Gwen opened her mouth to answer but closed it again to consider her answer. Light laughter escaped her. “I think it started from watching old Grace Kelly movies. She was so elegant. I grew up wanting to be like her.”
Annie drizzled a little milk into each mug and stirred until a thick chocolate syrup gleamed. “Personally, I’d say you’ve mastered elegant very well.”
Gwen’s eyes turned somber and she lowered them, staring at her hands which rested in her lap. “I tossed elegant right out of the window this week, I’m afraid. In the process John has been hurt, as well as you, Annie. I’m so sorry.”
Gwen paused.
“Thanks for letting me call John,” she said. “I told him I’m with Alice. I was afraid he was still mad at you, Annie. I said I was going to shower and get warm, and that then I would come home. He was so relieved! Hopefully his anger will be relieved, too, when we have a chance to talk about all of this calmly.”
Annie turned off the flame under the saucepan of milk, and poured the hot milk into each mug. “Gwen, please don’t worry about me. We Texas gals are tough. I only wanted to support you in whatever you were experiencing, and I guess I stumbled over myself doing it.” Annie set a mug in front of Gwen and then Alice. She took the third mug from the counter and sat down next to Gwen.
Gwen slowly stirred her hot chocolate. “The only thing you stumbled over, Annie, was a family secret. So secret I knew nothing about it.” She lifted the mug and breathed in the scent of chocolate. Then she looked at her two friends. “Clara Stewart is my great-grandmother.”
“And Evelyn Stewart?” asked Annie. “She was in the registry too, but there was no married name given.”
Gwen nodded. “Yes, she is my grandmother, Evelyn Stewart Campbell. She sounds so Scottish, doesn’t she? I had absolutely no idea there was any Passamaquoddy blood in my family line. Grandma and Mother never said a word.”
“No wonder you turned so pale when I told you about Annie and me finding the end of the poem!” said Alice. “And here I thought you had probably been hit with insomnia the night before your trip to the museum.”
“The insomnia didn’t hit until after our conversation,” Gwen said wryly. “I went home and tore through Wedgewood, looking at any paper, journal, or letter from my family for any mention of Passamaquoddy heritage. Dinner burned to a crisp. I couldn’t tell John yet; I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t the welcome home from work John was expecting.” She took a sip of her cocoa. “Mmm—Alice, cocoa was a great choice.”
“It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate.” Alice lifted the cloth from the basket in front of her. “Would you like a scone to go with it? I made them to test Annie’s first batch of rose-hip jelly.”
Gwen nodded. “I’ve eaten little in the last couple of days. One of your scones is a good way to get back into the habit of eating.” She reached into the basket to take a scone and placed it on one of the dessert plates stacked next to the basket. Breaking off a tip of the treat, she nibbled off a small bite.
After swallowing she continued. “I don’t want you to misunderstand about John from what I said. When he came home to a ruined dinner, he wasn’t disturbed that his dinner wasn’t perfect. He’s never seen me like I’ve been the last few days. That’s the first time I’ve burned a meal in thirty-five years of marriage!”
“That’s quite a record,” said Alice. “I think I burned the first five dinners I made in my marriage. It took years of practice to become the culinary genius I am today.” Alice lifted her scone, its top now shimmering with the bright rose-hip jelly. “Did you ever find anything in your family’s records?” She slid the jelly jar over to Gwen, who dabbed some on her own scone as she answered.
“No. And the more I looked, the more frustrated I became and the more worried John became. When I finally tried to explain what had happened, I became even more upset, realizing that my grandmother and mother had completely jettisoned an entire section of our family. And I wondered how it would impact my life.” Gwen turned to Annie. “John thought I was angry because you had shared Grandma’s name with Alice. But I wasn’t. First, I was angry at my mother and grandmother for hiding my past from me. Second, it irked me that John went into his Mr. Fix-It mode.” Gwen paused for another sip of cocoa as her friends inwardly smiled at her description of John’s reaction. “I realize John’s problem-solving skills have kept Stony Point Savings Bank strong in all kinds of economic ups and downs over the years, but I’m his wife, not a financial institution.”