Part 18 (1/2)
”He would not have been able to afford anything close to that necklace, and JoAnne Mayfield would likely have left him and his movie project in a fit of rage. She was famous for those types of tantrums, and Mr. Montgomery planned to sit back and enjoy a bit of revenge. Unfortunately, he died before the ruse was carried out, and so did Mr. Blake. But it was about that same time that Miss Montgomery realized that most of her friends and all of her admirers had just been pretending to like her so they could get in the good graces of her father. She kept the fake engraving to remind herself-and my mother-just how false men could be. They both declared that they would never chance their hearts again.
”My mother eventually did find love, and Miss Montgomery was happy for her. She, on the other hand, has mostly hidden herself away in that big house for the past sixty years. She has one friend from her past, Alice, who still calls every now and then, but Miss Montgomery has always refused to see her.”
”That is so sad.” Lauren's heart ached to think of how lonely these past decades must have been. ”How did you come to work here in place of your mother?”
”My husband pa.s.sed away about fifteen years ago. I fell into a deep depression and was so far in debt from years of his cancer treatments that I lost everything. I came back to stay with my mother, who by that time was finding her work here more and more difficult due to her age. Miss Montgomery hired me, strictly out of kindness to my mother, to help a.s.sist her. Somehow she found out about everything, and before I knew it, the medical debts had been mysteriously paid off. When my mother died a few years later, I continued on in her stead, and I've been here ever since.”
”Do you have other members of your family?”
Frances shook her head. ”I truly consider Miss Montgomery my family, in an unusual sort of way. I take care of her, and I know that she would take care of me, too. My husband and I were never able to have children, though, so to answer your question, I really don't have any other blood relatives that I know about.”
”I'm glad Miss Montgomery has you in her life.”
Frances stood and carried her gla.s.s to the sink, washed it, then set it in the drainer. She walked to the doorway and turned just before she went through it. ”I'm glad she has both of us.”
thirty-six.
Opening night found the entire backstage area full of chaos and clamor. The theater was sold out, and everyone behind the curtains knew that somewhere in those sold-out seats were the Disney representatives. The very ones who would make the decision about which schools would be chosen for next season's premiere. The student seamstresses were all busy with needle and thread, making last-minute adjustments, while Lauren checked and double-checked every garment. All appeared to be in order.
In the very first scene, when Guinevere was singing about the simple joys of maidenhood, Priscilla tripped but somehow managed to grab the arm of one of her maidens. Lauren held her breath, praying that nothing had ripped in the exchange. The scene went on, everything still intact, and soon Priscilla was back in the changing room, Lauren helping her get the wedding gown over her head.
After she was dressed and they'd started working on the b.u.t.tons, Priscilla said, ”Tell me again why we couldn't just put a zipper in? It would have made this whole process a lot easier.”
”Because they didn't have zippers in this time period, and it wouldn't be authentic.” Lauren continued to work the satin b.u.t.tons through their respective loops.
”Yes, but who really cares?”
”Mr. Rivers cares, for one, and the Disney people, and believe me, there are plenty of people in the audience who care about those kinds of details. And even if none of that were true, I would still care. I like for things to be done correctly.”
Priscilla turned toward her then and c.o.c.ked her head, and Lauren braced herself for one of the usual biting comments. ”That sounds so crazy to me, that anyone could be so uptight about anything. But”-she flipped her long hair over her shoulder-”I will be the first to admit that you have made an amazing dress here, and the play will look better because of it.”
Lauren kept b.u.t.toning, waiting for the punch line. It never came. Finally, she looked up and replied, ”Thank you.”
Priscilla swept out the door and toward the stage without further comment. Still, what she had said had been enough.
”Thank You, Father, for sending that encouragement.” Lauren made her way to the wings so she could watch part of the wedding scene. Priscilla was not only beautiful, the girl had talent by the bucketful.
After the curtain closed for intermission and the house lights came up, Lauren chanced her first peek toward the packed house. She scanned the first few rows, looking for anyone who appeared to be more official than the others. Perhaps the man in the gray suit? No, he seemed to be with a large extended family. They must be here to watch someone in particular. She kept scanning until she stopped dead on the second row, center section, directly on the aisle. She couldn't believe it. There sat Miss Montgomery and Frances, the sapphire and diamond necklace barely visible inside Miss Montgomery's collared s.h.i.+rt.
Later, when the show was over, Lauren rushed out to find them before they left. ”Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have gotten you some tickets.”
Miss Montgomery swiped the air dismissively. ”I think we can afford twelve dollars for a high school play. Besides, the whole point was to surprise you.”
”Well, you accomplished that, all right.”
”It's about time those tables were turned, then.” Miss Montgomery smiled, then gestured toward the stage. ”That wedding dress was amazing.”
”I'm rather pleased with the way it turned out, I have to say.”
”Have you ever considered designing wedding gowns for a living?”
The question, innocently asked, still hit like a blow. ”Not really. I haven't considered much in the way of true designing for a while now. It seems like a dream that's a bit too far out of reach.”
”Don't be like me, dear. I gave up on my dreams instead of fighting for them. I'd give anything if I could go back and do some of those things over again. Don't hit my age with a heavy heart full of regrets.”
On Sat.u.r.day morning, Lauren went to the school to oversee the costumes for the matinee performance. Theodore Rivers had sent out a group text that he wanted everyone at the theater half an hour before call time because they had a ”few rough spots they needed to touch up.”
Lauren toyed with the idea of skipping the extra half hour. She would not be rehearsing, after all. But her built-in work ethic wouldn't let her do it. She needed to be there in case there were adjustments needed.
She was in the costume room, steaming out the wrinkles from one of the cavalier's jackets, when a student named Megan Preston came into the room. ”Mr. Rivers has asked that you come to the meeting, too.”
”Really?” Lauren couldn't imagine why, but who was she to argue?
She stood at the back wall of the theater while the cast and crew all gathered round Mr. Rivers in a giant circle of chairs. He was looking at a sheet of legal paper, which appeared to be filled with suggestions. This meeting was going to take a while.
He looked up and said, ”First of all, nice job last night, everyone. We have a few things we're going to review this morning, but as a whole, the evening went smas.h.i.+ngly, I thought.”
”What did the Disney people say?” one of the girls called out from the back.
Mr. Rivers looked at her, his face growing extra serious. ”What did I tell all of you about the Disney results?” He looked around the room but then began to answer his own question. ”They have several schools they are planning to look at. They will not pick their final schools until all schools have been considered.”
”Do you think they liked the show?” Priscilla asked.
”Mom said the people from the newspaper really liked it. She said they said it was our best show ever,” a boy chimed in.
Mr. Rivers looked around the group, his expression growing angry. ”What did I just tell you? What have I told you all along? We have to be on our toes and do our very best performance every single day, because what if they come back for another look today?”
The kids s.h.i.+fted in their seats.
”We're going to review the 'Simple Joys of Maidenhood' number, but before that, I do have a couple of announcements to make. First, we still have some open seats for tomorrow's matinee. Make sure you have posted signage in all your a.s.signed spots. And second, I will tolerate no further inquiries or speculation about the Disney decision. Mr. Champion told me last night that they have already looked at several excellent productions, and that they still have five more schools to go see . . . and . . .” His tone was even angrier now. ”And . . . one of the available slots will definitely be ours.” He paused for a second, his face still so serious that the students seemed to be doubting what they had just heard. Then he slowly broke into a smile, and he threw his paper into the air. The room erupted.
Once he quieted the group, he scanned the room. ”And you all thought I was too old to act anymore.”
The kids all cheered and shouted their acknowledgment of just how thoroughly he'd gotten them. He continued, ”The committee was in agreement about the fact that our production far surpa.s.sed any they'd seen so far. They made special mention of your performance, Priscilla.” Priscilla's grin was huge. ”And of the sharpness of our dance sequences.” He nodded toward Faye, the student ch.o.r.eographer. ”And in particular they mentioned the professional quality of the costumes.” He nodded toward Lauren. ”Well done, everyone.”
The whole cast and crew began to jump up and down and hug one another. Mr. Rivers came over to Lauren. ”Really well done. I believe the day is coming, in the not-too-distant future, when we will all say, 'Lauren Summers? I knew her when.'”
He walked to the front of the stage. ”Okay, 'Maidenhood' scene, let's take it from the top.”
On the Monday of the second week after the play had ended, Lauren was in the process of pulling weeds when she heard a car pull up. She turned and was surprised to see a white Lexus in her driveway. The cottage had officially sold to Miss Montgomery, but maybe Mr. Edwards needed something from the attic? Lauren stood and waved as he emerged from his car.