ABOUT PEYTONâS PROMISE:
Summer 1902
Peyton Quinn is tasked with preparing the grand Calumet Castle ballroom for a spectacular two-hundred-guest summer gala. As she works in a male-dominated position of upholsterer and fights for womenâs equality, sheâs persecuted for her unorthodox ways. But when her pyrotechnics-engineer father is seriously hurt, she takes over the plans for the fireworks display despite being socially ostracized.
Patrick Taylor, Calumetâs carpenter and Peytonâs childhood chum, hopes to win her heart, but her unconventional undertakings cause a rift. Peyton has to ignore the prejudices and persevere or she could lose her job, forfeit Patrickâs love and respect, and forever become the talk of local gossips.
ABOUT PEYTONâS PROMISE:
Summer 1902
Peyton Quinn is tasked with preparing the grand Calumet Castle ballroom for a spectacular two-hundred-guest summer gala. As she works in a male-dominated position of upholsterer and fights for womenâs equality, sheâs persecuted for her unorthodox ways. But when her pyrotechnics-engineer father is seriously hurt, she takes over the plans for the fireworks display despite being socially ostracized.
Patrick Taylor, Calumetâs carpenter and Peytonâs childhood chum, hopes to win her heart, but her unconventional undertakings cause a rift. Peyton has to ignore the prejudices and persevere or she could lose her job, forfeit Patrickâs love and respect, and forever become the talk of local gossips.
Chapter 1
                                                             Â
Summer 1902
Calumet Island
Thousand Islands, NY
âLa, la, la, la âŚâ Peyton Quinn started to hum, balanced her basket on her hip, and gave a little twirl, entranced by the beauty of her surroundings. Would she really get to work in the largest and finest privately owned ballroom in all of New York State?Â
Goodness! Even Watertownâs renowned Woodruff Hotel couldnât rival the paneled mahogany wainscoting and ceiling and rich green walls. The four huge, rounded alcoves with their massive windows. To her left, the enormous fireplace. The floor-to-ceiling gilded mirrors scattered around the room. How luxurious for an island summer home.
âAs I live and breathe, could it be the fair young lassie who stole my heart while I was still in breeches? Where be your buttercream braids and toothless grin?â
Peyton almost dropped her heavy basket of treasured upholstery toolsâthe tailorâs chalk, rubber mallet, scissors, stapler, and so much more sheâd worked so hard to obtain. She spun around searching for the owner of the familiar voice. High atop a ladder that had to be ten feet tall, a man chuckled, backlit by the morning sun shining through the window. She couldnât identify his face or make out his features, but she knew that voice, that endearing tease in his deep Irish lilt.
âPaddy? What in heavenâs name are you doing here?â Setting the basket at her feet, she moved closer toward her long-lost chum.Â
Sheâd not seen him in nearly three years, ever since heâd taken a carpenterâs apprenticeship in Ogdensburg, New York, fifty miles north. A year later, sheâd traveled twenty miles south to Watertown for her upholstery apprenticeship with Mr. and Mrs. OâCleary. Sheâd heard tales of Paddyâs success as a finish carpenter, working for the famous architect, J.B. Reid. Yet sheâd not been informed of his return nor that heâd be working on Calumet Island in the castle with her.Â
 âWhat are you doing here, Miss Peyton Quinn?â Paddy descended the ladder and stood mere feet from her.
She wobbled back on her heels and gasped. He was much taller and handsomer than she remembered, and his shoulders had broadened. His short, well-trimmed beard appeared soft to the touch, not wiry like her fatherâs. When did that scrappy lad become a man?
âPeyton Pie? Aye, did you lose your tongue, my fair lass?âÂ
He stepped closer and scooped her free hand into his, planting a kiss on it and holding it until she replied.
âI ⌠I am bewildered at your presence, is all. No one told me youâd be here.âÂ
Peytonâs heart raced and she swallowed hard, blinking back her surpriseâand her ire at the memory of their last curt words, words that cut to the very depth of her heart. She withdrew her hand.Â
âAre you vexed, oh dearest of my childhood friends? I hope not, for I believe we will be working toward the same goal of preparing this fine castle for the grand affair in just two months.â He winked, sending her nerves soaring like he always did. âAnd it is Patrick Taylor, if you please. Paddy was a skinny, silly Irish lad who finally grew into this strapping man you now see.âÂ
When he thumped his chest, chin high and smile wide, she giggled in spite of her ire, relaxing under his easy way she so well remembered. âPatrick, it is. Or is it Mr. Taylor, since youâre the Calumet Castle carpenter?â
âPatrick, please. Weâve too much history to plod through formalities.â He shrugged, waving toward three empty chairs perched against the wall. âShall we? Just for a moment?â
She peeked back toward the doorway through which she came. Sheâd been sent to the ballroom to await the mistress of the castle and to assess the work required on those very chairs. Sitting on them should be fine ⌠for a moment.Â
Peyton sashayed toward them and took a seat on the faded, lime-green velvet padding. Against the elegant, forest-green walls, the color clashed hideously. No wonder the missus bid her come and reupholster them.
âIâm sorry for the loss of Aunt Bess, Peyton. Truly.âÂ
Patrickâs deep, silvery eyes shone with sympathy. Heâd always been a kind-hearted boy. Though more oft than not teasing, joking, and jesting, heâd never embarrassed or wounded her with his words. Until the day he left her in tears.Â
âThank you. I returned home when Auntie passed on, to be with Papa and help manage the household. But then Mrs. Emery summoned me to recover these chairs for the grand ball, and Papa insisted heâd be fine.â
He patted the seat, turning up his nose in a boyish scowl. âGood thing. Such a ghastly color these are.â
âIndeed.â Peyton gazed at her friend and then to the door again. Seeing no one, she continued. âApparently, the missus is a very modern woman, wanting to reupholster many of the dated furnishings in the castle. Seems sheâs taken a fancy to the Art Nouveau style thatâs so popular in France and with aristocrats and the upper class around the globe. I have to agree, for the Art Nouveau patternsâthe birds, the flowers, the bright and vibrant colors of natureâare quite appealing.â
âAh, she found her tongue.âÂ
Patrick leaned in closer, but Peyton scooted onto the next chair. She had to create enough distance to catch her breath.
Just then, footsteps hurried through the doorway. She quickly stood and smoothed her skirt. Scurrying to retrieve her basket, she met the missus halfway. Peyton curtsied, lifted her basket to her hip, and dipped her chin.
âWelcome to Calumet Castle.â Mrs. Emeryâs smile was kind, but then she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. Soft, feathered lines around her eyes revealed a much-lived life. âMr. Emery may call it the âStone House,â but I cannot speak of it as such. It is a castle, donât you think?âÂ
The woman, likely in her fifties, reminded her of a well-endowed snowman. Working for her promised to be amenable as her gentle demeanor and cultured voice portended a friendly relationship.
 âAbsolutely, and a fine castle it is.â Peyton surveyed the ballroom, and although sheâd not yet seen the rest of the residence, she imagined the layout like the castles of old that one might view in the finest parts of Europe.
âThis furniture simply must have a makeover before the Grand Ball. I havenât time to order new, but I did procure bolts of fabric with which to do your magic. Iâve been told youâre quite accomplished and that you upholstered an extensive number of furnishings at the Woodruff. I see youâve brought your tools of the trade.âÂ
Peytonâs face warmed at Mrs. Emeryâs kind words. âYes, missus. I am here to serve and will do my best.â
âGood. Then letâs get started.â Mrs. Emery waved her arm toward the chairs she and Paddyâuh, Patrickâhad just sat on. He tossed Peyton a wink and returned to his work.
âThere are twenty-three of these that need recovering and more scattered around the castle that weâll use for the ball. Once youâre done with the chairs, I have scads of other furnishings that need updating. Youâve been informed this is a summer-long position?âÂ
âI have, and Mrs. Milton also said Iâd be staying in the castle?â
The missus waved a hand as if to dismiss such trivialities. âYes, yes. Sheâll arrange all that. Now come with me, and I shall show you some of the other work youâll be tackling.âÂ
When Mrs. Emery turned back toward the entrance door, Peyton followed. Before crossing its threshold, she slowed her steps, motioning to her basket. âExcuse, please, missus. May I leave this here while you conduct your tour? This is ever so heavy.âÂ
Mrs. Emery consented. âOf course. And Iâll have the staff bring down the sewing machine from upstairs and place it in one of the alcoves so you can do your work more efficiently here.â
Peyton set the basket near the wall. âThank you, missus.â
After passing through a hallway, they entered an octagonal room. âWe use this room for reading and quiet family evenings.â Mrs. Emeryâs chin tweaked toward the shelves of books, then she surveyed the fireplace. âWe have six fireplaces on this floor, including this one and the one in the ballroom. As Iâm sure you know, it can get quite chilly on any given summerâs eve here on the island.â
âYes, maâam. Iâve lived in Clayton all my life.â Should she be offering the missus such personal information? She bit her lip.
âI hear the winters are dreadful.â Mrs. Emery tilted her head as if waiting for more. âOr was that mere gossip intended to scare me away?â
Peyton wet her lips with her tongue. âUp to ten feet of snow can fall each winter. But itâs beautiful, nonetheless.â
Mrs. Emery shivered. âI married Mr. Emery last winter in London, and it was very cold and snowy, but nothing like that.â
âItâs the Arctic winds that pick up the moisture from the lake and river and plop it down here. Several days each winter, we canât get out of our house.âÂ
What a chatterbox, and to the likes of the missus. What was wrong with her? Nerves. Her mouth always went to jabbering when she got nervous. She bit her tongue this time.Â
Mrs. Emery surveyed her for a moment. A twinkle in her eyes and a slight smile told Peyton that the missus wasnât vexed. âYes, well. This settee needs refurbishing, as do several pieces in the great hall, the dining room, and the two other drawing rooms.âÂ
The missus led them into an enormous central hall. To her left, a wide staircase led to a landing where a balcony overlooked the great hall. Behind it, a large pink-and-violet stained-glass window sent rays of sunshine dancing on the floor, walls, and furniture.
âMagnificent.â Peyton whispered. Realizing sheâd said it aloud, her cheeks warmed. âSorry, missus.â
âExactly. And thatâs precisely why I want pinks and purples to grace this area. The fabric Iâve chosen will make this large room come alive.â Mrs. Emery took a few more steps and pointed to the colossal fireplace. âThe material has a cream background, just like the inside of this fireplace.â
Across the high-ceilinged hallway, they came to the dining room. âThe servantâs wing is just beyond the butlerâs pantry. Mrs. Milton will show you around that area.â She waved a hand toward the open pantry door before turning to the table. âSince these dining chairs werenât properly covered before closing up the castle last year, mice and other vermin have made a mess of them.â She twitched her nose and put a finger to her chin. âLetâs make these your first job and the ballroom chairs after.â
Peyton counted eight around the dining table and four more encircling a round table in an alcove at the end of the room. âOf course, missus.â
Mrs. Emery snapped her chin and quickly turned back from whence they came. Returning to the great hall, she stopped. âThere are four more dining chairs here, and those two settees need recovering. I suppose they should all be done at the same time.â She clicked her tongue and sighed. âWell, now, that should keep you quite busy.â She pointed to two closed doors near the main entrance. âOnce youâve completed that, there are less urgent upholstering jobs I have in mind for the two drawing rooms.âÂ
Peyton curtsied. âYes, missus. Thank you for putting your confidence in me. I shall do my best to make you proud.â
Mrs. Emery turned to the butler standing by the front entrance. âDuvall, would you make Mrs. Milton aware that Iâm finished with Miss Quinn?â
âOf course, missus.â The large, balding, imposing man bowed, hurried toward the dining room, and vanished from sight.
Before ascending the stairs, Mrs. Emery addressed Peyton. âI shall turn you over to Mrs. Milton now. Wait in the ballroom. Good day, miss.â
Peyton curtsied. âThank you, missus.â
~ ~ ~
Patrick chewed on the inside of his cheek as he concentrated on the intricate touchup work heâd accomplished so well before Peyton appeared like a ghost from his past. Sheâd haunted his dreams for nearly three years, and now she was here. Some of those dreams were sweetâof walking along the shore of the St. Lawrence arm in arm with the girl heâd loved ever since he was knee-high to a Daddy Longlegs.
As childhood best friends, theyâd shared everything together. Their favorite fishing and swimming hole in a little cattail-sheltered inlet of French Bay just blocks from their homes. Studying in the same one-room schoolhouse, albeit he was a year ahead of her, and she was much smarter than he. Secrets and tears and laughsâoh, so many laughs. Heâd quoted the Irish saying to her time and again, âA best friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.â Indeed, he was a lucky young lad.
He loved to make her laugh, to hear that captivating little snicker. Not quite a laugh. Not quite a giggle. A fanciful pixie sound he called a liggle. Oh, how he lovedâand missedâthat sound! Â
Really, he couldnât ever remember not loving her, not dreaming of growing old with the flaxen-haired lass with her haunting green eyes and soft, sweet lips. Heâd kissed those lips once. His body quivered at the innocence of that childish moment.Â
While he fished on one hot summerâs day, Peyton had fallen asleep in the sunshine, beads of moisture wetting her brow, yet her placid features didnât flinch in the heat. Heâd probably been about eleven years old and just couldnât help himself. Studying her angelic face, heâd bent down and touched his lips to hers. Barely. She didnât even stir, but that stolen kiss became a golden badge of courage to him. Heâd never told herâor anyoneâabout it. But it rarely left the recesses of his memories for long. And heâd never kissed anyone since.
But then, there were those troubling dreams. Dreams of what might have been. Heâd been a selfish clod the day heâd left for his apprenticeship. A foolish schoolboy eejit whoâd botched that whole special moment when heâd meant to tell her how much he cared but instead blurted out some curt words and found himself on tenterhooks with her. As he said goodbye, the vitriol in her retort knocked the wind out of his bagpipes and had torn the song from his heart for nearly three years now.Â
Yet now, here she wasâa chance at redemption. A jolly, grand opportunity to correct the wrong.
He could do it. He had to do it! But how?Â
Her eyes and the way sheâd scooted a chair beyond when heâd leaned close to her told him she still stung. Why hadnât three long years healed those wounds?Â
Footsteps yanked him from his thoughts. âPeyton. Hello again. Howâd it go with the missus? Isnât she crackinâ?â
Peyton concurred, stopping to retrieve her upholstery basket. âMrs. Emery is ever so nice, and it looks as though I have a shipload of work to do here.âÂ
When she scanned the room, he descended the ladder and headed her way. âAre you missing something? Can I help?â
Peyton shook her head. Her golden curls, puffed and waved into one of those fancy pompadours the maids prattled on about, tilted forward over her soft forehead. Somehow, it drew him to notice the s-curve of her lovely silhouette. When his gaze swept back up to her eyes, those green gems had narrowed.
Peyton rolled her eyes and blew out a breath. âThe missus said sheâd have the sewing machine brought down and placed in one of the alcoves so I can work here.â
He waved his arm toward the far-left alcove, then led her to it. âShe must mean here. The two center alcoves have staircases and doorwaysâone up to the billiard and recreation room, one down to the terrace and out onto the balcony.â
Peyton set her basket down. âWith these huge windows, this is a perfect place to work. And how large it is!â
Patrick couldnât believe his luck. Sheâd be right here in the same room as he. âA full eighteen feet âround, these towers are. This is truly a grand place.âÂ
âYes, it is, but the missus has a full schedule set for me, and I mustnât be distracted. Do you understand?â Peytonâs brow furrowed, and her eyes narrowed, just as they had when sheâd scolded his childhood mischief. But he was no longer a child. He was a man.
âI, too, have much work to do, miss. Every nail hole must be hidden. Every mar or imperfection must be made flawless. This ballroom shall be immaculate for the guests. Yet we will have time to catch up, shanât we?â
Peyton took a deep breath. âI suppose we will. But for now, I need to know how to proceed.â
âShall I inquire for you?âÂ
âNo. The missus said Mrs. Milton would meet me here.âÂ
âThere you are!â The housekeeper waddled through the doorway, dish towel thrown over her shoulder. She swiped her brow with the back of her sleeve, abruptly stopping in the middle of the ballroom. âCome here, girl, and stop fraternizing with the help.âÂ
In the summer of 1902 Peyton Quinn arrives at her new place of employment, as an upholsterer for the Emeryâs. She discovers that her lifelong friend, Patrick is also employed there.
They have been friends since they were children and Patrick is keen to rekindle their friendship, hoping for something more .Peyton insists they should just be friends.â
As they grow closer jealousy rears itâs ugly head and the work that Peyton is doing gets sabotaged.â
The story is quaint and is interlaced with the Christian faith. Both characters have their faith tested and as the story develops you get a better understanding of how important faith is to them both.â
The storyline is genteel, the characters typical of the time. The author has put a lot of work into her characters and they agave depth to them.Â
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I enjoyed reading this book, it felt lighthearted and refreshing, despite some characters only having a brief appearance.â
I would recommend this book. It is predominantly aimed at a Christian audience but I believe anyone can enjoy this book.â
This story highlights the struggles that females had in the early 20th century. It touches upon how women who believed in equality were accused of been radicals. Even those who believed in such a cause were frightened to speak up and show support for fear of reprisals.
I loved how the faith kept them moving forward and believing that a higher purpose was aiding them in their lives. That said, Peyton has a crisis of faith but circumstances see her turning to her faith once more comfort.
There are other books in this serious but I havenât read them yet. I do believe that you can read this as a stand-alone story.
Thoroughly enjoyable read and well crafted plot and characters. Five star rating for this quaint read.