Part 110 (1/2)

She worked alongside him, then decided to change gears, abandon the trunk and work her way through an old chest of drawers.

It was amazing what people kept, she thought. Old table runners, faded pieces of embroidery or needlepoint, children's drawings on paper so dry she feared it would break and crumble in her hands. She found a collection of records she thought might be from the same era as the gorgeous coral dress. Amused, she uncovered a gramophone, wound it up, and set the record to play.

She grinned over at Eli as the scratchy, tinny music filled the room. She did some jazz hands, a quick s.h.i.+mmy, and had him grinning back.

”You ought to put the dress on.”

She winked at him. ”Maybe later.”

She danced back to the chest of drawers, opened the next drawer.

She made piles. So much unused or partially used fabric, she noted, arranging them in neat piles. Someone had used the chest of drawers for sewing at one time, she thought, storing silks and brocades, fine wools and satins. Surely some lovely dresses had come from this, and others simply planned and never realized.

When she reached the bottom drawer, it stuck halfway open. After a couple of tugs, she lifted out sc.r.a.ps of fabric, and an envelope of pins, an old pincus.h.i.+on fas.h.i.+oned to resemble a ripe, red tomato, a tin box of various threads.

”Oh, patterns! From the thirties and forties.” Carefully, she lifted them out. ”s.h.i.+rtwaists and evening gowns. Oh G.o.d, just look at this sundress!”

”You go ahead.”

She barely spared him a glance. ”They're wonderful. This whole project has made me wonder why I never tried vintage clothing before. I wonder if I can make this sundress.”

”Make a dress?” He flicked her a glance. ”I thought that's what stores were for.”

”In that yellow silk with the little violets, maybe. I've never sewn a dress, but I'd love to try it.”

”Be my guest.”

”I could even try on that old sewing machine we found up here. Just to keep it all vintage.” Imagining it, she stacked the patterns, turned back to the empty drawer.

”It's stuck,” she muttered. ”Maybe something's caught ...”

Angling herself, she reached in, searched the bottom of the drawer above for a blockage, then the sides, then the back. ”I guess it's just jammed or warped or ...”

Then her fingers trailed over what felt like a curve of metal.

”Something's back here in the corner,” she told Eli. ”In both corners,” she discovered.

”I'll look in a minute.”

”I can't see why it's hanging up the drawer. It's just-”

Impatient, she pushed at the corners, and the drawer slid out, nearly into her lap.

Eli glanced up again at her surprised ”Oh!”

”Are you okay?”

”Yes, just b.u.mped my knees a little. It's like a compartment, Eli. A secret compartment in the back of this drawer.”

”Yeah, I've found a few of those in desks, and one in an old buffet.”