ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
APRIL 1924
Gentry slipped the new dress her mother had helped her make over her head. It flowed over her figure like warm water. Mama had made the cloth years ago and had saved it for a special occasion. It was a double-pane plaid done entirely in shades of green so that it shimmered like the new leaves of a maple in a gentle spring breeze.
Gentry had never felt prettier. She had never felt more beloved. And she’d never been prouder of anything she’d done. Thanks to Lorna, Aunt Eulah, and now Mama, she’d had the skills needed to make a dress pretty enough for the wedding of a princess. Not to mention the patience it took to finish it. And while she wouldn’t be in the chapel for Cornelia’s wedding, she would be waiting outside the doors with her family to see the bride.
“Aren’t you a picture of perfection!” Mama exclaimed. Tears filled her eyes. “I never dared to dream of a day like this,” she added in a husky voice. “Going to a wedding with my beautiful daughter.” She swiped at her eyes, blinking fast.
Gentry reached in her pocket, excitement stirring in her breast. Her mother had given her so much. Now it was her turn to give her something—no matter how small it might seem. “I’ve been saving this for a long time now. It’s just about the only thing I managed to keep up with other than my dulcimer.” She pulled out a soft white handkerchief and held it out for her mother, showing off the design.
Mama gasped. “Daffodils, my favorite.” She took the handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, laughing now. “How did you know?”
“I remembered,” Gentry said, emphasizing the word. “Cornelia gave me that when I went up to Biltmore House my first Christmas in Asheville. I told her they were your favorite.” She shook her head. “There was one with lilies of the valley too, but I lost it.”
“Nearly ten years ago.” Mama shook her head. “We were both so very lost then.”
“But now we’re found,” Gentry said.
“For always.”
They stood in each other’s embrace as if, by loving each other now, they could make up for all the years they’d missed. And as her mother’s love seeped into all the dark places in Gentry’s spirit, it was like a song rolling through her, spreading light and hope.
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Yes. At long last she could see past her own sorrow and pain to a future that looked not simple or easy, but bright. And she could see that she wasn’t alone in it. There was Mama and Arthur, and yes, Lorna. All of them forgiving and forgiven.
She breathed in and breathed out, her anxious heart settling into a new rhythm that she itched to play as she strummed the chords of peace, peace, peace.