Elm Creek Quilts [04] The Runaway Quilt Read Online Free PDF Page B

quilters’ retreat there. But she had come to love her fellow Elm Creek Quilter Summer Sullivan, too, and when Sylvia compared the two young women—which she knew she shouldn’t do—she couldn’t help thinking of herself and her elder sister. Claudia, the prettier and more pleasant of the two, had been admired and adored by all, unlike Sylvia, with her moods and tempers. Recalling her and Claudia’s bitter sibling rivalry, Sylvia had feared jealousy might ruin the friendship between Sarah and Summer, especially when Summer had assumed a position nearly equal to Sarah’s with Elm Creek Quilts. To her relief, Sarah and Summer proved themselves to be of stronger character than the two Bergstrom daughters. Sarah preferred to operate behind the scenes, working tirelessly on countless financial and managerial tasks, and never minded that Summer, with her more public role directing the teachers and activities, became the appealing face for the company. Neither envied the other her role or thought her own—or herself—superior.
    “I’m not upset,” answered Sylvia finally, regretting, as she had for most of her life, that she and her sister had not been friends. Gerda’s cryptic remark in the journal hinted that Anneke had known her share of familial conflicts, too, although all the family tales of her and Hans portrayed them with virtues bordering on heroism. It would not be easy to relinquish those golden tales for the truth, but Sylvia wanted her real family, not idealized heroes.
    The longer the ideal remained, the easier it would be to let it linger.
    “What’s bothering you, then?” asked Sarah.
    “Come upstairs with me,” said Sylvia. “I have something to show you.”

2
    Once Sarah got over her surprise, she berated Sylvia for not telling her about the discovery immediately. Sylvia endured the complaints, figuring she had earned them, but as soon as Sarah paused to catch her breath, Sylvia said, “Are you going to scold me all day, or would you prefer to see the quilts?”
    Immediately Sarah chose the latter, and after Sylvia retrieved them from the back of the closet, the two women carefully unfolded the quilts on Sylvia’s bed.
    Sarah exclaimed over the Log Cabin quilt, for Sylvia had shared Great-Aunt Lucinda’s story with her, and she knew the significance of the black center square. She said nothing as she examined the Birds in the Air quilt, but stole quick glances at Sylvia as if attempting to judge her reaction to it. When Sarah turned her attention to the third quilt, she first noted the fabrics common to all three quilts, then asked, “Do any of these fabrics match those in Margaret Alden’s quilt?”
    Surprised, Sylvia said, “I honestly hadn’t thought to look.”
    She brought out the photos Andrew had taken and gave themto Sarah, who scrutinized them carefully against the quilts on the bed. “Some of them look alike,” said Sarah, “but the scale is so small, I can’t be certain.”
    Sylvia retrieved a magnifying glass from her sewing kit and handed it to Sarah. “If you see something, don’t think you’re protecting me by pretending otherwise.”
    Sarah held the magnifying glass to the photos and studied them at length, but eventually she shook her head, still uncertain. Some of the fabrics looked similar, but as Sarah pointed out, that didn’t necessarily mean Margaret Alden’s quilt had any connection to the quilts in Anneke’s trunk. Quiltmakers of her time did not have the wide variety of prints modern quilters enjoyed, and the fading of the dyes could make even dissimilar fabrics seem alike in a photograph.
    “Maybe we can find another connection,” suggested Sarah.
    “Isn’t the choice of the Birds in the Air block a clear enough connection for you?”
    Sarah dismissed that with a wave of her hand. “It was a common enough pattern. How many thousands of Birds in the Air quilts have been made throughout the years? I’m not going to assume anything based upon that,