ancestor, Captain Caleb, and had an almost irresistible urge to say thank you.
Shaking her head at her nonsense, she went to the bathroom and tied back her hair. When she came out, she pulled her big red notebook from her new bag, and got back into bed.
Maybe it was the nearness of Izzy’s wedding, or maybe it was thesearch for something small that Montgomery had not designed, or perhaps the idea came from the fallen photo. Whatever the cause, Alix started sketching chapels. She rarely forgot a building, and she drew what she remembered.
Every August since her parents had split up, her mother went to Colorado, and Alix would stay with her father. If his work schedule allowed him to travel, they went where they could study the local architecture. They’d been to the southwestern U.S. to look at pueblos, to California for mission style, to Washington State to see Victorians. When Alix got older, they went to Spain to see Gaudi’s work, and of course they visited the Taj Mahal.
Alix used everything she could remember and sketched as fast as she could. When the pages filled, she tore them off and tossed them onto the bed.
When the bedroom door opened she looked up to see Izzy, fully dressed as though she meant to go out.
“Somehow, I knew you weren’t sleeping.” Izzy moved drawings to sit down on the bed and picked up some sketches. “A church?”
“A chapel. Small and private.”
Izzy looked at one drawing after another in silence, while Alix held her breath. As a fellow student of architecture, she greatly valued her friend’s opinion.
“These are gorgeous,” Izzy said. “Really beautiful.”
“I’m getting there,” Alix said. “But I keep trying to incorporate everything in one design. Bell towers, magnificent doors, half-round staircases. Everything! I need to decide what I can and cannot use.”
Izzy smiled. “You’ll figure it out. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going out shopping.”
Alix threw back the covers. “I’ll get dressed. It won’t take me but minutes.”
Izzy stood up. “Nope. You’re not allowed to go. This is your big chance and I want you to take it. Stay here and design something that will astound Montgomery. By the way, there’s food downstairs.”
“How did you find a grocery open this early?”
“For your information, it’s eleven A.M. and the whole beautiful town of Nantucket is just outside. I’ve been out and come back and now I’m ready to go do some serious clothes shopping. You cannot meet the Lord High Emperor Montgomery wearing that .” She gave Alix’s old sweats a disparaging look.
Alix knew her friend well. “You know, on second thought, I think I’ll go with you. I need some new sandals.”
Izzy stepped back to the door. “Oh, no you don’t. I’ll be back for dinner and I want to see what you’ve done.” She hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
“I’ll do my best to make you happy,” Alix called out. She knew that Izzy wanted to go by herself. She loved shopping for clothes, and if Alix was in the mood, so did she. But not today. Besides, the two young women were similar enough in size that Izzy could buy whatever Alix needed and charge it all to Victoria.
At noon, Alix’s growling stomach finally made her get dressed and leave the bedroom in search of breakfast. Izzy had bought bagels and tuna salad, fruit, and bags of spinach. All healthy and filling.
Alix made herself a sandwich, but then she went back upstairs to get her drawings so she could look at them as she ate. To her horror she saw that she had only two blank sheets of paper left.
Surely, she thought, if her mother had stayed here more than once she would have paper somewhere, probably in the green bedroom. Feeling a bit like she was snooping, Alix went down the hall to the room Izzy was using.
Alix again wondered when her mother had stayed on Nantucket. And why would she keep her visits a secret? Alix remembered saying that she found out
Shaking her head at her nonsense, she went to the bathroom and tied back her hair. When she came out, she pulled her big red notebook from her new bag, and got back into bed.
Maybe it was the nearness of Izzy’s wedding, or maybe it was thesearch for something small that Montgomery had not designed, or perhaps the idea came from the fallen photo. Whatever the cause, Alix started sketching chapels. She rarely forgot a building, and she drew what she remembered.
Every August since her parents had split up, her mother went to Colorado, and Alix would stay with her father. If his work schedule allowed him to travel, they went where they could study the local architecture. They’d been to the southwestern U.S. to look at pueblos, to California for mission style, to Washington State to see Victorians. When Alix got older, they went to Spain to see Gaudi’s work, and of course they visited the Taj Mahal.
Alix used everything she could remember and sketched as fast as she could. When the pages filled, she tore them off and tossed them onto the bed.
When the bedroom door opened she looked up to see Izzy, fully dressed as though she meant to go out.
“Somehow, I knew you weren’t sleeping.” Izzy moved drawings to sit down on the bed and picked up some sketches. “A church?”
“A chapel. Small and private.”
Izzy looked at one drawing after another in silence, while Alix held her breath. As a fellow student of architecture, she greatly valued her friend’s opinion.
“These are gorgeous,” Izzy said. “Really beautiful.”
“I’m getting there,” Alix said. “But I keep trying to incorporate everything in one design. Bell towers, magnificent doors, half-round staircases. Everything! I need to decide what I can and cannot use.”
Izzy smiled. “You’ll figure it out. I just wanted to tell you that I’m going out shopping.”
Alix threw back the covers. “I’ll get dressed. It won’t take me but minutes.”
Izzy stood up. “Nope. You’re not allowed to go. This is your big chance and I want you to take it. Stay here and design something that will astound Montgomery. By the way, there’s food downstairs.”
“How did you find a grocery open this early?”
“For your information, it’s eleven A.M. and the whole beautiful town of Nantucket is just outside. I’ve been out and come back and now I’m ready to go do some serious clothes shopping. You cannot meet the Lord High Emperor Montgomery wearing that .” She gave Alix’s old sweats a disparaging look.
Alix knew her friend well. “You know, on second thought, I think I’ll go with you. I need some new sandals.”
Izzy stepped back to the door. “Oh, no you don’t. I’ll be back for dinner and I want to see what you’ve done.” She hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
“I’ll do my best to make you happy,” Alix called out. She knew that Izzy wanted to go by herself. She loved shopping for clothes, and if Alix was in the mood, so did she. But not today. Besides, the two young women were similar enough in size that Izzy could buy whatever Alix needed and charge it all to Victoria.
At noon, Alix’s growling stomach finally made her get dressed and leave the bedroom in search of breakfast. Izzy had bought bagels and tuna salad, fruit, and bags of spinach. All healthy and filling.
Alix made herself a sandwich, but then she went back upstairs to get her drawings so she could look at them as she ate. To her horror she saw that she had only two blank sheets of paper left.
Surely, she thought, if her mother had stayed here more than once she would have paper somewhere, probably in the green bedroom. Feeling a bit like she was snooping, Alix went down the hall to the room Izzy was using.
Alix again wondered when her mother had stayed on Nantucket. And why would she keep her visits a secret? Alix remembered saying that she found out
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