She'd chosen to start with Margo Krager's newest Dargate fabric line “Lavender and Mint” for her first block.

"I don't have much of a show-and-tell,” she said. “I just finished a quilt for the store and now I'm trying to do some hand-piecing."

"It might grow on you,” Sharon said. “We generally stick with hand-piecing or appliqué, since we can work on it during the re-enactment events."

"How critical are the other re-enactors about period authenticity?” Connie asked. “I've been making costumes, and I think the skirts and bodices I've made are accurate, but no one but the group gathered here have seen them."

"What Connie is trying to say, or would be if she wasn't beating around the bush,” Lauren said, “is that we have a couple of people who are way off the charts. The husband is in charge of this whole wing-ding and his bimbo of a wife is going to be dressed like a tart.” She looked expectantly at the newcomers. “Can we look forward to an ugly scene?"

"That's a terrible thing to say,” Connie scolded.

"It would be if she wasn't right,” Robin said and laughed.

Sharon looked at Inez, who nodded for her to go ahead.

"There will be a few thread counters who think nothing is right unless it's absolutely authentic,” she said. “They are so picky they even want the reproduction fabrics to have the same thread count as the originals. Fortunately, they aren't in any official positions. They mainly want to criticize everyone but without doing anything to help with the changes."

"Reminds me of someone we know,” Jenny whispered to Harriet, and they both concealed smiles behind their teacups.

"We were warned to expect thread counters in the sutler's area. Our consultant said as long as we posted a sign that said our goods were reproductions and not exact replications, we would be okay."

"That's good advice,” Ellen said. “That won't stop all the comments, but really it's only one or two people. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Good,” said Harriet. “That's one less thing. Did anyone see where Sarah went?” she asked the group as she stuck her needle into her fabric and put both items in her bag. “I need to get those quilts she mentioned."

"Or not,” Robin said.

"She has been pretty scarce lately,” Jenny said.

"We were supposed to go to dinner last week and she ditched me at the last minute,” Lauren said. “She said she had to go to Angel Harbor. She probably has a secret lover."

"Our Sarah?” Jenny asked.

"You're right,” Lauren said. “What was I thinking?"

Harriet thanked the re-enactors from Portland and arranged to meet with them the following day to inspect the event facilities, but not until they'd had a chance to thoroughly enjoy breakfast at their lodging.

Beth waited in the circular driveway in front of Harriet's bow window as Harriet pulled in and parked. “I like the new planter,” she said when Harriet was out of the car. She pointed to the cedar box that Harriet had added by the studio door. “I assume you still want to walk."

"I need to walk,” Harriet said. “Between the long hours on the quilting machine and the stress of dealing with all these crisis, my poor back feels like it's being twisted into a pretzel."

Foggy Point was a great place to live it you liked to walk. There were plenty of wooded trails, but Harriet's favorites were the paths that went along the water. The peninsula had rocky shores with little or no sand, so there weren't beaches as such, but there were pathways through the rounded water-worn stone.

"Let's go down to the water,” she suggested, and Beth agreed. “Do you mind if we drive over to the north side? I don't feel like walking from here."

"Whatever you want, honey."

Harriet drove back down her hill and through downtown Foggy Point. She was taking them to a beach along the strait side of the peninsula, just beyond the commercial docks.

"Well, what do you think?” Beth asked when they had parked and gotten out of the car. Harriet led the way toward the path. “Is everything ready?"

"With the exception of Sarah's last quilt or quilts, everything is done as far as the quilt booth goes. Connie gave me my costume, so I've got something to wear. Bebe came by and talked Connie into making Carlton a new vest. She didn't like the one Mavis made. She's insisting he wear pink to match her dress, so they will look like clowns. Other than that, things are great."

"At this point, the event is going to happen whether they have proper clothes or not, so I wouldn't worry about it,” Beth said. “I just met with the ladies at the Lutheran Church and they're all ready to do admissions. They have their tickets and cash boxes, and their schedule looked good-they have two people plus a spare for each park entrance."

"It's unfortunate Mavis had to be gone,” Harriet said. “There isn't really anything she needs to be doing, but I'd feel better if she were here."

"It seems strange the kids would insist on her helping out on such short notice when they know how involved she's been with this event."

"She said she'd be back in time for the re-enactment,” Harriet said.

"How are things with you and Aiden?"

"We had dinner the other night, but he had to go back to work."

"He kind of left in a hurry on pizza night, I noticed."

"Yeah, well, he's worried about Carla. We both are."

"We all want to help Carla, but she's been on her own for a long time and she's done a pretty fair job taking care of herself and that baby so far."

"If he decides he wants to be with Carla, that's his business,” Harriet said.

"I didn't mean to suggest he was interested in her in that way."

"You did, too, and if he's that easily distracted, we don't really have a relationship to begin with."

"Go ahead and take the high road, but I saw your face when he left the other night."

"I might not have wanted him to leave early, but I am a little curious about this guy Carla's seeing. Aiden hasn't met him yet, either. He said Carla was so embarrassed when he tried to ask her about him all he got was a bunch of mumbling."

"I'll see what I can find out,” Beth promised. “I'm stopping by tomorrow to talk to her about housekeeping. And we're on the same shift in the sutler's booth."

"It just seems weird. I mean, Carla has made great strides, but her life lately has been all about working at the quilt store and getting acquainted with that big old house. So given that, I'm wondering where she met this new guy."

"Well, I read an article the other day that the grocery store is replacing the singles bar as a place to meet a potential mate,” Beth offered.

"I don't want to see someone take advantage of her. Don't you find it the slightest bit weird that the rare stranger under the age of forty who comes to town manages to find the one girl who almost never goes out in public?"

"Maybe its fate,” Beth said.