secret. Everyone would know by the holiday, both hers and her mother’s secret. “By the way…” Vi thought about telling Maggie she wasn’t called Violet anymore, but thought better of it. She knew at Maggie’s age she would always call her by her given name, the name she had called her since she was a small child. “Never mind, I’m going upstairs. Don’t bother Jacob, I can get my suitcase to my room. It’s not heavy.”
“Would you like some lunch?”
“No thanks. I stopped and had a lobster roll as soon as I crossed over the state line into Maine. It was still morning, but I couldn’t wait until I reached the café at the beginning of the bridge leading to the Island. The lobster just isn’t the same when it’s shipped to New York City. It seems much better when it comes right off the boat. It was my breakfast and lunch.”
As Vi walked across the hallway to the staircase, the heels of her leather boots clicked on the green marble floor the builder of Ogden Point Road imported from the mines in Connemara, Ireland. “After I settle into my room, I’m going to walk into town and see what’s going on.”
“If you need anything, I’ll be in my room behind the kitchen,” Maggie called out as she walked toward the back of the house. “If Jacob hasn’t built a fire in you room, let me know.”
“Thanks. It will be like old times. My apartment is on the twelfth floor and overlooks the Hudson River. I have a beautiful view, but there’s no fireplace. I miss wrapping myself in a blanket and snuggling up in a chair in front of a fire.”
“It’s good to have you home,” Maggie called as Vi collected her suitcase and backpack.
When Vi reached the top of the stairs, she paused and looked down over the railing at the entrance hall. The sun shining through the stain glass of the main doors cast shadows on the marble floor. She loved this home and Maine, even though she’d felt like an outsider growing up. If she hadn’t seen and heard things that no one else did, she might have been closer to her sisters, parents, and classmates at school. Now it was her secret the ghosts talked only to her.
“When is mother arriving?”
“She’ll be here the twenty-ninth. We’ve planned a huge party for the holiday, as usual. I think she’s only missed one.”
“If I can help let me know.” Vi smiled.
“I think everything is under control.” Maggie’s face lit up. “All of you will be staying in your old rooms. Jacob and I have put cots in your sisters’ rooms so the children can stay with their mothers.”
“What is Mother up to, Maggie? I know there’s a party, but what’s the surprise?”
“Now, Miss Violet, I’ve been sworn to secrecy. It wouldn’t be a surprise, if I told, would it?” Maggie smiled as she gave Vi another hug.
Vi smiled, she had her own secret. Everyone would know by the holiday, both hers and her mother’s secret. “By the way…” Vi thought about telling Maggie she wasn’t called Violet anymore, but thought better of it. She knew at Maggie’s age she would always call her by her given name, the name she had called her since she was a small child. “Never mind, I’m going upstairs. Don’t bother Jacob, I can get my suitcase to my room. It’s not heavy.”
“Would you like some lunch?”
“No thanks. I stopped and had a lobster roll as soon as I crossed over the state line into Maine. It was still morning, but I couldn’t wait until I reached the café at the beginning of the bridge leading to the Island. The lobster just isn’t the same when it’s shipped to New York City. It seems much better when it comes right off the boat. It was my breakfast and lunch.”
As Vi walked across the hallway to the staircase, the heels of her leather boots clicked on the green marble floor the builder of Ogden Point Road imported from the mines in Connemara, Ireland. “After I settle into my room, I’m going to walk into town and see what’s going on.”
“If you need anything, I’ll be in my room behind the kitchen,” Maggie called out as she walked toward the back of the house. “If Jacob hasn’t built a fire in you room, let me know.”
“Thanks. It will be like old times. My apartment is on the twelfth floor and overlooks the Hudson River. I have a beautiful view, but there’s no fireplace. I miss wrapping myself in a blanket and snuggling up in a chair in front of a fire.”
“It’s good to have you home,” Maggie called as Vi collected her suitcase and backpack.
When Vi reached the top of the stairs, she paused and looked down over the railing at the entrance hall. The sun shining through the stain glass of the main doors cast shadows on the marble floor. She loved this home and Maine, even though she’d felt like an outsider growing up. If she hadn’t seen and heard things that no one else did, she might have been closer to her sisters, parents, and classmates at school. Now it was her secret the ghosts talked only to her.
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