CHAPTER ELEVEN: Winds of autumn – Part 1

Michigan, October 1918.

On the top of a hill, the north wind was blowing more and more strongly. That made the temperature of the last three weeks gradually decline, and at the same time imposed the indisputable arrival of autumn. That was also noticeable in the change of the color of the leaves and in the days that were getting shorter and shorter.

Sitting on the grass, on Pony's Hill, with her arms extended backwards to support herself with the palms of her hands, Candy was admiring the field that was stretching in front of her. The treetops were beginning to be painted with soft tones of yellow and orange. She was waiting anxiously for the following days, when the color of some of those leaves would change to brown or red. The combination of those colors always seemed incredible to her.

It's so amazing to see that God not only makes nature change functionally but also that when those changes happen they do it so beautifully! Candy thought.

Leaning her head slightly to her left shoulder, she observed the clear blue sky that was bathed in the yellow glow of the last rays of the afternoon sun. She couldn't prevent her thoughts from wandering in a certain direction. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, slightly curving the corners of her lips. In her mind there was the image of blond hair shining under the rays of the sun, while its owner, a tall and slender man, with a sweet and captivating smile, elegantly dressed in his black tuxedo, was dancing happily with her. Because it was Albert, and not Great Uncle William, who had danced with her at Archie and Annie's engagement party.

Although more than two months had already passed since then, Candy could remember every detail as if it had been yesterday. That memorable day, each plant in Lakewood was again in full bloom, flooding the atmosphere with the soft fragrances of their flowers. Against Great Aunt Elroy's wishes, the engaged couple, with Great Uncle William's support, had decided to hold the party in the gardens instead of the great ballroom, even if that was against the protocol. Annie, in a simple chiffon dress of greenish blue, was radiant. She looked beautiful and sure of herself, and so did Archie. [44] Possibly that was helped by the fact that the Leagans had decided to return to Florida, apologizing for not being able to attend the party due to previously established and unavoidable commitments. Although they hadn't discussed it between them, nobody doubted the real reason for their departure; since they hadn't managed to prevent the engagement, extremely irritated, they chose to leave and not witness their defeat. Without a doubt that was the best for everyone. Who knows if they would have been capable of sabotaging Archie and Annie's triumphal entrance! If they had done it, it would have been a disaster.

Just as Archie had told her, they made their entrance through the Water Portal. [45] For that, he had asked a famous carpenter to manufacture a floating kiosk. He had achieved his fame by making all kinds of beautifully carved artifacts that had the peculiarity of floating in the water, not only because the wood floated but thanks to the ingenuity of his partner, an innovative engineer. The final decoration had been in charge of a stylist, who was commissioned to decorate it with all kinds of flowers of the season.

Candy smiled amused, when she remembered what Archie had told his future fiancée, before they got into the kiosk: "You have nothing to fear, Annie...Rest assured that it will not sink... It has already been tested several times with the weight of at least five men, and besides, it's not one of my brother's inventions nor was it manufactured according to his plans, so we won't end up in the middle of the lake."

Stear...Thank you for giving them your blessing that day...Somehow I feel you have given it to me too, Candy thought, recalling that for a brief moment she had felt a soft breeze blowing, just at the moment Archie and Annie appeared in front of everybody near the lake, and she had felt the same thing as she was dancing with Albert. She also remembered that Great Aunt Elroy's look of disapproval upon her seemed unimportant. All that mattered to her at that moment was the sensation of being briefly in Albert's arms, even though it was through the chaste touch of his hands that held her firmly and guided her along the dance floor. Although they only danced a couple of times and not continuously, it was very hard not to think of him that day as her friend, Albert, but as her guardian, William A. Ardlay. Just as he had mentioned to her, he would leave Great Uncle's role aside, at least whenever he was with her, Archie or Annie, but it seemed he personified him again when he left them.

To make matters worse, it was still Albert who continued to surprise her with his unexpected visits to the orphanage and not the most authoritative figure of the Ardlays. Because his surprise visit before the engagement of her friends wasn't the only one.

The next time was a month after the engagement, and then just last month. Now it was not only nature that was responsible for reminding her of him; it was himself with his own presence who did that. Those brief encounters made her heart beat hard and forced her to hide her true feelings, so that he would not discover them. But it was precisely in those moments when she became more aware of their intensity, making it impossible to change their essence. She might try to get rid of her romantic feelings, if only he would behave with her as her guardian and not as her friend. If only he would raise a barrier and wouldn't insist all the time in tearing down hers. If only he wouldn't treat her with his usual warmth. If only he would stop visiting her so frequently...But she couldn't deceive herself. She was so fascinated with his surprise visits! Moreover, she longed for his next visit, because she was sure he would visit her again. Now she was only praying that he wouldn't take too long to come...

Stop thinking about that, Candy...It won't get you anywhere and the only thing you'll achieve is keep living an illusion, she thought with her eyes still closed, slightly frowning...You'd better remember that now you can't even have his warm embrace...That should tell you something.

And that was true; he was the same again as before with her, and nothing had changed between them, except for that seemingly insignificant detail: they didn't embrace each other anymore. And another pressing detail disturbed her: until that moment, he hadn't shown a hint of a different feeling towards her. However, everything was so confusing in his way of behaving.

And what if you tried to conquer him...?

At such a thought, Candy came back to herself, frowned, squeezed her eyes, showed her teeth and taking the tip of a ponytail in each hand, she began to pull them up and down.

"What brilliant ideas you have, Candy!" she exclaimed, visibly exasperated.

"Would you mind sharing them?"

Candy froze and opening her eyes, she started lowering her hands still holding the tips of her ponytails. She paled instantly when she saw in front of her, just a few meters away, the unexpected and long-awaited visitor.

"Maybe I can help you decide if your idea is worth being carried out or not," he added with an amused smile.

It seemed that every time he came she was confused or had one of her childish outbursts. What she didn't know was that she always remained simply charming in his eyes.

"Albert..." she murmured, painfully blushing.

"Well, would you mind sharing them?" he suggested again. Although his voice was more serious, his eyes were still shining with amusement.

"Er…It's nothing important...But...what are you doing here?" she replied nervously with another question, fixing her hair while trying to calm down.

Albert took a few strides until he reached her and then he sat next to her, dressed in an elegant suit.

"I had planned to come and visit you next weekend but a last minute trip to Boston came up. That changed my original plans." He made an imperceptible pause and looking in front of him, he continued: "However, a letter came for you to the mansion today and as I thought you would like to receive it, I asked George to adjust my schedule so that I could visit you and bring it to you personally," he finished, turning to look at her again, while extending to her a white envelope with an elegant handwriting.

Albert didn't want to lose a single detail in the expression on Candy's face. It was true that the sudden trip had changed his plans and he had initially thought about postponing his visit, but that letter had arrived...that letter which had made the remaining time for his next visit an eternal torture for him. He had begun to perceive a certain change in Candy's attitude towards him and he didn't want to be mistaken; he couldn't be mistaken. Witnessing her reaction upon receiving that letter would give him the kind of information he needed for the moment. No matter what the result was, he had to know; he couldn't bear to live forever or at least for a month with the uncertainty of what this letter would provoke in her.

"It's a letter from Eleanor Baker," [46] said Candy, frowning when she read who the sender was. There was some confusion in the tone of her voice. It was strange to receive a message from Terry's mother.

But for Albert, the tone of her voice was like the sweetest of melodies, not to mention the expression on her face...That simple and involuntary reaction brought peace and hope to his tormented heart. In Chicago, when he read who had sent the letter, he remembered the report from Rockstown where Candy had met Miss Baker. Since that letter came into his hands, a thousand thoughts had been tormenting his mind but now, witnessing her reaction, what was written there was unimportant to him.

It's incredible what a simple act can cause to an insecure heart in love which doesn't know if this love is fully reciprocated; it can remove temporarily a great weight from it, he thought with relief.

"That's right," he replied quietly. "But if she wrote to you she must want to tell you something important...That's why I wanted to bring it to you right away," he finished seriously. And, turning his eyes in front of him, he added, determined to do another little test: "If you like I'll leave you alone, so you can read it in private."

"No!" she cried, causing Albert to turn and look at her, surprised by her exclamation. "Eh...I mean..." she said nervously, drumming her fingers, "you don't have to go; I'll read it later. Besides, you said you came to visit me, didn't you? Tell me, how is everybody? How are you?"

Albert smiled to himself, extremely pleased by her words.

"They are all very well, Candy. You could say that Aunt Elroy is well. I feel satisfied because since I have taken control of business I see her more relaxed and in a relatively better mood. I believe that the fact that she took a vacation with the Leagans in Florida helped her too," he added with an amused smile. "Although, to be honest, I wouldn't like to be in Raymond's and Sara's shoes, but she seems to be delighted in Aunt's presence."

"I wouldn't like to be in their place either," replied Candy with a smile. "What about Archie and Annie?"

"I have hardly seen Annie. Since Archie is in Boston, making an internship in one of our branches, she hasn't visited the mansion. I only heard that Patty in back in Chicago."

"Really? That's wonderful! That means Grandmother Martha has recovered. It's a shame Patty wasn't able to attend the engagement party since she had to go to Florida to be with her but now that she has come back, Annie won't feel so lonely anymore."

"That's true; besides, she can be present at Stear's memorial." [47]

Both of them remained completely silent for a while. Candy was the first to speak.

"It's almost two years since his death [48]. It still hurts me that I couldn't be present at his funeral."

Albert nodded and immediately said: "But now it will be different, Candy. The memorial service is next month and it will take place in Lakewood. Would you like to attend?"

"Would I like to attend?" she asked with excitement, but then she inquired hesitantly: "But won't Great Aunt be against it?"

"Don't worry, Candy. I'll talk to her and she will agree for you to attend." Candy's face was illuminated. "Well, then, what do you think about George coming to pick you up and take you there?"

Although deep inside him he wanted to have that honor himself, he should be with his aunt the previous day. It was one of his obligations.

"Yes," she answered with emotion.

Candy remembered that when Stear died, Albert and she had been living together at the Magnolia. He had gone to look for her and had found her in the park, sitting on the branch of a tree. There he consoled her while both remembered their dear friend. Therefore, if Albert was there with her, that meant he wasn't present at the funeral either. Had he recovered his memory by then? And if he had, he didn't attend the funeral because his real identity was not yet known? Candy felt the urge to ask him about that but just at the moment she opened her mouth to do so, she was interrupted by a male voice behind her.

"Sir William, forgive me for interrupting," said George. "We have to leave if you want to be on time at the station to catch the seven o' clock train." And, turning to Candy, he added: "Good afternoon, Miss Candice."

"Good afternoon, George," she responded, slightly irritated at being interrupted and at the fact that Albert had to leave now.

"Candy, I'm sorry but George is right. I have to go if I want to catch the train," he told her as he stood up, shaking the grass off his pants. "Can I join you to Pony's Home? It's getting cooler," he suggested, extending his hand to help her get up.

"Thank you, Albert."

The farewell was brief, and after having agreed with George about the time he would come and pick her up to take her to Lakewood, she waved goodbye to Albert.

.

Now in her room, Candy sat on the bed, taking the envelope that had caused that unexpected visit. Possibly because she had been outdoors, she hadn't noticed the delicate and sweet aroma which emanated from it. When she opened it, she took out a delicately folded sheet and when she unfolded it, on her lap fell a piece of paper with a rectangular shape but small in size. It was a ticket for a theatre performance.

"Autumn performance of Stratford Theatre Company

HAMLET

Director: Robert Hathaway

Starring: Terrence Graham" [49]

Candy looked at the ticket for a moment and then, looking away, she started reading the letter.

"Miss Candy,

I am writing to the residence of the Ardlays since I don't know in what other place I can find you. Please, forgive in advance my boldness. You must remember our meeting in Rockstown and the reason for my presence in that place. I would like to share my joy with you...As we both witnessed, Terry became again the actor he once was and they hired him again in the Stratford Company. His playing improves day after day and I reiterate that that change was because of you. Your presence somehow took him out of the deep hole in which he had fallen.

I enclose a ticket for the performance of 'Hamlet', in which he has obtained the leading role. In this way you will be able to witness Terry's fabulous interpretation. I hope you can attend so we can talk again during your stay in New York.

Let me tell you that I went back to the movie I had left pending. The director was very understanding with me when he knew about the reason for my absence from the set. We have already completed the filming and it will soon be projected in the movie theatres.

I hope you are fine. I send you my best wishes and I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Baker" [50]

Candy put the letter down and looking again carefully at the ticket she kept holding in her hand, she remained lost in her thoughts. She still remembered the deplorable state in which she had last seen Terry and how suddenly that had changed his acting. She also remembered the conversation she had had with Terry's mother in that simple coffee shop, where she corrected her by letting her know the reason for her presence in that small town: she hadn't gone there to look for Terry, but Albert. However, she remembered too the pain and anger she had felt while asking herself what was the use for her separation with Terry if he wasn't with Susanna. Then doubts had assaulted her, and she was reluctant to accept her true feelings.

On the other hand, despite what the famous actress supposed according to the letter, Candy was already aware of Terry's return to Broadway with his leading role as Hamlet and the resounding success of that play. Shortly the tickets of the first season had been exhausted and the same thing had happened with the tickets of the next one. The headlines of the newspapers and the magazines in the newspaper stands had been responsible for keeping her informed. Not to mention the comments of the nurses who were the actor's fans, and what's more, the comments of her own foster mothers. The two women admired him too and enjoyed his success.

"From what they say, Terrence Graham will be the best Hamlet of all time," Miss Pony and Sister Lane had remarked once. [51]

Candy didn't know how long she had been looking at the ticket. She was very happy because Terry had resumed his path and although she would love to witness his great performance, since some time ago she knew she would never do that. Some years ago she had left the theatre to look for Susanna, and now her promise to her, among other things, prevented her. The best thing would be to let Miss Baker know and the sooner she did it the better.

"Dear Miss Baker,

Thank you so much for your letter and your invitation.

You have no idea how much time I spent admiring enchanted that ticket for the performance of Hamlet.

I already knew about this play from newspapers and magazines. I always try to avoid information about Terrence, but inexplicably I always end up receiving it, almost naturally.

It's been a long time since we talked in Rockstown.

I came by chance to that town, while searching for a friend who had disappeared and to whom I owed my life. I would never have thought that Terry was playing in a small theatre of a provincial town, joining a company of traveling actors...I can't express with words the surprise and the pain I felt that moment.

I had read in the newspapers that Terry's performance had become less effective, causing him to be fired from Stratford Theatre Company. However, I couldn't believe it...I tried to convince myself that those were only rumors.

Finally Terry was there, before my eyes... I would have wanted to throw myself towards that miserable and dilapidated stage and, through my tears, to hit him hard on his chest. I would have wanted to ask him, what was the use of that night we separated? But I wasn't able to do it. However, maybe a miracle happened and the voice of my heart reached out to him.

As a matter of fact, it seemed suddenly that Terry's performance came back to life, and for a moment I saw the old light shining into him. That moment I was sure he could get back on his feet again.

I wanted so much to see him again...but not like this...

When I left the theatre I was confused, no longer knowing what to do. At that moment you spoke to me. You were very kind to me, even though we had met only once.

Terrence Graham was born to be an actor! He can't be content with a stage and a play of such a level! But you know that better than anyone, Miss Baker.

That night I realized that you had always been worried about him and had watched over him with discretion. Knowing that Terry had a real mother made me happy. The fact that we have met in a place like that even made me think that we are pushed by a mysterious power.

I wasn't surprised when I heard that Terry had managed to return to Stratford Company, obtaining nothing less than Hamlet's role.

However, I'm obliged to refuse your cordial invitation, Miss Baker.

I would like so much to see him playing, but at the same time I'm afraid. If I saw the play, I would certainly want to meet him. I would expect to say at least a word to him.

And then it's the promise I gave Susanna Marlowe. I promised her that I would never see him again.

I think Terry is perfect to play Hamlet. As the critics anticipate, it will certainly be a great success.

I beg you to forgive me, Miss Baker. I immensely appreciate what you have done. Just by looking at this invitation, it seems to me I can see him on the stage and hear the enthusiastic screams and the endless applause of the public.

I'll keep this ticket as the most valuable of treasures.

Miss Baker, I'll wait anxiously for your next film, and I hope you are always well.

Candice W. Ardlay" [52]

oOoOoOo

Footnotes

[44] The descriptions of Archie and Annie's engagement party are part of Candy's retrospection in CCFS.

[45] In CCFS, in the letter Candy writes to Stear and which we saw in the previous chapter, she mentions to him Archie's plans. The floating kiosk is just my imagination.

[46] In CCFS and in the old novel, Candy sends a reply to Eleanor Baker's letter. Neither tells us how the letter got to Candy. In this story, the letter came to the mansion and later Albert brought it to her personally.

[47] According to a letter in the epilogue of the old novel, Stear's memorial took place a year after his death. In Section 3 of CCFS, Archie writes to Candy after Stear's death, telling her that when the war was over, they would all meet in Lakewood for the memorial. The Great War was over in the autumn of 1918, so I put the memorial at the end of that year.

[48] Based on the manga, Stear died in the autumn of 1915. In CCFS the year of his death is 1916.

Patty writes to Candy just before the United States officially entered the war (April 1917), among other things thanking her for sending them the letter that Stear's superior officer had written to her as a reply. In that letter, Rolf Baughmann apologizes for not replying immediately after Candy wrote to him asking about the cause of her friend's death. That gives us the impression that the officer's letter was received shortly before Patty's letter, and with that we can also assume that Candy's letter and the reply to it could be between autumn of 1916 and spring 1917, locating Stear's death in 1916. I don't think it took him more than a year to answer her.

It's very difficult to see the timeline in the manga since we can only see drawings but it doesn't say what year it is. We just have to pay attention to the change of seasons as they are illustrated but we don't see clearly the pass of time. To interpret everything correctly you have to see the illustrations with a magnifying glass.

[49] The description of the fragrance and the content of the letter – the ticket to the theatre – are from Candy's retrospection in CCFS.

[50] Eleanor Baker's letter is a product of my imagination, based on Candy's letter in CCFS and in the old novel.

[51] In the unsent letter to Terry in the old novel, Candy writes about that facet of her foster mothers. This was omitted in CCFS.

[52] My translation from the Italian edition of Candy's reply to Eleanor Baker in CCFS. Ms. Puddle and I had been wondering when Candy promised Susanna not to see Terry again, and we only came to the conclusion that this must be somewhere in CCFS; Candy doesn't promise anything to Susanna in the old novel.

Also, in the old novel, Candy sends the theatre ticket back to Eleanor Baker. In CCFS, the ticket is inside her jewelry box.

Personal notes:

Hello, everybody!

This chapter was written based on fragments of the old novel and CCFS.

I didn't want to delve much into Archie and Annie's engagement party, but just to mention the little details CCFS gives us. There is not much more to say about Eleanor's letter, only that she must have sent it in the autumn or maybe at the end of the summer, since, as we see, it contains a ticket for the new theatrical season.

My thanks again to all who follow this story. Without you, this story wouldn't exist. And my deepest gratitude to Fay, for keep translating this story. Thank you so much girl!