Laura looked up from her sewing and watched Elizabeth pass her needle through her embroidery. Elizabeth worked smoothly, focused intently on her work. Laura never could focus that way.
Laura returned to her own embroidery. She stuck her tongue out in concentration and focused on the leaf she was working on. It was misshapen and would be best if she pulled it out and tried again. She pulled at the string absently, both frustrated that she had made no progress and relieved to be doing something other than embroidery.
Movement from the window caught her eye and Laura looked up. Birds were dancing outside. She watched them for a bit.
“Laura.” Marjorie’s voice startled her and Laura pricked her finger on the needle she was supposed to be working with.
“Yes, ma’am. I was working on this.” She lifted up her work as proof, and the green thread partially removed hung out as evidence of her mistakes. “I made a mistake. I was fixing it.”
Marjorie lifted something off Laura’s lap.
“Darling this is wonderful!” It was Elizabeth’s embroidery. Laura’s eyes darted to Elizabeth’s chair which now sat empty.
“I was fixing the leaf,” Laura started again, lifting her own sad, unfinished work to show her nurse.
“Well of course, becoming quite the perfectionist. You’ll strain your eyes though, you’ve been working for an hour. Run along and get some fresh air.” Marjorie shooed Laura out of her chair.
Laura dropped her work into the sewing basket and left while Marjorie admired Elizabeth’s work.
Laura wandered towards the door. She did want to go outside. She felt a tug in her stomach as the guilt settles in for taking credit for Elizabeth’s work.
“What shall we play today?” Elizabeth appeared at her shoulder.
“She thinks your embroidery was mine.” Laura wanted to apologize.
“I know. Shall we climb the tree by the lake?” She waved her hand at Laura’s protest, grabbed her hand and pulled her outside. Laura relented and allowed her sister to lead, as she always did.
Marjorie watched from the window, smiling as her charge ran towards the trees lining the lake. In the past, Marjorie had scolded her for climbing trees in her dress, but it was good to see Laura’s adventurous spirit had returned. For a while, it had been nearly impossible to get the girl out of bed or to eat. Recently, she was doing better. She played again, she ran again, she had been more attentive at her sewing and was even finishing patterns.
Marjorie smiled once again at the embroidery she had taken from Laura. It had never been her strongest talent. Elizabeth had thrived at sewing and embroidery, Laura usually could hardly maintain her focus long enough to thread a needle.
She was a changed girl, Marjorie though sadly. Losing her closest friend had nearly spiraled her into a pit of depression that no one was sure she would come out of. Her mother was still fighting that battle. Very rarely did Laura see her own mother anymore. Not that they had seen her often before. Her mother had been sickly for years and it felt that she visited death’s door every year. It was little wonder that Laura did not miss her, though she could have used the loving arms of a mother this last year.
Marjorie picked up the bits of thread that had fallen around Laura’s chair. Out of habit, Marjorie also checked around Elizabeth’s. It was spotless, save for the dust. She wiped it off with her apron.
From the window she heard Laura laugh. It was a sound she’d not heard since Elizabeth had died, and she smiled at it.
