“You did what? Why would you do such a thing? You hardly know this man and we have no idea what he might do at close quarters. He could rob us blind and disappear, or worse! Honestly, Anna, this behaviour is quite out of line for you. Is this blessed portrait of Helen so important to you that you would risk so much for it?”
Anna had known that Alina was unlikely to welcome her suggestion that Lawren accompany them to Scotland but she had not expected the outrage she heard in her friend’s tone of voice.
Rather than escalate the argument by commenting in a similar vein she kept her shock under control and replied in a quieter voice.
“I can’t imagine why you should be this disturbed by the idea, Alina. He may not accept my offer and, in any case he would be working in the house and not getting in our way at all. You need not see him. He would sleep downstairs and once the portrait was finished he would return to Canada.”
Anna did not mention the fact that she was sponsoring Lawren’s travel. With any luck, Alina need not know about this little nugget of information.
Before Alina could marshal another objection, Anna went on calmly, “After all, you will be in Manchester with Philip for some of the time. Lawren would be company for me.”
“What makes you think I would be reassured by that?” Alina threw her hands in the air in exasperation then decided to change tactics. “You still haven’t answered my question about Helen’s portrait. What’s the urgency about that?”
“I really don’t know. I do feel that now is the right time for this. It’s as if I have received so much from Aunt Helen and given nothing back. I just want to honour her in some way and this idea felt right to me. I am sorry it doesn’t meet with your approval, Alina. I would prefer to have you on my side.”
Anna’s heartfelt appeal to her friend’s better nature seemed to have the desired effect. Alina moved from the chair by the fireside where the confrontation had begun even before breakfast was over, and sat down beside Anna on the couch. She reached behind her and squeezed her shoulders in a gesture of affection and support.
“You are right, of course! I am a fool for overreacting that way. I think I must be jealous of the trust you have in this artist fellow. I’ll agree to back down right away. But, if he does decide to go with us, I will not leave for Manchester before I am sure we won’t be murdered in our beds!”
Both women burst out in spontaneous laughter at the absurdity of this statement and the tension between them evaporated.
Still gasping for breath, Anna managed to blurt out her final assurance.
“I promise you, if I see any signs of murder weapons when I go to his studio today, I will call off the whole project.”
“I will hold you to that promise Anna Mason, and don’t you forget it!”
Anna approached the elegant old Victorian house with its gables and fretwork and could not resist straightening her yellow spring jacket and smoothing down her hair again before she rang the bell labelled neatly; ‘L. Drake’.
A clatter of feet on the wooden stairs announced his imminent arrival and with a last tug of her navy skirt and a welcoming smile she prepared to encounter Lawren Drake for the third time.
A thought passed through her mind that perhaps Alina had a point. What did she really know about this man? Before the thought could take root she was following him up the stairs and into the studio apartment where a covered easel held pride of place beneath the skylight.
“Now, I need to warn you that this is only a preliminary version of the finished work,” he began.
“I wanted to give you some idea of what I am trying to achieve, before I hear your decision on how we progress from here.”
Anna noted some trepidation in his manner. He had not asked what her final decision was on whether she meant to invite him to work on the portrait in Scotland and she had to admire his restraint.
Suddenly the material to be revealed on the easel assumed enormous importance.
Sweat began to form on her palms.
What would she say if the work in progress did not match the ideas she had already? She cautioned herself to control her first reaction. After all she was not the expert in this field. She must not jump to conclusions.
These thoughts were no sooner in her mind than they were tested in the extreme. Lawren’s portrait emerged from its dust cloth shroud and Anna was shocked to see her own face, or a version of it, front and centre. She hardly noticed the other details, so surprised was she by this turn of events.
With rigid control to prevent herself from exclaiming her distress, she stood silently, aware of Lawren’s eyes on her and calculating that close scrutiny of his work was something he would expect at this point. She prayed he might not be aware of the reason for her silence.
After what seemed like an age, she stepped back and attempted a half-smile. He took that as an invitation to speak up.
“As I said, Anna, this is only a glimpse at what I intend to achieve. I don’t usually allow clients to see this stage of my work but the circumstances are different in this case. I couldn’t let you commit to the expense of sending me across the Atlantic if you were not happy with my progress.”
She cleared her throat and ventured a reply. “I see. Well, I must admit I was not expecting to see myself in the portrait. I thought Helen Dunlop was the subject.”
“That’s a natural assumption, I guess. My thinking was that neither of us can see the real Helen and you are the obvious link to her. As a live subject, you are much easier to capture.”
He stopped and waited for a reaction.
“You have certainly shown me in a flattering light, Lawren. I don’t see myself looking like this.”
“Ah! Well, none of us sees what the observer does. When we look in a mirror we see a reversed image so a painting looks unfamiliar at first. I can assure you that what I have done so far represents the real you very well.”
Anna looked again at the figure in the centre of the sketch. She was seated with a book in her hands and shown from the waist up. Her face was lit from the side and her bronze cap of hair shone in the light as if every strand had been drawn separately. There was something blue wound around her shoulders and it picked up the colour of her eyes. There was a glow on her cheeks that she had never noticed in her own mirror and she truly felt some embarrassment at the overall effect of seeing a younger, more attractive version of herself; a version that Lawren Drake had never seen in reality.
“How did you manage to do this when we have scarcely been in each other’s company for a couple of hours in total?”
“I am trained to observe closely and to retain the visual image in my mind. You may not think so, Anna, but you are an interesting subject. There is experience and sadness in your eyes and yet a great sense of optimism in the lift of your chin and in the way you hold your head.”
He paused and stepped forward to look into her eyes.
“Are you displeased with the work so far?”
Anna caught the hint of concern in his enquiry and rushed to assure him that she was flattered more than anything. “It’s hard for me to look away from the amazing person I see here, but now that you have explained it, I am noticing much more about the sketchier parts of the work.”
“When I transfer the finished ideas to oil on canvas everything has a greater intensity and there will be some changes to this initial plan. What do you think about the idea of your benefactress appearing just behind you with her hand in view and a journal or letter being passed to you?”
“Now that I think of it, it is a brilliant way to tell the story of our connection. I can see the resemblance to my mother and Helen’s figure seeming less pronounced, indicates that she is no longer present in real life.”
She dragged her eye away from the foreground and saw the tentative attempts at pencil outlines where presumably he wished to use the Scottish scenes. The time was right to announce her conviction aloud.
“I think we should agree that it is necessary for you to travel to Scotland to complete this work, Lawren. It is the only way to do justice to the setting. What do you say?”
“I can say nothing other than a most heartfelt thank you, Anna. It is a remarkably kind gesture. I look forward to it immensely. I must confess I was bold enough to think about this last night and I figured that I could transport these sketches easily on the plane and take my canvas, paints and brushes with me. You would have to commit some time to sit for me at first and I could look for the perfect frame for the portrait in the country where it belongs.”
“An excellent idea! I know just the person to help you search. My friend Jeanette knows every antique store and auction house in the area.”
Enthusiasm added a higher pitch to her voice and a warm smile to her face. “You will love, Scotland! Oban is quite the most beautiful place you can imagine. I will work out the details and get in touch with you soon. Do you mind travelling on your own? I doubt we could get you on the same plane at this late date.”
“Not at all! I don’t want to interrupt your plans more than necessary. I have one or two small jobs to finish up and then I am free to go.”
“Wonderful!” She reached out to clasp his hand in the traditional sealing of a deal and found his strong hand ready to grip her own. He really has the most amazing eyes, she thought, as she bid him farewell and almost skipped down the stairs.
I will introduce this carefully to Alina, she planned. Lawren’s arrival at the McCaig farmhouse need not interfere with our attendance at Fiona’s graduation. Alina should be leaving for Manchester shortly after that and Lawren can concentrate on his work.
The day seemed brighter than before as she drove out of the city. She chuckled to herself when she imagined the effect of the finished portrait on the wall above the mantel in the big double bedroom.
It will be spectacular, she thought. Perhaps I will have a gathering to introduce Lawren to the friends I have made in Oban. Wouldn’t it be fine if he found more work when people see an example of his talent?
She quietly hummed a Scottish folk song she had heard and loved. It will be so good to be back there again, she decided with a pleased smile.
Alina met her at the door as soon as she had parked the car.
“There’s a registered letter for you, Anna. I had to sign for it. It looks important.”
“Probably just a request for some of our new A Plus goods to be mailed somewhere,” insisted Anna.
She refused to echo her friend’s anxious tone of voice. The day had gone too well to be spoiled at this point, but when she saw the legal firm’s letter head, she had a sensation of déjà vu. It was a lawyer’s letter that had started the whole business of Helen Dunlop’s legacy and everything that had emerged from then.
Tearing open the stiff brown envelope, she found a letter typed on cream bond paper and as soon as she recognized the Ottawa address, she shivered. This could not be good news.
“What is it? You have gone quite pale Anna.”
“I’m afraid it’s about Richard.”
“Oh, dear! I’ll leave you to read it on your own.”
Anna did not notice her friend’s departure to brew a large pot of tea. At moments like this, tea was always the drink of choice in their household. She grabbed her reading glasses from the desk and put them on with a shaking hand.
Mr. Richard Mason asked us to inform you of his death after a valiant fight against cancer.
A cremation took place three weeks ago in Ottawa. The delay in this communication is at our client’s request.
Please find, enclosed, a private letter from Mr. Mason. We await your further instructions.
Sincerely,
Aaron Schuyler
Brooks, Winston and Schuyler.
Anna sat down on the nearest chair with a thump. Although she had half-expected this news she had always retained a hope that Richard would contact her before the end. The memory of his nasty wife had stopped her from making any enquiries in Ottawa and now it was too late to have that last conversation with him.
The letter from Richard was closed with a wax seal. She slowly unfolded the letter, breaking the seal apart and began to read. Tears formed as soon as she saw the first words.
My Dear Anna,
As you will now know, my final battle with cancer has been a losing one. The truth is, I am beyond exhaustion and ready to go.
I wanted to tell you how glad I am that we met in Egypt. Despite the difficult circumstances, I feel we resolved some issues and parted as friends. This gives me considerable peace of mind.
One more thing needs to be settled between us. After the divorce, I made sure that my mother never contacted you. As you know, she was very fond of you and I did a disservice to both by keeping you apart when you might have consoled each other.
My mother’s diabetes finally took her life five years ago. She left something in her will, specifically for you, and I have withheld it until now, to my shame.
If you can forgive me, and accept her small tribute, it will allow me to draw a line under another of my life regrets.
Be happy.
Richard.
A flood of emotions overwhelmed Anna and her sobs drew Alina back with a tray of tea things which she promptly set down on the coffee table. “What is it Anna? What’s happened?”
“Richard has died.” When she heard the words spoken aloud it brought on another bout of weeping and for a time all Alina could do was to gently pat her friend’s back.
When the storm had abated somewhat and a box of tissues offered, Anna found her voice again.
“It’s not just that. He sent a letter to solve a mystery about his mother.”
“What kind of mystery? I thought she cut you off because you divorced her son.”
“That’s what I believed all these years and it hurt me so much. We were good friends during the marriage and I couldn’t understand why she would take Richard’s side and let me flounder on my own with so many unanswered questions.”
“I remember you saying how you shared many a laugh with Rose about her fixation on everything red or pink.”
“That’s right! She had rose-themed wallpaper and bedspreads and her wardrobe was full of delicate flower prints. She was quite an eccentric character and totally different from her son.”
“Is Rose still alive?”
“No. Richard tells me in the letter that she passed away five years ago. I wish I had known. I would have gone to see her, if I had known the truth.”
“What truth?”
“He says he deliberately kept his mother from contacting me after the divorce and that’s why I never heard from her again. She must have moved to Ottawa with Richard because her old address was taken over by a new family.”
“This is sad, Anna, but you must have suspected Richard would not survive the winter. When we saw him in Luxor, he was not at all well.”
“I know, but I hoped his latest round of chemo might have bought him some more time.”
Alina poured tea for both of them and placed the hot cup in Anna’s hands. There was always comfort in tea, especially at a time like this.
They talked over the old days when Richard and Anna were happy and gradually Anna began to put the past back where it belonged. She felt a sense of closure. It was finally over. No more vain hopes or thoughts of restoring what had been lost. It was a surprise to realize she had still held such wishes at the back of her mind.
The future was a clear path before her now and into that future jumped an image of Lawren. She was shocked to the core at this unseemly juxtaposition. What was she thinking? She was not consciously looking for a replacement for Richard. He had been gone from her life for so long and she had never noticed the lack of a male partner. She and Alina were content and happy together. Good work partners and good friends. The last thing she wanted was to venture into the minefield of a new relationship …….…. and most certainly not a relationship with a younger man.
Clarity came to her mind with the shock of this discovery. Perhaps it was the influence of Alina’s new interest in Philip, or possibly the fact that she had spent time with Lawren in the last little while and his strong personality had affected her. Whichever it was, she would have to guard her actions and words very carefully from now on. She was clearly vulnerable at the moment.
“Have you heard one word I’ve said in the last five minutes, Anna?”
“Uh, sorry! My mind is all over the place. I think I’ll go and lie down for an hour. There’s been a lot to think about lately.” Silently, she thought, this thinking includes whether or not I will contact Richard’s lawyer to find out about Rose’s bequest.
Alina stood aside and watched her friend close the door to her bedroom. She was thinking Anna’s behavior was definitely unusual. This business with Richard must have affected her much more deeply than I would have guessed, she concluded. I’ll leave her to it. No doubt she’ll tell me when she is ready.
As she picked up the tray and headed for the kitchen a stray thought drifted into her mind and was quickly pushed out again. Accompanying the phrase; ‘Time heals all wounds’, came the counterpoint, ‘Time wounds all heels’.
“Lord above!” she exclaimed, “I did not know I still held these deep feelings of anger at Richard. Thank God Anna did not hear that said aloud! What would she think of me?”