Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter 26

Welcome to Lavender Lass Books - Thursday Newsletter! Abigail and I have decided to publish The Magic of Burrows Bay one chapter at a time. As always, you can find out more information on these and all our other books at the Lavender Lass Books website.

We’ve created a group on Facebook just for our Thursday newsletter! It’s a fun place to talk about all things Burrows Bay related…and as we progress through the story, you’ll find out why we post all those 1920s-inspired dresses. Hope you’ll join us!

Most of our books are for sale at our Lavender Lass BookShop…and we have several stories in Kindle Unlimited for the summer. Some have the first part FREE at our shop!

And tomorrow is our monthly party on Facebook! Please join us for all things Sweet Fantasy & Fairytale on Friday, June 17th, from 9 am to 3 pm PT. Hope to see you then!

Finally, here is the next chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay! We’ll have a new chapter every Thursday, so we hope you enjoy the story…and if you missed the FREE ebooks last weekend, we will do that again at the end of our story. We have 30 chapters total so only a few more to go!

Maggie McCrae knew her granddaughters were not ready for the legacy she must leave them. The house, the grounds and everything that went with it would now be theirs. She vowed she would do all she could to protect them and hopefully, give them the time they needed to fulfill their destiny. Gabriella and Moira must learn to trust themselves and each other as they discover the true magic of Burrows Bay.

And remember, you can always catch up on all earlier chapters here.

Chapter 26

A few hours later, Emma joined them as they were discussing what needed to be completed for the party.  “Thanks for calling me,” Emma said to the others.  “This is going to be fun.”

“Do you think we can get the appliances hooked up in time?” Gabbi asked.  She really wanted that new range.

“Are you kidding?”  Emma smiled.  “For a little extra money, I can tear out a few of those older cabinets and get the range and hood installed before the party.”

“Really?”  Gabbi replied.  “That would be great!”

Moira smiled.  “Now, you know how I felt the first time we walked into the library.”

Gabbi laughed.  “Arthur said I would love this kitchen, but I’m going to love it a lot more with a new range.”

Emma walked over to the cabinets.  “Gas, right?  Do you want gas or electric for the ovens?”  They talked about the kitchen plans, while Moira took a notebook and pen out of one of the drawers.  Looking at Callie, she said, “Why don’t we sit down and decide what needs to be done everywhere, but the kitchen.”

“Can we walk through the other rooms first?” asked Callie.  “I really don’t remember much after all the excitement with the spray paint on the porch.”  Callie looked towards the front door.  “Have you had any more trouble?  I should have asked when I first walked in.  I was just so worried about the party.”

Moira smiled. “Gabbi’s dad installed security cameras all over the estate and a lot of lighting around the house.  I don’t think we’ll have any more problems.”

“The extra lighting will be great for the party,” Callie replied.  As they walked into the parlor, she added, “Do you mind if we decorate the porch?”

“I think we’ll have to, don’t you?  Jack said we could paint over the letters anytime, which will be a big improvement.”  Moira’s eyes sparkled.  “What’s a Halloween party without a haunted house theme?  Maybe some cobwebs on the porch posts and a few dozen spiders hanging down?”

“You wouldn’t mind?”  Callie smiled.  “This is going to be a wonderful party!  Why don’t I take notes, while you show me around?”

Moira handed her the pen and notebook as they walked into the solarium.  “The ceiling in here has a little water damage.”  Moira pointed it out.  “Let’s check with Emma to see if she thinks we can get that repaired or if we should keep the room closed off.”

Callie wrote it down and asked, “Is there anything that needs to be done in the parlor?”

“Every room needs a good cleaning,” Moira replied.  “Gabbi and I did some dusting, but the windows all need to be washed as well as the chandeliers and sconces.”  She looked around.  “How much help did you say we would have?’

“Plenty,” Callie promised as they walked into the dining room.  “Oh, this is a lovely space,” Callie said, looking around.

“I like the bay window.  It’s kind of dark in here, but that’s perfect for a Halloween party, don’t you think?”  Moira pointed at the dark paneling.  “If we give this a good polish, it will reflect all the lights and any candles we add to the table.”

They walked back to the staircase and around to the ballroom across from the front parlor.  “This room is just amazing.” Callie said, looking at the two sets of French doors leading to the covered porch, the huge chandelier above them, and window seat in the turret.  “Do you think we can have people dancing in here?” she asked.

“I would think so,” Moira replied.  She walked over to the front window and pulled off a large dust cover revealing the grand piano.  “Maybe, we can even have some music.”

“Oh, it’s beautiful.”  Callie walked over and gently touched the dark wood.  “It looks like mahogany and these details are amazing.”

Moira smiled.  “We need to get this appraised and probably tuned.  I don’t know how to play, but I do know they take some upkeep.”  She pushed on a few of the keys and the sound echoed through the room.

“What are you two doing in here?”  Emma walked into the room, then stopped and just stared.  “Now, that’s a piano!”  She pulled the bench out.  “Do you mind?” she asked.

“You play?”  Gabbi smiled.  “Go ahead.  We’ve been wondering how it would sound.”

Emma sat down and played a few scales.  “It’s a little out of tune, but still has a lovely tone.”

She ran through a few more scales, then started playing Fur Elise.  The sound wove its way around the room, reminding Moira of the ivy on the transoms and along the edges of the inlaid floor.  “Can you play Blue Danube?” she asked, looking at Gabbi.

“Seven years of piano lessons,” Emma replied, smiling.  As she started to play the waltz, the room seemed to shimmer slightly.  The air felt a little heavier, and the meager sunlight coming through the French doors caught the dust and lit it up like faint glitter. 

Callie was so busy watching Emma play, she didn’t notice anything else.  Moira looked at Gabbi, knowing she felt it, too.  The music definitely seemed to add a soft magical aura to the space.  As Emma looked up from the piano, she saw the light and gasped.  When she stopped playing, everything returned to normal.

“What is it?” asked Callie, looking around to see what had startled Emma.

“Sorry, I don’t remember the rest.”  Emma looked at Gabbi and Moira.  “We should finish going through the rooms, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” replied Gabbi.  “Why don’t we all go back to the conservatory and have something to drink?”

“Great idea,” agreed Moira.  “I’ll make some iced tea, and Gabbi can throw together a quick salad.  Didn’t you want to use up the rest of that crab meat?”

“Right,” Gabbi said, moving towards the kitchen.  Emma took Callie’s arm and led her into the conservatory.  “Tell me more about this party,” she said, smiling at Callie.

They worked on their plans until three in the afternoon, when Callie said she had to go by her mom’s house and pick up the boys.  Emma decided to go home and work up bids for the kitchen and get back with them as soon as she had the numbers.

Gabbi and Moira walked them to the door, then went upstairs.  Montgomery had said he’d pick Gabbi up at four, so she started to get ready.  Moira stood in her room and tried to decide what to wear. 

She was just getting her jeans out of the closet, when Gabbi came in to borrow some eye shadow.  “Are you really wearing jeans on your third dinner date?” she demanded.  “Have I taught you nothing?” 

Moira shook her head, smiling as Gabbi pretended to collapse onto the bed.  “I give you my valuable knowledge and you waste it on jeans and a sweater.”

“Well, what do you suggest?” asked Moira.  “We’re just going out for meatloaf and a drive in his convertible.”

“It’s the third date,” replied Gabbi, smiling.  “You should wear that black skirt and the purple cardigan we found at Opal’s shop.  That color makes your eyes look dark and mysterious.”

Moira considered for a moment.  It would be fun to dress up a little.  Did she really want to wear jeans, when her date walked around in a trench coat and fedora?  “All right, you win.”

Gabbi jumped up and hugged her.  “Guess what?  Dad just texted me that he’s going to get us adjoining rooms at a hotel in Seattle, so we can drink wine with dinner and not have to worry about driving home.”

Moira smiled.  “Sounds like fun.  Where are you going for dinner?”

“He won’t say,” Gabbi replied.  “He loves surprises.”

“Then, what are you wearing?” asked Moira. 

“That silky periwinkle dress from Opal’s.  It will look great with the light blue, pearl necklace and earrings that Dad gave me when I graduated from culinary school.”

Moira smiled.  “Oh, that’s going to be perfect.  Finish getting ready, and I’ll take a picture of you two before you leave.” 

Gabbi went back to her room, and Moira picked up her phone and walked over to the window seat.  She might as well call her parents and let them know she wasn’t coming home after all.  As she looked out at the evergreen trees and smaller shrubs beneath them, she wondered if she’d really seen anything out there the day before.  Maybe, it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.  There were certainly enough unexplained things happening already.  Did she really need to look for any more?

Then, she heard Gabbi calling her name.  “Hey, Moira.  Can you help me zip up my dress?”  As Moira walked away from the window, something turned and moved slowly through the underbrush, back into the deep cover of the forest.

Join us next week for the another chapter of The Magic of Burrows Bay!