And Nothing But the Truth (22 page)

“I see the hotel is still for sale,” said Maud.

“Yes, it’s such a shame that it’s standing empty and neglected,” said Noni. Then she gasped.

“What’s wrong, Noni?” asked Polly.

“Nothing, hen.” Noni chuckled. “I’ve just had an idea! A
grand
idea … but I’ll tell you later.”

Now the steamer stood at the wharf. Uncle Rand had his back to them, but Aunt Jean and Mrs. Cunningham spotted them at once. Aunt Jean waved. Then she put her hand to her mouth as she saw what Maud was holding. Mrs. Cunningham’s own mouth dropped open, then she said something urgent to Aunt Jean.

“Oh, dear, look at their expressions!” said Noni. She put her arms around Polly and Maud and Una, drawing them close. “Are we ready?”

“Ready or not, here we come!” joked Maud, but her voice wobbled.

Polly gulped. First there was the island to face, then going back to St. Winifred’s. She felt as new and vulnerable as her tiny niece. But Una was swathed in love … and so was she.

Polly squeezed Maud’s hand and said firmly, “Ready for anything!”

Vancouver Province
, “About Town,” May 23, 1961

A distinguished company gathered on Saturday as the beloved Vancouver artist Miss Polly Brown (Mrs. Chester Simmons) was celebrated at a festive evening at the New Leaf Gallery. The occasion was the opening of her latest exhibit,
Memories of an Island
. Miss Brown’s mixed-media paintings are set on Kingfisher Island, where she and her family spend the summers. Accompanying her at the opening were her husband, Dr. Chester Simmons, a professor of biology at U.B.C., and their lovely twelve-year-old daughter, Miss Clara Simmons. Included among the large crowd of family and friends were the artist’s sister, Judge Maud Brown; Judge Brown’s daughter, Una, with her husband, Dr. David Meyer, and their newborn son, Danny; the artist’s father and stepmother, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Brown, who are the proprietors of the Kingfisher Hotel; the artist’s great-uncle and -aunt, the Reverend Mr. Randolph Stafford and Mrs. Randolph Stafford; the Reverend Canon Gregor Stafford, Mrs. Gregor Stafford, and their daughter,
Miss Maisie Stafford; the well-known artist Miss Frieda Falconer, accompanied by the writer Mr. Frans de Jonge; Miss Hilda Guppy, retired headmistress of St. Winifred’s School for Girls in Victoria; and the internationally famous opera singer Miss Alice Mackenzie, escorted by her father, Mr. Thomas Mackenzie. The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of the artist’s maternal grandmother, Mrs. Gilbert Whitfield.

F
OR THEIR ADVICE AND INSPIRATION
I
WOULD LIKE TO
thank Garry Anderson at the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel Archives in Cranbrook, B.C.; Deirdre Baker, Donna Baker, Stuart Brambley, Marie Campbell, Hadley Dyer, Christine Godfrey, Lally Grauer, Ernest Hanson, David Kilgour, Larry MacDonald, Lynne Missen, Katherine New-lands, Louise Oborne, Anne Pearson, Doug Rhodes, the late Winifred Scott, Ellie Stone, and Valerie Wyatt. Extra special thanks, as always, to my beloved partner, Katherine Farris.

Emily Carr’s words are created partly from my imagination and partly from some lectures she gave in the 1930s. They are collected in
Fresh Seeing: Two Addresses by Emily Carr
(Toronto: Clarke, Irwin & Company Limited, 1972).

KIT PEARSON is an award-winning, critically acclaimed Canadian children’ s author. Her books include
A Handful of Time
; the Guests of War trilogy (
The Sky Is Falling, Looking at the Moon, and The Lights Go On Again
);
The Daring Game; Awake and Dreaming; A Perfect Gentle Knight; Whispers of War
, a Dear Canada book; and, most recently,
The Whole Truth
, which was named a CCBC Best Book for Kids and Teens. She lives in Victoria, BC. You can visit her at www.kitpearson.com.

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www.AuthorTracker.com
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Cover image from iStockPhoto

And Nothing but the Truth
Copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Pearson.

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EPub Edition © July 2013 ISBN: 9781443415866

Published by Harper
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First published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd in a hardcover edition: 2012
This Harper
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