Beneath the Estate, page 29
“Are you sure you’re warm enough?” George asked as he held Edith’s hand.
“I am,” she replied. “I was getting a little too warm by the fire anyway. It’s nice out here for the moment.”
“Good. Now, do you remember the night with Mr. Diesel and our friends in the alleyway of the Piazza del Duomo?”
“How could I forget? Meat pies, liquor, loud pianos, drums, and clarinets! I loved it.”
“Do you remember when I excused myself and hurried back into the alleyway?” he asked as they strolled over to the wooden box and oil-lamp table.
“I do.”
“I went to find one of the young men who was presenting at the World Expo.”
“You did?” she asked as they stopped next to the table.
“I did. And do you remember the young man that came home with us?”
“The irrigation engineer?”
“Yes. But he isn’t an irrigation engineer.”
“He isn’t?” she replied with an excited expression.
“No. He’s the inventor of a marvelous machine. A machine that I’d never seen before, nor ever thought to exist. Not until that night,” he said. Edith could feel that something was about to happen. “The irrigation part was made up to hide the fact that he is actually a brilliant inventor.”
“Oh, Bear! What did you do?” she giggled.
“I hired him to build this machine for me so I could give it to you on your birthday.”
“You did? What is this machine?”
“Are you ready?” he asked. She clapped her gloves in excitement and nodded. He looked down at the wooden box and unlatched the brass latches.
Inside the house, the staff had gathered around the windows to watch, under strict instructions not to make a sound. Knowing where Antonio was located, Ann Phillips could see two eyes peeking over the edge of the terrace far off in the distance, making her smile.
George opened the lid of the wooden box. The light of the oil lamp revealed the engine order telegraph.
“What is it?” Edith asked.
“This is what we control the machine with.”
“It is?” she asked as she watched him remove the large apparatus and hold it so she could look at the bottom.
“Can you see the keys on the bottom?”
“I can,” she said as he carried the heavy apparatus a few steps to the keyholes in the ground.
“The engineer installed this metal plate here in the ground,” he explained as he pointed downward. “We simply set the machine in the keyholes,” George said as he set the engine order telegraph down on the metal plate, feeling the exact moment the hexagonal bolts fit into the keyholes. With the telegraph standing on its own, he then jaunted over to the table and quickly extinguished the lamp before hurrying back over. Only the bright moonlight above was their light source. “See the face of the telegraph? See where it says CLOSED and where the lever is?” he asked. She nodded. “Simply pull the lever to OPEN,” he explained. Without having the faintest clue as to what was about to happen, Edith grabbed the brass lever with the wooden handle and pulled it to the OPEN position as the bell clanged inside.
Underneath the surface, the wound spring at the bottom of the cylinder was released. The wooden dowel rod inside The Heart rose upward, pushing the triple-folded white parchment to the surface. The mirrored dome slowly flipped on a hinge to one side as Edith covered her mouth, watching her present unfold before her. The triple-folded parchment, The Canvas, rose thirty feet into the air like a giant umbrella coming out of the ground. Edith watched as the umbrella unfolded and expanded into a perfect dome, sixty feet in diameter. The Glass, attached at the very top of The Canvas, was aimed at the full moon above them. The lenses inside The Glass captured the moon in the sky and projected the image downward. As the dowel rod retracted back to the basement, it left the white, translucent parchment dome on the ground, and the mirrored dome flipped back on its hinges to the surface of the terrace. The Glass projected the image of the full moon down onto the mirrored dome, which reflected the image onto the bright white parchment. From outside the dome, it appeared to Edith that the moon was directly in front of her.
She gasped and covered her mouth. The bluish hue of the moon illuminated her face.
“It’s so beautiful! It’s as if it’s really here in front of me!” she said as she removed her right glove and reached out, touching the surface of the moon.
The staff inside the house covered their mouths in disbelief. Mr. Collins experienced a thump in his chest, as he hadn’t had the faintest idea of what the machine was, even though he was closest to its construction out of the entire staff. Ann Phillips smiled with tears in her eyes as she looked down onto the terrace.
While George and Edith walked around the moon’s perimeter, the timing mechanism in The Glass housing ticked and moved like a clock. The mechanism turned the lens incrementally, tracking the moon’s path across the sky at half a degree per hour.
“I can’t believe it! It’s so massive and so remarkable!”
“I knew you would love it.”
“Oh, Bear, I do! I love it so very much.”
“And I love you so very much,” he said, wrapping his arms around his wife and kissing her.
Looking out from the window above, Mr. Collins ordered the staff to the front door. When they all gathered and stood in a line while wearing their winter coats, Mr. Collins approached the South Terrace and waited for Mr. Vanderbilt’s signal. Antonio watched from the opposite end of the terrace while his heart raced. The excitement of what had happened and a feeling of incredible accomplishment surged through his body. The feeling of being able to bring to life anything he could ever possibly design gave him a quick and vivid glimpse into his future, a feeling of certainty he had never known before; a feeling of confidence that he didn’t ever expect to possess. Then he looked to his right and saw the staff walk out onto the terrace, and Ann Phillips was jogging toward him. He left his spot at the end of the terrace and ran toward her, meeting her in the middle. For the first time ever, he embraced her.
“Meraviglioso, Antonio! Meraviglioso!” she said with the moon’s reflection in her eyes.
“I missed you,” he said in English.
“I missed you, too. It’s beautiful!” she said. “Bellissimo!”
“Grazie,” he replied, reaching for her hand and holding it. In front of the moon, their silhouettes pronounced by its light, he looked her in her eyes and said in English “I wish to begin a courtship with you.” Tears flooded her eyes and instantly streamed down her bluish-hued face.
Still looking at him, she replied “I could want nothing more” as she gripped his hand tightly and closed her eyes. While the staff walked around, marveling at what was in front of them, George strolled around the other side of the moon and looked for Antonio. He found him wrapped in the embrace of Ann Phillips.
CHAPTER 68
Present Day
In 1924, the marriage between John Francis Amherst Cecil and Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt resulted in the establishment of a long family lineage, comprised of descendants from Mr. and Mrs. George Washington Vanderbilt II. When Kay and Natalie distributed the invitations for the unveiling of the machine, the initial recipients, aside from the estate staff, were the progeny of both the Vanderbilt and Cecil families.
On the day of the big reveal, both Kay and Natalie were on pins and needles as they both navigated their way through traffic on their way to the office. While making turns and crossing intersections, they spoke to each other on the phone.
“You get any sleep?” asked Natalie as she steered around a curve.
“A little. What are we going to do until eight o’clock tonight?” asked Kay while sitting at a stoplight.
“I don’t know. Ugh!” replied Natalie.
“Did you hear about the governor?”
“No. What?”
“He called Paul and asked if he could come with his wife. An unofficial visit.”
“‘Unofficial.’ What’s that mean?” asked Natalie as she parked her car and cut the engine.
“No fanfare, and we don’t have to do anything special for his arrival. I suppose he just wants to see it.”
“Less work for us, I guess.”
The Estate saw its normal ebb and flow of guests throughout the day, and it wasn’t until after 6:00 p.m. that the first guest arrived for the reveal of the machine. Down in the basement, Daniel examined every gear, tightened every bolt, and wound the springs on the bottom of the cylinder with great care.
Penny finished up at work after washing a stack of baby greens, made three squeeze bottles of honey white balsamic vinegar, grated four cups of parmesan cheese, and shelled a few hundred peas. After wiping down her station, she went to the back and changed into a pair of black pants she found in her locker and fixed her hair in the bathroom.
“Dang. Wish I had some concealer, but this’ll have to do, I guess,” she whispered to herself. Once she drove to the main house, Penny saw a caravan of cars, SUVs, and a shuttle driving through the wrought iron gate and looking for a parking space near the front of the house.
Inside, Kay and Natalie stood in the foyer while Paul and Jackson stood near the grand staircase, talking with the governor and his wife. Nearly all the board members had arrived, including Finchy, and all of the Biltmore staff members who had been invited were present.
“So close,” said Kay as she looked at her watch. Natalie saw Penny enter the front door. She appeared nervous and not sure where to go or what to do.
“Penny!” Natalie yelled in a whisper. Penny turned and looked at Kay and Natalie as they waved her over.
“Hey!” replied Penny as she made her way toward where they stood. They both had a welcoming way about them, and she instantly felt included.
“Exciting, isn’t it?” asked Kay.
“It is. I’ve been thinking about it all day!” replied Penny.
When the descendants of the Vanderbilt and Cecil families arrived, they were introduced to the governor and his wife. Everyone else in the foyer quieted down while Paul gave them a few moments to speak. Soon after, Paul gave a sweeping glance around the room and gestured that they all should follow him to the South Terrace. Kay caught a glance from Jackson that conveyed Hope this thing works. She quickly looked away and continued speaking to Penny.
“Have you spoken to Daniel today?”
“I haven’t. He said he needed time to focus, so I kept my distance.”
Outside, the sun had long set, and the Carolina sky was pitch-black. Light stands illuminated the South Terrace while the crowd gathered around a podium that was next to a table with a wooden box on top. As Paul found his place in the crowd, he stood next to his wife. Looking over his shoulder, he looked back at the large mirrored half-sphere in the middle of the terrace. Everyone in attendance quieted down when Daniel made his appearance and took his place at the podium. He glanced over at Penny, smiled briefly, and then began. A single speaker projected his voice.
“Good evening. My name is Daniel Garrison, and I have been working diligently to ensure that this machine was rebuilt to the original specifications from 1906. I had requested that I be allowed to rebuild this machine without anyone’s knowledge of its function so that they could experience what could be the last new wonder discovered on this Estate. Hopefully, tonight we’ll recapture some of the magic this Estate offers to us all. This machine was purchased in 1906 by Mr. Vanderbilt as a gift for his wife’s birthday and built by a man from Milan, Italy, named Antonio Andolini,” Daniel explained as he nodded at Kay, who toggled off the light stands. It was now pitch-black except for the stars and moon in the clear night sky. “Our eyes will need to adjust for a moment. While we all get acclimated …” he said as he stepped down and walked over to a large wooden box sitting on a small table. Now without the benefit of a microphone, Daniel spoke as loud as he could. “Mr. Vanderbilt gave his wife this gift by opening a box like this one,” he said as he opened the lid and lifted the engine order telegraph. “The young engineer named Antonio sat way back on the wall in the dark, in case anything went wrong,” he said as he pointed off toward the far side of the terrace. “Mr. Vanderbilt then placed this engine order telegraph into these keyholes here,” he said as the crowd watched him fit the hexagonal keys into the holes in the South Terrace. The moonlight above them gave them enough light to see his actions now that their eyes had acclimated to the darkness. “Then Mrs. Vanderbilt pulled back on this brass lever with the wooden handle,” he explained as he gripped the lever.
The crowd could see Daniel pull the brass lever in the moonlight. The mirrored dome slowly flipped back, and a massive white canvas rose from the ground and began to blossom like a flower until it took on the shape of a hemisphere. The fabric tightened like an umbrella and settled on the pebbled surface of the South Terrace. The crowd watched in awe as the moon suddenly appeared before them. Its craters were visible in perfect detail, drawing gasps from the spectators. A radiant bluish hue emanated from the half-moon and cast its light onto the facing crowd. Caught up in the moment, several attendees reached out as if they were trying to touch the moon in front of them.
“It looks so real!” said one guest.
“I had no idea,” said Kay. Natalie couldn’t find the words to speak. Daniel feverishly looked it over for any wrinkles or imperfections as the crowd gazed at the incredible sight in front of them.
“How is this possible?” the governor asked under his breath. While everyone knew it was a projection onto a thin sheet, the moon appeared to be right in front of them, in the center of the South Terrace.
“I love this!” someone whispered. Kay turned to see who it was and saw Paul, smiling and talking with his wife. With no imperfections found on or around the canvas, Daniel walked over to Penny and leaned toward her as she took in the incredible wonder.
“What do you think?” Daniel whispered to Penny.
“It took my breath away. I didn’t really have a preconceived idea, but I also never would have thought of something so beautiful,” she said while holding his hand. He stared at the craters of the moon as he spoke to her just above a whisper.
“There’s something I wish to say to you, and I have thought a lot about it, and I know it might sound different or weird, but I want to say it like this,” he said with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
“Okay,” she said as she continued looking at the moon before her. She heard him take in a deep breath and could tell that what he was about to say had nothing to do with the machine.
“I wish to begin a courtship with you,” he said, causing tears to flood her eyes and instantly stream down her bluish-hued face.
Still looking at the moon in front of her, she replied “I could want nothing more.” She gripped his hand tightly and closed her eyes. Turning toward Daniel, she leaned in and kissed him before wrapping her arms around his neck.
On the other side of the terrace, Paul approached Jackson. “I’d like you to try to get Good Morning America to come back.”
“I’ll send photos to the segment producer in the morning.”
“Good. We might need to extend our operating hours to allow visitors to see this machine,” he said as he placed his hands in his pockets and turned his head back toward the moon on the terrace. He seemed to be thinking, and Jackson could sense that he should wait and not speak. Paul collected his thoughts, and then said “Next year is my last year as CEO. You keep that between us. I’d like to step down having presented the largest check yet at the Forestry Service Ball.”
“Well, I would say that with our increased exposure, along with extending our operating hours and an additional ticket add-on, that is something we can achieve,” responded Jackson. Paul patted Jackson’s shoulder as he turned and walked back to his wife.
Kay and Natalie walked around the moon and saw Daniel and Penny holding hands as they looked upon the Sea of Tranquility. Daniel turned when he saw them walking up to him. While Kay wasn’t crying, her eyes were glazed over, and she looked at Daniel like a proud relative at a college graduation.
“I keep thinking about how you knew the impact that this would have on all of us and that you gave us a gift by keeping it a secret until it could be revealed in this way.”
“It feels like a part of the Biltmore,” added Natalie.
“Because it is,” said Kay.
“It is,” said Daniel. Kay turned toward the moon and spoke like she was holding back tears.
“And it is, as you said, enchanting.”
Two days after the reveal, the day Daniel was leaving the estate, it rained buckets from an overcast sky. Penny was working in the kitchen and had ordered him a sandwich to go, thinking it would be a funny yet sentimental reminder of how they’d first met. He had asked her to meet him in the lobby of The Inn on Biltmore Estate; and when she was running late, he texted her.
Are you okay?
I am. I couldn’t find an umbrella. I am soaked.
Do you have a raincoat?
I don’t. I’ll be fine. See you in a few. Almost there.
Out in front of the inn, Daniel could see the Lincoln SUV underneath the portico waiting for him. The driver stood next to a few bellhops, talking about the weather. Remembering where the boutique was inside the hotel, Daniel hurried to the shop and stepped inside the small store. Clothing, books, stationery, and a glass case of handmade confectioneries greeted him upon entering.
