“You taught yourself dress design, then.”
“I did. I loved old movies. Of course, some of them weren’t so old back then. I learned and practiced by copying dresses I took a fancy to in the movies. Then I pretended I was in charge of costumes for various movies and created my own designs.”
“The dress I’m wearing is one of your original designs, isn’t it?” Phoebe asked. “It’s lovely. It caught my eye right away.”
“You’re very kind, Phoebe. Yes, I pretended I was designing costumes for a movie about the Titanic. It’s not all that different from one of the dresses Kate Winslet wore many years later.” Daphne sighed heavily, but with none of the earlier raw emotion. “There was something about being up in the library attic…” She trailed off, then smiled as she glanced again at Phoebe. “Maybe it was my great-great-grandfather’s presence.”
For all Phoebe knew, it was.
Daphne took Phoebe’s arm again as the library came into view. “He’s quite a man, your Noah.”
“We’re not… He isn’t…” Phoebe took a breath. “Sorry. I’m not usually tongue-tied. I just don’t want to give the wrong impression.”
“But you aren’t, are you? You don’t have to answer. Your remind me so much of your father. He was new to town, too. We helped each other. Knights Bridge was exactly where he wanted to be.”
“He was such a dreamer,” Phoebe said with affection.
“The war took its toll on his natural spirit and optimism, but he finally decided that the best way for him to honor the friends he lost was to live each day.”
“He did that. No question.”
Daphne squeezed Phoebe’s hand, then let go as the library came into view. “One night, he walked me home from the library. It was January, absolutely frigid.” She gave a mock shiver. “Believe me, I’ve never missed below-zero temperatures living in Southern California. That night was so clear. I’ve never seen stars glittering in a night sky like that. Patrick said it was a combination of the cold air and Quabbin, the absence of ambient light. Now that I do miss.”
“I love the night sky,” Phoebe said.
“That night…” Daphne looked up at the early-evening sky, gray with dusk. “It felt as if the stars were talking to me. I knew I had to leave. I got home and packed up and left Knights Bridge that night.”
“My father—”
“He knew I wasn’t meant to stay here. He was so comfortable that night, as cold as it was. It was as if he were back in his own skin again. He was like a brother to me, you know. I’d have done anything for him.”
“Did you stay in touch?”
“I didn’t even say goodbye,” Daphne said softly, almost to herself. “It was so, so cold that night. So cold, Phoebe. I knew it was Patrick’s destiny to stay here and be himself just as it was mine to leave and become myself. I don’t know if that makes sense to you but it does to me.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Phoebe said, meaning it.
“My attic room tells my story in a way, doesn’t it?”
Phoebe smiled. “It certainly does. How did you get to Hollywood?”
“I took buses across the country. I was flat broke by the time I hit Wilshire Boulevard, but I got a job waitressing, found a roommate. I started working on sets, doing whatever work someone would hire me to do, and eventually I got into costume design.” She grinned suddenly at Phoebe. “That’s the short version.”
“Did you ever marry, have kids?”
“Marry, yes. More than once. Have kids, no. Patrick O’Dunn, though…” She shook her head in obvious
amazement. “Four daughters.”
“With your former French student,” Phoebe added.
“Will Elly be here tonight?”
“She wouldn’t miss it.”
They walked under a sugar maple and across the library’s side yard to the front entrance. Phoebe saw Ava and Ruby on the steps, in their flapper dresses from Daphne’s hidden room.
“I’m honored, Phoebe,” Daphne said in a hoarse whisper. “I thought I needed to pretend my past here never existed. I didn’t want any reminders, anyone else to know about Debbie Sanderson and her abusive, alcoholic childhood.”
“No one needs to know who you are,” Phoebe said. “If it’s what you want, you can attend the fashion show as one of Dylan’s friends from California.”
Daphne paused as they came to the main entrance. “Loretta says you should introduce me.”
“That sounds like Loretta,” Noah said, joining them, easing in next to Phoebe. “We’ll do whatever you want.”
Daphne didn’t respond, and Noah took her by the arm and escorted her up the library steps. Phoebe saw Ava and Ruby staring at her and gave them a quick smile as she followed Noah and Daphne.