Harrowing Hats (37 page)

I’d spent most of the day getting all of Andre’s gear together. We cleaned up the shop, stacked up the material. I marveled at all the old-time movie posters that had been hidden by hat-making supplies. They looked like originals from 1930s movies like
The Wizard of Oz
and
Gone with the Wind.
We took them down carefully and rolled them up. Andre told me stories about his father and grandfather working on some of the most famous movies in the world.

I put the posters in cardboard tubes for transport, then went to find Andre to ask where he wanted them. He was looking at the scrapbook that he kept after his wife had died. I watched him touch a few photos of Kathleen, lost in his memories. He finally closed the book and put it away to take with him to Wilmington. I asked him about the posters—pretending I hadn’t seen him looking through the scrapbook.

By six P.M., the shop was cleaned out, hat frames neatly in place. The shop looked sad and empty. It was strange to see it so organized—Andre was careful with everything else but not when he worked.

It was time to go. I hugged him and said I’d miss him. I dreaded trying to find something else to do the rest of the summer. He hugged me back, then carefully straightened his red tunic.

The door to the shop burst open as we were about to walk out together. There stood Beth—wild eyed and smelling of too many cigarettes.

“What are you doing, Andre?” Her voice was husky and breathless.

“I’m leaving,” he answered, chin held high. “I have an opportunity and—”

“You can’t leave me now! You said you loved me. You said you want to marry me.”

“Well, I did—I do! But I didn’t hear from you and I naturally assumed—”

“And you’re leaving?”

I echoed Beth’s surprised sentiments. I mean, we’d spent the whole day cleaning and packing—me feeling sorry for him because he said
she
rejected him. Now I find out she was just making him wait, no doubt for his past transgressions with Eloise. Served him right, too.

“I think I should go.” I tried to slip out the door and leave them alone.

“No!” Andre stopped me. “I need a witness to these proceedings and you’re the only person here.”

“A witness to what proceedings?” Beth asked, big, fat tears rolling down her face.

Andre took out a beautiful ring (probably meant originally for Eloise, but I wouldn’t say so). He got down on one knee, straightened his clothes, and offered it up to her. “Elizabeth Daniels, my lovely lady, will you have me for your husband?”

Beth hugged him to her. “Yes, when you put it that way. I certainly will!”

They kissed, and I realized I was crying, too. Suddenly the sunshine was bright again and the world was a better place.

“We’ll have a big, Renaissance wedding, the likes of which no one has seen for these many years,” Andre said, smiling through his tears. “There will be unbelievable hats.”

“And unforgettable costumes!” Beth added.

They started kissing again and I finally managed to sneak out the door. Maybe Harriet’s Hat House wouldn’t be closing down after all.

I
was actually whistling under my breath after I left the Hat House and the happy couple. I needed to see Chase, cry all over him while I told him about Andre and Beth, then have him hold me close for as long as possible.

I started thinking that not everything had to end like Crystal’s experience. There was Roger Trent and Mary Shift, who’d stayed on together in the Village. There was Daisy Reynolds and Bart Van Impe, another couple in love who stayed here. Now there was Andre and Beth. If they could do it, Chase and I could do it, too.

I was so caught up in thinking about those couples—and what I would wear to the wedding—I didn’t even notice Bernardo bearing down on me until I almost walked into him.

“What gave you the right to judge?” he screamed at me. “Why didn’t you leave well enough alone?”

I wasn’t sure what he was talking about at first. Then I understood. “Did they turn themselves in to the police?”

“Yes!” He snatched his showy hat from his head (I thought about his recent hair plugs) and glared at me. “I was trying to protect them. If anyone should have killed Cesar, it was me. Marco shouldn’t have had to defend Belle from him.”

“Maybe that’s true,” I agreed. “But they did it—they killed Cesar. They had a choice to make about another man spending time in jail for their crime. I would think you’d be proud of them.”

“Proud? I’m infuriated. And I blame
you
. You should’ve left things as they were. Who cares if that other man didn’t kill Cesar? He killed two other people. Marco isn’t a murderer. He doesn’t deserve to be locked away.”

“This isn’t the way to help your brother.” Chase’s voice came from behind me before I felt him standing close. “Get him a good lawyer, Bernardo. Make sure he understands what happened that caused this.”

“You don’t understand.” Bernardo dropped to his knees on the cobblestones. “It should’ve been me. I should’ve done it. I was too much of a coward and now Marco might be put in jail for the rest of his life.”

Eloise came running across the cobblestones and put her arms around Bernardo. “You can’t keep blaming yourself—or Jessie. Marco and Belle were right to tell the truth. We have to take care of them now. Come home with me. Let’s decide what we should do next.”

I was surprised at the depth of emotion in Eloise’s voice. Who knew she felt anything that deeply?

Eloise helped Bernardo to his feet and dusted off his fine hat. “Excuse us, Bailiff, Lady Jessie. Thank you for your help. We must take our leave now.”

The pair walked off together toward the other side of the Village. Chase put his arms around me, and we watched them go. We stood that way for a long time until one of the goat girls giggled at us and urged the goat pulling her cart to go around us.

“Are you okay?” Chase asked me.

“I think so.” I smiled up at him. “I know so. You won’t believe what happened today.”

“If it’s better drama than a murder, two suspects turning themselves in, and you pranking one of the Knights Templar, I don’t want to know.”

But he smiled when he said it, and I knew it would be all right. And Bernardo and Eloise were another couple who would be here together. An impressive group that would continue to inspire me.

“Never mind.” I took his hand. “Let’s go home.”

 

H
ear ye! Hear ye! Is there anything better than a day at the Renaissance Faire? The food, the fun, the jousts! Spending a day at Renaissance Faire Village is like stepping back in time to mingle with the lords, ladies, fools, and knaves who inhabit the Village. The marketplace is full of wonderful things from around the world that you might never see again. Shopping is a must!

And as you’ve just read, hat making is alive and well!

No one knows when the first hat was made—it probably happened when the first cave lady put a piece of saber tooth tiger skin on her head to keep out the rain. Instant fashion!

In the Middle Ages, the church decided that all women should cover their heads at services. Hats became fashionable and expensive as ladies and gentlemen showed off their millinery style.

Felt, straw, and silk were twisted and shaped into works of art. Hennins—the pointed hats with or without scarves—were popular. Women wore muffin caps to cover their hair when they didn’t have time to dress their locks properly. Hats said things about the wearer without the wearer saying a word.

A trip to the Renaissance Faire wouldn’t be complete without eating some good food outside as you walk around the shops and watch the events. There is a great deal of debate as to what constitutes Renaissance food. While it’s true that funnel cakes probably didn’t exist, their ingredients did, and it would be hard to say that no one ever made something like them.

Christopher Columbus changed the way people ate during the Renaissance. Corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, and turkey came back with him. It took some time for many of these foods to become popular. Tomatoes had an uphill climb. People didn’t trust them. Potatoes (actually from South America) were popular in many parts of Europe. Peasants and highborn folks ate them roasted, boiled, and fried. They put sweet syrup, broth, and herbs on them to give them flavor.

Potato soup was a favorite, and here’s a recipe for how people ate it during the Renaissance:

Cook the potatoes and onions in the vegetable broth until they are soft. Add cream and chives. Eat with bread, bacon, or cheese.

 

WILL FEED FOUR

 

 

 

PRETTY POISON
FRUIT OF THE POISONED TREE
POISONED PETALS
PERFECT POISON
A CORPSE FOR YEW

 

 

 

WICKED WEAVES
GHASTLY GLASS
DEADLY DAGGERS
HARROWING HATS

 

 

 

A TIMELY VISION
A TOUCH OF GOLD