Echo of a Dream

Katie’s family left London on Sunday to return to Penzance after an early breakfast with her. She was delayed by interviews with the press and would arrive in Penzance on Monday afternoon. During her long drive to her grandparents’ cottage, Katie’s thoughts flew back to her family and her life growing up on the ranch in Virginia. She missed her dog, Gretchen, who always welcomed her home with gusto whenever she returned from a tour. She thought of her little Scottie dog as her best friend, since the ballet left little time for a social life. The sun glinted off the elegant mansard roof of the cottage as she drove around the last bend in the seemingly endless road. It was a spectacular home, and she regretted that she had only been here a few times during her childhood. She compared it to a French chateau which she had seen pictures of in a travel magazine. It was beautiful, exquisite in every aspect of its design. After parking her car, Katie ran to the terrace and gave her mother a loving kiss. “Katie, please hurry and get ready for dinner. We have a guest arriving any moment. Jeans and a turtle neck just won’t do. Oh, you’re staying in the same bedroom you always stayed in, dear.” Rilla was wearing a winter-white wool skirt and red sweater set. She was tall and slender, and her dark straight hair was pulled back from her face. A lovely face, Katie’s father always said. “What guest, Mother?” Katie was looking forward to a quiet dinner with her family without having to conjure up conversation with a boring guest. But then, Katie knew her grandmother loved entertaining. “Adrian Ashley, the man who’s financially responsible for keeping your ballet afloat, is coming here for dinner. Have you met him yet?” Her mother walked closer and hugged Katie again. “No, I haven’t. Why is he coming to…?” Her mother cut her off. “Well, hurry, dear. He’ll be here any moment.” Katie walked into the house. There was no one in sight. Her grandmother’s drawing room was made ready for guests and presented an impact as visually charming as a stage set. The silk curtains were pulled back to allow guests to view the gardens and the sea beyond. The cushions on the couches had been plumped, magazines straightened, and the fire made up. The room was softly lit by a pair of matching brass lamps and the flames in the fireplace were reflected in their large round bases. There were flowers everywhere, as Katie expected, since she knew her grandmother loved flowers. Nothing had changed. It was just as Katie had remembered it all these many years. She loved the cottage, the rooms, the furniture, and most of all the people in it—her family. She was so happy to be back in her grandparents’ home that she pirouetted in circles around the large familiar room. Hearing a car in the driveway, Katie raced upstairs to her bedroom. She looked out the window and could not believe her eyes. It’s the bellman from the hotel, she thought. What in the world is he doing here? Oh, this can’t be! He’s arrived in our driveway in an impressive little sports car, and he’s wearing a white dinner jacket! She simply could not take her eyes from the scene in the driveway. Her mother was giving the “bellman” a kiss, and her father was shaking hands with him! Through the open window, she could overhear their conversation. “So nice to see you again,” her mother said as the man handed her a bouquet of red flowers. “Welcome to Penzance. We’re honored you could join us,” her father said. Honored? This man can’t be a bellman…Oh, no!…that must be Adrian Ashley. Katie stared and stuck her head farther into the window enclosure. The man was standing at the end of the garden now, resting one foot on a stone bench while talking to her father. Luckily, he faced away from the house and could not see her at the window. Despite herself, she continued to stare in secret from the curtained alcove. The sunlight shone on his sand-colored hair, and his wide shoulders strained the back of his white jacket, which outlined his long narrowing torso. He was as still as a statue. A Greek God, she thought absently. Suddenly the man turned and looked up. She jumped backward, as though he might come through the window. Katie crossed the room and sat hard on her high canopied bed, dazed with the realization that she had given this man who sponsored the ballet a tip. “Okay, how are you going to handle this?” she asked herself aloud. Proceeding to dress, Katie paired a skirt with a blue angora sweater. She applied her light makeup in the nearby bathroom, noting her wide eyes held a wary look of confusion and dismay. The incident with this man, the mistaken “bellman,” would be ignored. What else could she do? He had taken advantage of her situation, pretending to be the bellman, and he deserved nothing less than a good tongue lashing. At this, she twisted her long straight hair into a tight chignon with unusual ruthlessness and was pleased at the resulting look—sophisticated, almost mature, really. It gave her the courage to face Adrian Ashley. Finally, taking a deep breath, she headed for the stairs. This had to be gotten over with sooner or later. As she took the last step of the stairs, her mother came toward her with the “bellman” in tow. “Adrian, this is our daughter, Kaitlyn Rose. Katie, this is Adrian Ashley. He’s the mystery benefactor who’s helping your ballet out of financial debt.” Katie swallowed with some difficulty and nodded her head. “Hello, Mr. Ashley. Welcome to Penzance.” His eyebrows lifted as he reached for her right hand and placed his lips softly on the back of it. “Miss Johnson, how delightful to be formally introduced to you. I enjoyed your performance immensely,” he said with a cultured English accent. Katie’s mind was awhirl. Performance, what performance? Of course, he must have attended the ballet on Saturday night. He is, after all, a sponsor…and I gave the sponsor of the ballet a tip. She could tell by the smirk on his face that he was enjoying this. “Thank you,” she said politely, lifting her chin and lowering her eyes quickly. Just then Olivia invited them to come into the music room. “Grab an hors d’oeuvre and come on, everyone. Gather around.” For Adrian’s benefit, Olivia added, “Rilla will play the music she wrote for the movie, ‘Things Remembered.’ It will be released next year. She says this will be her last project, but that remains to be seen.” The family and their guest moved one by one into the music room, taking a seat on the plush couches and chairs that were placed around the piano. Rilla’s musical score was beautiful. When she finished and stood and bowed, everyone clapped in appreciation. “Now, I would like to request Mr. Ashley to play us a tune,” she said. “Sorry to put you on the spot, Adrian, but rumor has it you are also an accomplished pianist.” Adrian looked embarrassed. “Well, you’re a tough act to follow, Rilla. But there’s one song I would like to play for you. It’s a song that came to me in a dream. It has no name, and I’ll probably fumble many times. I’ll be playing it from memory for only the second time.” Everyone applauded as Adrian seated himself at the piano, closed his eyes briefly, and began to play. Katie sat bewildered as she listened to Adrian’s music. Suddenly she stood to her feet. “I know that song. I do. I heard it at the theatre the other morning as I practiced.” All eyes were on Adrian. “Yes, one of the musicians played the song for me at the theatre the other morning. He’s writing the notation for me. It’s a song that comes to me in a dream, repeated identically almost every night.” Rilla walked up to the piano again. “How delightful and mysterious, Adrian. It’s a beautiful piece of music.” She hesitated. “It’s almost Native American in tempo, like some of the Cherokee songs I remember hearing as a child. I’d like to know more about it.”