When Madelaine walked back out into the dining room, she found Evelyn standing in front of the large table, taking various items out of a small box.
“What’s this?” Madelaine asked as she stepped closer.
“This, my friend, is something very,veryspecial, indeed.” Evelyn held up a small white piece of fabric with dainty embroidery on it. “This belonged to Isabelle.”
Madelaine’s lips formed a silent O as she carefully took the piece into her hands. There were several of them, each depicting a different kind of flower stitched into it with a very skilled and steady hand.
“These are beautiful!” Madelaine said reverently as they laid them all out on the table. “And these were all made by Isabelle?”
“Yes. She was very good at needlework,” Evelyn said with a melancholic expression. “During the first year of our marriages, she and I worked on two quilts. They were supposedto be gifts for both of our husbands. I made one for Caleb, and Issy made one for Luke. Well, she’d started it, as you can see here… but when she had John, she barely had time to sit down and work on it. She’d often mentioned how she desperately wanted to finish the quilt, but she didn’t have a spare minute.”
Madelaine admired the quality of the work. “What a shame,” Madelaine said as she held up another square piece with two embroidered roses on it. “You can see that she put a lot of work into these.”
Evelyn smiled, but her eyes were sad. “She did. She poured all her love for her husband into every single square. That’s the reason I wanted to finish the quilt for her, so it could be gifted to Luke. I have started with these pieces, here,” Evelyn said as she unfolded a larger sample of squares which had been sown together.
“But after their deaths…” She swallowed hard, and Madelaine put her hand on her arm. “I just couldn’t bring myself to look at them long enough to finish it.”
Madelaine touched another purple flower with her fingertips. “It’s a blessing that these pieces still exist, and I truly feel grateful that you brought them here to show me, Evy.”
“I think you should finish the quilt,” Evelyn said. “You’re his wife now. I don’t think I have it in me to finish it. But these pieces deserve it. I think it would be a beautiful gift for Luke.”
Madelaine looked up in surprise and saw the moisture in Evelyn’s eyes. “Are you sure? My needlework isn’t as good. I might ruin Isabelle’s hard work.”
“It’s clear to me that God sent you here,” Evelyn said as she grabbed Madelaine’s hand with both of hers, squeezing it tightly. “And He obviously saved these pieces for a reason. Maybe they are the key to help Luke heal. Maybe this was His plan all along. I don’t know. It just feels right. Isabelle deserves to be remembered this way.”
***
It was late morning when Madelaine sat in her room, sorting out the different fabric pieces on top of her bed. It was snowing again, and Belle and Simon were playing on the floor. It had been a peaceful start to the day, although Luke still hadn’t shown his face at breakfast, and Madelaine started to wonder where he was.
For now, she wanted to focus on this new project. If she worked hard, maybe she’d be able to finish it by Christmas. Evelyn had been so kind as to provide extra needles and thread so she could begin immediately.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door.
“Madelaine?” Luke’s voice came from the other side.
Panicked, she began stuffing the fabric pieces back into the box.
“Are you decent?” he asked, which made her scrunch her nose.
What did he think of her? At this time of day, she would most certainly not be in a state of undress like some lazy scallywag. She covered the box roughly with a blanket, marched to the door, and swung it wide open.
“What do you think? Of course I am!” she exclaimed.
Luke jumped at her abrupt response. He looked rough. His beard was messy, his hazel eyes were red-rimmed with dark circles underneath them, as if he hadn’t slept a wink. He still wore the same clothes as he had last night when he’d left. When he stepped closer to her, she could smell a whiff of alcohol on his breath. Had he been drinking?
Seeing him like this, her heart went out to him. One thing Madelaine was never good at was holding a grudge.
“Are you all right?” she asked, slightly worried, although she did fold her arms in front of her chest defensively.
He lowered his head as he nodded. “Yes, I’m fine,” he spoke softly, and Madelaine knew that he felt bad. The way he’dtaken off his Stetson, turning the rim in endless circles in his hands while he actively avoided her eyes, gave it away.
“Well?” she asked.
He sighed a deep breath, straightened to his full, impressive height, and was about to say something when his gaze shot past her head, focusing on something behind her.
Madelaine spun around. The blanket had slipped off the box, revealing one of the embroidery squares. When she turned back around to Luke, he stared at her, gaping. Then he walked straight past her, bent over the bed, and stared at the fabric square. He began pulling them out, one by one.
“Those are… Where did you get these?Howdid you get these…?”
