Reservations for Murder - Tim Myers [3]
Jenny’s feet worked the pedals of the loom in a constantly shifting yet graceful dance as she shot a threaded block back and forth across the top. She stopped the second she saw them approach.
“Hi Alex, it’s so good to see you again,” Jenny said as she abandoned the loom for a moment and stood.
Alex explained, “Things have been crazy at the inn lately.” Elise coughed gently beside him.
He added, “Jenny, this is Elise Danton. Elise, I’d like you to meet Jenny Harris. She’s an old friend.”
Jenny laughed. “I was a great deal more than that not so long ago.” Jenny gave Elise her brightest smile as she said, “Pleased to meet you.”
Elise said, “I’ve got to admit, I’ve always been fascinated by weaving. Could you give me a quick lesson?”
Jenny said, “Absolutely, I’d be delighted.”
As Jenny sat back down on her portable bench at the loom, she pointed to different parts of the setup as she explained, “This is the reed. These are harnesses and heddles. See the threads of yarn going through?” She held up the wooden spool. “This is called a shuttle. It rides back and forth like so. The foot pedals control the raising and lowering of the warp, that’s these long strands of yarn here, and the shuttle bobbin carries yarn across for the weft.” As she slid the shuttle back and forth in easy, practiced motions, the shafts rose and fell in a graceful dance at the touch of her foot pressure. As Jenny pulled the main frame back to her, she said, “The beater comes back to snug things up, and you’re ready for another row.”
Elise nodded. “Wow, it seems really complicated.”
Jenny smiled and said, “It’s not as hard as it looks. It’s like most things; you get the hang of it after you do it long enough.”
Elise jogged Alex’s elbow as she said, “Thank you for the lesson. It was nice meeting you, Jenny.”
“Thanks for stopping by. Don’t let Alex work you too hard. I’ve heard he can be hard on his maids.”
Elise was more than just the maid at The Hatteras West Inn; she was actually better qualified to run the inn than Alex was, but she just smiled and nodded in response.
Alex said, “She’s the one keeping me busy,” and he turned to go.
“Don’t be a stranger, Alex,” Jenny said as he and Elise walked away.
Alex was glad to see Jenny in such a chipper mood. They’d only gone out a handful of times before their relationship lost its steam. Sandra Beckett, an attorney in town, had been his main on-again-off-again girlfriend for much of the past couple of years, but he’d ended their relationship soon after Elise came to Hatteras West. It had startled him to discover that Sandra was much nicer as a friend than she’d ever been as a girlfriend. Unfortunately, the one woman Alex was interested in dating was his “maid” and she was engaged to someone else.
Shantara Robinson hurried up to them and grabbed Alex’s arm. “Alex, have you seen Jefferson Lee? He should be getting ready for the fair, but I can’t find him anywhere.”
As Elise moved back toward the inn, she said, “If you two will excuse me, I’ve got rooms to clean.” She added softly, “Good luck, Shantara.”
“Thanks,” she said as Elise departed. When the maid was gone, Shantara said, “Alex, I like that woman.”
“It’s been a godsend having her at Hatteras West,” Alex agreed.
Shantara looked over at the empty blacksmith’s space and said plaintively, “Where could Jefferson be, Alex? It’s just like him to disappear right before we open the gates.”
“Take it easy, Shantara, we’ll find him. At least you’ve got one blacksmith here and working.”
Shantara frowned. “As much as I like Bill Yadkin, Jefferson Lee’s the real draw. I can’t run my fair without him.”
Alex said, “Don’t worry, he’ll turn up. Are you managing to enjoy any of this? You did a great job putting the fair together.”
Shantara smiled. “I’ll enjoy it more after it’s over. Right now, all I want to