Fade to Grey Read Online Free PDF Page A

picked up on? It dawned on her!
    Great Gran's handkerchief! That had to be it. Could a person's scent stay on an article of clothing for such a long stretch of time?
    She studied the kitchen. It was amazing to see how it was originally built. Since she had never seen photographs of the original house, she studied everything with interest. Where Gran used to have her dishwasher was just a large metal sink with a pump handle. Since there was no electricity, that meant no spigots. Buckets of water sat under the sink for washing and rinsing. So that meant outside there must be a well close by, perhaps right outside the house? Candle sconces on the walls cast light, though not a lot. A grouping of plain tallow candles was on the table and the iron stove cast some light through the cracks. Though Gran's house never had a fireplace in the kitchen, it did now, complete with a stone hearth with iron prongs for cooking pots to perch on and a teakettle balanced on some bricks. That must have been taken out and the chimney destroyed when Gran's oil furnace was installed in the Fifties. The cabinets were different also. Instead of closed wooden doors, they had glass fronts with white enamel knobs. Donna wondered what the rest of the house looked like. Lilly reentered the room with Annabelle in tow. Annabelle was probably lower in the pecking order of the maids, Donna felt, as she followed differentially a few steps behind Lilly. Lilly walked and acted with more authority, probably garnered through years of service in wealthier households. Annabelle smiled at Donna and kept her hands folded in front of her.
    “Annabelle, Miss Bradenton will be staying in the Crows Nest room. Find her a warm nightgown and some slippers please.”
    “Yes, Ma'am.”
    “And she'll need some toiletries, perhaps a hairbrush, some soap, washrags and a towel. You can take her up now.”
    Donna stood and followed Annabelle. They passed through the swinging door and she was curious as to how many people were at the party. She had been hearing sounds of piano playing, some singing, and glasses clinking while she was in the kitchen eating.
    “Here, Miss, we'll skirt the library area and head up the stairs. All the guests are in the library now, since the meal is done. The men are having cigars and brandy and the ladies are having champagne.”
    Donna couldn't very well tell Annabelle that she knew the layout of the house intimately. But she was curious about the guests and what they were doing. She'd try to catch a quick glance while they passed by. The hallway was quite long and the guests wouldn't normally have paid attention to anyone walking at a distance. At least this area of the house was better lit. She could now see a young woman seated at a grand piano, playing merrily away. People were gathered around her singing along loudly, some in key and some drunk enough that they were hanging onto each other for support. It was sort of like double margarita night at her favorite nightclub in Chicago. Like her girlfriends, they were humorous to watch. A large fireplace was at the far end of the library, with cheery flames leaping upwards throwing a bright glow over everyone. Everyone seemed to be dressed formally. The men were in tight fitted jackets with ties and stiffly starched shirts. The women had on long colorful gowns with various styles of hair, all long and held up with feathers, pins or sparkly do-dads.
    “I’ll take you to your room, Miss, and see you settled, but then I have to get back to my chores.”
    “Yes. Putting on a dinner party is always quite a job.”
    She followed Annabelle up the stairs, past bedrooms and offices. She would have known the way in the complete blackness, but in truth, things may have changed from her modern memory. Her still painful ankle was a reminder of running into feed bags in the stable. The indoor carpeting wasn’t there, now there were throw rugs. Another maid appeared from one of the bedrooms.
    “Rose! You