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LIVING
ST YLE
FOLLOWING THE THREAD A career change led a Powhatan native to fashion success By Jennifer Prince
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Dawn Bradbury, pictured wearing one of her silk kaftans
still sews dresses for Bradbury. As her business grew, Bradbury joined a Facebook sewing group and began recruiting members. “I put a post saying I was looking for seamstresses, but they must know how to sew silk,” she says. Although she imports the fabrics, every Dawn Bradbury Designs garment is constructed by women in their homes in the Richmond area using high-quality mulberry silk. “It’s the strongest, most durable silk in the world,” Bradbury adds. Eight weeks post-surgery, Bradbury headed to Florida, where a boutique manager complimented her outfit as she shopped. Revealing that she was the designer was emotional. “I cried right there in the store,” Bradbury reminisces. The shop bought 20 pieces, which motivated Bradbury to contact other storefronts. Wholesale orders followed, including from The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota and a Palm Beach boutique on the famed Worth Avenue. “God really took it to another level,” she says. Locally, Bradbury’s designs are carried at Mulberry
Layne in Powhatan and The Sassy Sisters in Farmville. Bradbury won the Newest Fashion Designer of the Year award at a successful runway show in Monaco in May, and her work will appear on runways during the fashion weeks of New York, Paris and Milan. Bradbury will also share her designs with clothing store buyers at a market in Atlanta later this year and, not forgetting her roots, she plans to present at trunk shows in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Charlottesville and Chantilly while looking to expand her presence in local boutiques. As she’s gained attention for her work, Bradbury’s mission has remained the same: “I want to make women feel beautiful and comfortable,” she says of her one-size-fits-all gowns. As a mother, she’s encouraging her 15-year-old daughter to follow her own dreams. “I want to be able to show my daughter the world and what a good work ethic is,” Bradbury says. “If you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.” R
JAY PAUL
owhatan native Dawn Bradbury was the kind of kid who skipped the candy at the checkout line; Vogue magazine was her indulgence. This inspired a lifelong love of fashion that recently took her to international showcases and awards. Although she entered a career in education, design remained Bradbury’s passion. “I was a schoolteacher for 17 years, basically crying to and from work every day,” says Bradbury, who taught at Pocahontas Elementary School in Powhatan. “As soon as I got home, I would jump on the Neiman Marcus website and study the designs.” She also worked at boutiques and attended buyers’ markets to keep her finger on the pulse of the clothing scene. In 2025, health struggles, including an emergency hysterectomy, brought Bradbury’s fashion interest to the forefront. When her physician ordered her to wear loose-fitting clothing, the idea of making a kaftan — a long, flowing, dress-like garment — occurred to her. “I had to wear nothing around my waist while I healed,” Bradbury says. The moment, paired with a closer connection to her faith after the surgery, inspired the launch of her clothing line, Dawn Bradbury Designs. To begin, she ordered fabric from Asia and got help from a local seamstress — a connection from her teaching days who
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Bestselling author and Richmond native David Baldacci
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FALL ARTS Preview The state of the arts is strong as a new season of performances and creativity kicks off. Richmond’s theater scene is navigating leadership shakeups and financial hardships, but fresh programming heralds thrilling possibilities. Meanwhile, at city bookstores, Richmond authors are celebrating their recent releases and anticipating new works, while autumn music festivals headline a concert schedule with sounds for all tastes at venues around the region. Now is a great time to fall into the arts!
‘A GOOD ADDICTION’ David Baldacci and other Richmond authors for your fall reading list
ZAID HAMID
By Harry Kollatz Jr.
Around 1910, at 312 N. Seventh St. in downtown Richmond, two men with operatic names managed a saloon: Agostino Gillio and Louis Baldacci. The building is long gone, replaced by a public parking deck. However, the Baldacci legacy continues through Louis’ great-grandnephew, David Baldacci, a successful writer of novels that often involve intrigue, espionage and other dark goings-on. His books have been translated into 45 languages in more than 80 countries. Near the site of Louis’ saloon is the Library of Virginia, which announced Baldacci as a finalist in the People’s Choice Awards, part of its 29th Annual Virginia Literary Awards, for his World War II novel set in London, “Strangers in Time.” He may be on the dais for recognition at the event
gala on Sept. 19. His relationship with the state’s library is an enduring one; he served on the board, and in 2000 he joined authors who traveled the commonwealth to promote reading as part of the “All Virginia Reads” project. Baldacci’s grown from crafting short stories for small literary journals, with payment made in copies rather than coins. He’s not only a writer, but a brand, backed by 54 books and counting; he produces two titles a year. As he tells it, his impressive output didn’t spring from any grand plan. Fact is, he just can’t help himself. “It’s worked well with me. About the only time I’m uncomfortable is when I’m between books,” Baldacci explains. “I don’t feel relief, I feel uncertainty. Where’s the next story going to come from? It’s an
addiction — a good addiction.” He turned this creative compulsion into a job. And Baldacci loves his job. Further, he’s parlayed his achievements into philanthropic endeavors. He and his wife, Michelle, have given millions to literacy programs and scholastic endowments. In 2025, they and the Library of Virginia established the Baldacci Institute for Civil Discourse at Virginia Commonwealth University. Besides his supercharged writing capabilities, perhaps his diligence comes in part from a blue-collar upbringing in Richmond’s East End, where his family lived on Austin Avenue, near Richmond Raceway. He invented elaborate stories to keep himself out of trouble with his parents
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BOOKING AROUND TOWN Get lit at local events
SURVIVING THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO
VIEWS OF THE WORLD
Tony Gentry’s previous book, “The Night Doctor of Richmond,” resurrected Chris Baker, who during the late 19th century retrieved corpses for students at the Medical College of Virginia. Gentry’s latest, “Covenant City,” brings us back to town, but through the eyes of an orphaned 19-year-old who almost by happenstance finds himself raging against the machines. Dystopian stories can be dismissed as fever dream hyperbolics. These days, however, robot attack dogs, systemic xenophobia, constant surveillance, the abrogation of human rights and eugenics designed to breed a super race don’t seem as far-fetched. What may be most disturbing to readers of “Covenant City” is the inclination of people to go along to get along. They give themselves permission for cruelty through the supported denial of consequences. This tendency ultimately leads to a retrospective question amid the ruins: “How could they let this happen?”
In 2010, then 29-year-old Ebony Walden quit her job to embark, by herself, on what became an eight-month journey across 17 countries on five continents. A New York native who now resides in Richmond, she accomplished it through pluck, but also by volunteering with six different organizations, teaching English. Walden asked the people she met to create poems about their lives and experiences. Her voyage of personal discovery is distilled into her debut book, “Where I’m From: A Poetic Journey Across Five Continents,” which launches Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the events venue CNTR, 318 W. Broad St. The publication will be part of a multimedia showcase combining photography, video, poetry and storytelling. To register, visit ebonywalden. com/events. “The point wasn’t just to see places,” Walden says. “It was to be present with people, with the culture.”
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Henry Wise debuts his latest novel, “Promised Land,” in conversation with S.A. Cosby, the author of “All the Sinners Bleed.” The reading kicks off at 6 p.m. at Fountain Bookstore. General admission is free; copies of the book are $29. fountainbookstore.com
9/10
The eighth annual Educators’ Night features author Julian Randall discussing his new middle grade novel in verse, “Shook!” at Bbgb in Carytown. The event starts at 5 p.m., and tickets are $20. bbgbbooks.com
9/16
Jon Sealy launches his Detective Luke Steele series with “The Night Hawk” at 7 p.m. at Shelf Life Books in Carytown. Admission is free. shelflifebooksrva.com
9/17
As part of The Poe Museum’s Tell-Tale Talks, Fountain Bookstore presents a discussion with author Lyndsay Faye moderated by the prophetically named Cassandra Khaw, writer of “The Library at Hellebore.” Faye will offer a sneak peek of her latest work, “Raven,” which publishes Oct. 6. The event runs 5:30 to 7 p.m. In-person tickets are $15; a virtual livestream is $5. poemuseum.org
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GO KNOW GAUGUIN Sue Prideaux’s groundbreaking work, “Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin,” will be recognized during a special reception at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on Sept. 18 (tickets are $8; vmfa.museum) and during the 29th annual Virginia Literary Awards Celebration at the Library of Virginia on Sept. 19 (tickets are $300; lvafoundation.org). New York Times reviewer Jennifer Szalai describes Prideaux as “a specialist in the lives of difficult men” whose past subjects have included the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The French artist Gauguin is commonly viewed as a bad husband, a terrible roommate for Van Gogh and a corruptor of Tahitian women. But Prideaux, through access to a Gauguin memoir discovered only in 2020 and other previously unpublished materials, shows that the reality was more complicated.
Prolific Chesterfield-based horror/ science-fiction writer and ghost wrangler Pamela K. Kinney celebrates the release of two publications at Book People. She’ll read from “Haunted Surry to Suffolk” at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26 and from her children’s picture book, “Mothman’s Son,” at 1 p.m. on Dec. 5. Admission is free. bookpeoplerichmond.com
10/23
Fiona Fenn launches “The City That Shattered the World,” the second in her “The Cursed Mage” series, at Shelf Life Books. A free discussion at 7 p.m. will be moderated by Sarah Glenn Marsh, the author of “Rogue Devotions.” shelflifebooksrva.com
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FALL ARTS PREVIEW | Theater
Firehouse Theatre’s 2025 production of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”
SCENE CHANGE Richmond’s live performance troupes undergo a re-blocking By Kim Catley
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made it even more challenging to resume operations. “The post-COVID experience was almost more harrowing than the shutdowns,” says Nathaniel Shaw, executive director at Firehouse Theatre. “Those of us who work at these institutions are theater lovers, and we assumed audiences wanted to get back into the playhouses as eagerly as we did. That simply wasn’t the case. It took a couple years for people to get back in the habit.”
RECOVERING AND REBUILDING Some theaters are still finding the way forward. In May, Chesterfield’s Swift Creek Mill Theatre announced its decision to pause operations. An anonymous donor had been assisting in covering the theater’s costs since 2006, but that arrangement ended as planned in 2020. Then, a flash flood in August 2020 caused nearly $200,000 in damage to the building. While state and federal relief funds helped the organization weather COVID-
BILL SIGAFOOS
This fall marks a season of transformation for Richmond’s theaters. Many organizations are welcoming new faces at the helm. Some are working to recover after financial struggles. Others are exploring new venues and ideas. These shifts follow several challenging years for the performing arts, locally and beyond. In 2020, theaters were forced to shutter as the COVID-19 pandemic rippled across the globe. When they reopened, audiences didn’t immediately return. Drastic declines in ticket sales
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AARON SUTTEN
19 impacts and individual donations have been on the rise, the theater notes in a statement that its operating model has not been financially sustainable and that recent years have ended in deficits. During its operational hiatus, the entire staff, except for Managing Director Steve Koehler, has been laid off. Koehler and the board are using the time to assess the theater’s options and find a more sustainable path forward, beginning with focus groups and surveys to better understand audience members’ interests. “Generally, people love the Mill,” Koehler says. “They have a fond attachment to the building and the shows and the people. They are impressed with the consistent quality of our main-stage productions and love everything we do with our youth theater. “They’re a little more split on the shows that we’re selecting, and we need to do more marketing.” Recent support has included several fundraisers, including a costume sale in June and a benefit cabaret produced by Richmond actor Grey Garrett in August. The efforts and in-kind donations brought in $250,000; a second phase aims to raise an additional $250,000. As of press time, Swift Creek’s next steps were still unknown; a formal decision is expected to come after a board meeting in August. “The way our audience has reacted — through letters, phone calls and in donations — [it’s clear] they don’t want the Mill to go away,” Koehler says. “That vote of confidence is making me cautiously optimistic.” Swift Creek isn’t alone in navigating financial hardship. Two years ago, Virginia Repertory Theatre announced it had a $1.7 million deficit and that it was at risk of closing. The com-
munity rallied, and, within weeks, more than 1,500 donors helped erase the debt. Virginia Rep sold its second location on Hermitage Road and refocused attention on its flagship Broad Street theater. Now, it’s in the midst of another transformation. Former Managing Director Klaus Schuller, who joined Virginia Rep just weeks before the budget shortfall announcement, recently returned to Chicago to serve as executive director of Porchlight Music Theatre. Virginia Rep has named Lynn Stirrup as interim managing director while the nonprofit organization searches for its next leader. She brings with her 30-plus years of arts administration experience in New York City. “[Stirrup’s hiring] shows the community, the staff, our patrons, that we are serious about this transition,” says Virginia Rep Artistic Director Rick Hammerly. “We want to make sure that we don’t stagnate, and that it’s a good handoff to the new managing director.” As interim director, Stirrup will be looking at everything from fundraising and marketing to new initiatives aimed
at diversifying the organization’s artistic programming. “I’m a big fan of identifying where there might be potential to strengthen things in ways that are manageable and in line with the growth capacity that we have,” she says.
EXPERIMENTING AND EXPLORING The annual Shakespeare Festival, a summer tradition long held at Agecroft Hall & Gardens, is also shaking things up. This year, some theatergoers were surprised to see performances of “The Complete History of America (Abridged)” take place at William & Mary in Williamsburg, while “As You Like It” was presented in the Sabot School’s Gillette Garden. Both Richmond Shakespeare and Agecroft assure audiences that this isn’t the end of their partnership. Rather, it’s a chance for both to explore new opportunities and ideas. At Agecroft, that has included engaging with other Shakespearean groups.In June, Elsewhere Shakespeare offered intimate performances in the sunken garden, and Good for Her Films held a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” on Virginia Repertory Theatre performed “Come From Away” during summer 2026.
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the back lawn. The Staunton-based American Shakespeare Center and Richmond’s own Bardalicious group also partner with Agecroft to present family-friendly productions. “After more than 20 years of producing the festival in the same manner, we each had some ideas for new initiatives we wanted to try,” says Agecroft Executive Director Anne Kenny-Urban. “This summer has been a great opportunity for growth and learning for both organizations, and we look forward to exploring future opportunities to work together again.” Meanwhile, Richmond Shakespeare has been rethinking how it presents Shakespearean plays outdoors. “This summer’s production of ‘As You Like It’ allowed us to create a truly immersive experience where audiences were surrounded by the action in a beautiful natural setting,” says Richmond Shakespeare Managing Director Jase Smith Sullivan. “Rather than replacing one venue with another, we’re building a broader network of partnerships that allows us to bring classical theater to more communities in
different ways.” Sullivan adds that the nonprofit is experiencing a period of change after the departure of James Ricks, who served as artistic director for eight years. This fall, the organization’s board is evaluating its long-term structure with an eye on sustainable growth. “We’re also interested in creating theater that feels immediate and immersive,” Sullivan says. This fall, that includes David Catlin’s adaptation of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” a production that relies on the five-person ensemble — rather than special effects — to create a haunting experience. Richmond Shakespeare is taking that concept one step further by transforming Virginia Rep’s Theatre Gym into an immersive environment that places attendees inside the world of the play. “I think audiences are going to be surprised by just how intimate and emotionally powerful the experience will be,” Sullivan says.
GROUNDED AND GROWING Firehouse Theatre is also expanding its presence — in this case, with a second
Richmond Shakespeare closed out the 2026 Shakespeare Festival with “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Richmond Triangle Players’ Robert B. Moss Theatre.
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building at 1617 W. Broad St., just a few doors down from its primary playhouse. Firehouse acquired the space in late July and moved its administrative offices to the upper level. The ground floor will house a rehearsal studio and alternate performance venue, which will be shared by community partners. The bigger footprint is one of several changes that track with the organization’s growth since it merged with The New Theatre in 2023. In that time, Firehouse it has seen a 500% increase in admissions revenue and a nearly 300% increase in individual donations, and it has doubled its grant revenue. “Firehouse very purposefully invested in a higher quality of production and in artist compensation,” Nathaniel Shaw says. In July, the organization separated its leadership roles, naming Shaw executive director and installing Katrinah Carol Lewis as artistic director. “It’s been an honor to tell stories in this community, and I’m excited about my partnership with Nathaniel because we’ve been in dialog artistically for 10 years now,” Lewis says. “The executive and artistic functions need to hold hands closely in this kind of work.”
LEFT: TERENCE SULLIVAN
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CURTAIN CALLS Upcoming stage productions this season ATLAS Partnership
Cantankerous Grace and sophisticated Glorie gain new perspectives on life’s highs and lows in “Grace & Glorie” (Sept. 24-Nov. 15). The dramatic play is produced by ATLAS Partnership and presented at Hanover Tavern. hanovertavern.org
Broadway in Richmond
Broadway in Richmond’s “A Christmas Story: The Musical”
“Mamma Mia!” (Oct. 6-11) and “Hamilton” (Feb. 23-March 7) are the stars of a hit-filled lineup. Fall productions include “Dirty Dancing” (Sept. 22-27), “The Notebook” (Nov. 3-8) and “A Christmas Story: The Musical” (Nov. 27-29). All shows are hosted at the Altria Theater. Season subscriptions start at $190; “Mamma Mia!” and “Hamilton” are available as package add-ons. broadwayinrichmond.com
ABOVE: GARY EMORD NETZLEY
Cadence
For its 2026-27 season, Firehouse will produce four plays that create a conversation about what it means to be a citizen of the United States as the country marks its 250th anniversary. The productions also embody Firehouse’s ethos as a home for developing contemporary new works. “The size of our venue and being outside the harsh lights of a major market, like New York or Chicago, make us a great place to provide meaningful support to playwrights,” Shaw says. “That means any time you step into the doors of Firehouse, you’re seeing something you’ve never seen before — and in many cases, that no one has ever seen before.” He adds, “Richmond is an unusually rich theater town for a city of its size … or any size,” with a long history of supporting local artists and a vibrant and diverse talent pool. That combination sets the stage for innovation, whether a theater is creating new work, reimagining the classics or reinventing itself. As Sullivan says of Richmond Shakespeare, “Our job isn’t to make Shakespeare or other classics relevant — they already are. Our job is to present them in ways that allow audiences to experience them with fresh eyes. “People are looking for experiences they simply can’t have anywhere else. They want to gather together, laugh together and experience stories collectively.”
Find out what happens when a hard-boiled New Yorker facing a midlife crisis adopts a stray dog during the Cadence theater company premiere of “Dog Mom” (Sept. 24-Oct. 11) at Firehouse Theatre. Tickets are $45. cadencetheatre.org
Chamberlayne Actors Theatre
CAT delivers the homespun charm of “Hollywood, Nebraska” (through Sept. 13) at Hanover Tavern. Tickets are $36. cattheatre.com
Firehouse Theatre
Perkinson Center for the Arts & Education
A young orphan’s snowman comes to life, and the two set out on a journey through New York City in “Frosty: A Musical Adventure” (Dec. 17). The Barter Players, based in Abingdon, present the production at the Perkinson Center’s Jimmy Dean Theater in Chester. Tickets are $17 to $43. perkinsoncenter.org
Richmond Shakespeare
Richmond Shakespeare’s fall production — David Catlin’s adaptation of “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (Oct. 1-25) — will transform Virginia Repertory Theatre’s Theatre Gym into a haunting, immersive experience that puts the audience at the center of the monster’s world. richmondshakespeare.org
Richmond Triangle Players
Three young Black women navigate intimacy, identity and self-medication in Richmond Triangle Players’ season opener, “BLKS” (Sept. 16-Oct. 10). Enjoy a rollicking holiday romp with “The Real Housewives of the North Pole” (Nov. 11-Dec. 19). And come back in spring and summer for “Messy White Gays,” “Indecent” and “Avenue Q.” All shows are hosted at RTP’s Robert B. Moss Theatre. Season subscriptions start at $110. rtriangle.org
VCUarts Theatre
Explore the beauty, struggle and relevance of America’s 250-year history throughout Firehouse’s 2026-27 season with “Confederates” (through Sept. 6), “Floyd Collins” (Nov. 11-29), “What the Constitution Means to Me” (March 10-28) and “Press” (July 7-25). Season memberships are $320. firehousetheatre.org
The fall Mainstage Season features two productions: “Romeo & Juliet, A LGBTQIA+ Love Story” (Oct. 1-4) and Duncan Macmillan’s award-winning play “People, Places & Things” (Nov. 12-15). Both shows are presented at VCU’s W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts. arts.vcu.edu/theatre
Henrico Theatre Company
Look for love with “Swiping Right: Opera in the Age of Online Dating” (Oct. 10-11) and erase the boundaries of performance and reality with “Pagliacci” (Nov. 13 and 15). All local shows are hosted at the Dominion Energy Center. Season subscriptions start at $78. vaopera.org
Virginia Opera
Follow the comedic misadventures of the Little Sisters of Hoboken in “Nunsense” (Sept. 11-27), a show billed as “habit-forming.” Then, check out the charming tale of “The Cricket on the Hearth” (Nov. 6-22), based on the story by Charles Dickens. Tickets are $12. All shows are hosted at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. artsglenallen.com
Modlin Center for the Arts
University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts kicks off its 30th anniversary season with the one-man show “All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain” (Sept. 3-4; tickets are $35). It’s followed by a staged reading of “The Thanksgiving Play” (Sept. 18-19; free). In November, set sail for an enchanting and captivating tale with Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” (Nov. 12-15; free). modlin.richmond.edu
Virginia Repertory Theatre
The Tony-nominated hit “Little Bear Ridge Road” (through Sept. 6) makes its debut off Broadway with a stop at Virginia Rep’s Theatre Gym. The fall season also features “The Play That Goes Wrong” (Sept. 16-Oct. 18) and the organization’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” (Nov. 18-Dec. 27), both at the November Theatre. Neil Simon’s classic comedy “Plaza Suite” (Dec. 9-Jan. 17) is presented at Hanover Tavern. Flex subscriptions are available and offer up to a 20% discount on individual show tickets. va-rep.org
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2026 JAMES RIVER WRITERS / RICHMOND MAGAZINE BEST UNPUBLISHED NOVEL CONTEST WINNER
The Good Curse BY AMANDA SUE CREASEY ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIANA HERTZOG
CHAPTER 1 Salem, Massachusetts, April 1692 Mothers are not supposed to be happy when their babies die. And I am not happy. But I am grateful. William will be, too, no doubt. Damn him to hell. Damn them all to hell. I rock her anyway, the baby. And hold her to my bosom. Just a suckling child. Nobody knows she has gone yet. She’s still warm, so I can pretend a while. My little Mercy. ‘Whither thou goest, I will go: and where thou dwellest, I will dwell.’ I am not far behind, they say. And then what of Dorothy? These tiny, little God-forsaken creatures. She sleeps now, Dorothy, against the cold wall just across from me, shivering ever so slightly. It is damp here in this stone cell, and cold. Dark no matter the hour. But it is night now, I know; the glow from the marshal’s fire burns low, the embers nearly dead, no one tending them. I unravel the baby’s blankets from around her tiny form, loosen her hands from the folds. The fingertips have grown cold. That is where it starts. By morning all the warmth and color will be drained away. And then they’ll take her.
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A man’s figure is silhouetted against the glow of the fire, which someone must have stoked. Morning nears. “What’s that there?” he says, nodding at my lap. I say nothing, just look down at that there. That’s all she’ll ever be to them. That there. Better than witch, I suppose. A fury kindles in my soul, burns hotter than any fire they’ll ever warm themselves beside or than ever will torment them when finally they land in hell. Oh, the things I would do to this stranger if I were a witch, if truly such powers I possessed. The pain and suffering and wrath I would wreak. The violence. Wouldn’t I love to watch his eyes bulge from their sockets, blood pouring down his cheeks like tears. Wouldn’t I love to see him impaled on the horns of a black goat, entrails streaming from his gut. Wouldn’t I love to make him watch while I ate his babies whole. I would burn the entire colony if I could. I would sign the devil’s black book and burn it all to hell. All but Dorothy. And Mercy. The man takes one step into the cell and, meeting with our stench, recoils. He repeats his question as a statement. “I said: What’s that there.” “My daughter,” I say. The man holds a black silk — that extravagance alone should land him in hell — handkerchief to his nose and comes into the cell again, this time further. He leans over the pile of rags and almost retches before straightening back up and appraising Dorothy, Mercy, and me. “It has died then,” he says. “She,” I say. “She has died. Her name is Mercy.” Let her not die nameless. Let her name be remembered. He lets out a cruel cackle, and instantly I regret sharing her name with the likes of him. “Mercy y’say? Mercy! You are a saucebox, aren’t’y? A witch with a daughter named Mercy.” He shakes his head, chortling. Dorothy is solemn, staring down at her lap. Her gaze lifts to meet the marshal’s. “Mercy has died,” she says. Her voice is small, but she does not flinch. “And no wonder,” says the man. He bends close to Dorothy’s face, removes the handkerchief from his nose just long enough to say, “Your mother’s milk poisoned her, y’know? Your mother’s milk would poison any little innocent born to her. More proof of your own guilt,
Dorcas Good.” “Dorothy,” she corrects him. “My name is Dorothy.” My heart swells with pride. She has not lost herself yet. She knows who she is. She knows her name. “Like I said — Dorcas. You thrived on that poisoned milk. Somehow, it didn’t kill you. Must be you’re evil,” he says, replacing the handkerchief over his nose and mouth. “Both of y’.” He moves to snatch the babe from my arms, but I turn away, press her body against the stones of our cell. I will not relinquish her to this man. This arse and the foolish old devils, all of them forgetting how to pray, how to forgive, how to show mercy. “No!” I wail, and I hardly recognize the sound of my own voice. It’s as if all the losses of my life have spilled out in that one word, all the misery, all the unfairness, all the burden of my existence. “No!” I feel Dorothy wrap her tiny arms around me, a protective gesture that doesn’t stand a chance against this man, against this situation. He rips her off me, tosses her like a poppet across the cell, and turns me roughly about to face him. He has dropped his handkerchief and sneers into my face. “Witch.” He’s almost smiling. “What right does a witch —” “I am no witch! God knows I am no witch! The devil knows I am no witch!” But if I were, I would rip your heart out with my eyes. I would strangle you from where I sit and bite off your swollen tongue when it bulged from between your purple lips. I would watch the shadow of horror pass over your eyes right before you died. And the last thing you would ever hear would be my laughter ringing inside your skull. “What right does a witch,” he savors the words, as if he relishes the taste, “have to that there?” Again, gesturing with his head. I hold on as tightly as I can, but between the starvation and the cold, even my hatred isn’t strong enough to keep Mercy in my arms. He tears her from my embrace, and I almost think I hear her wailing. “Now that this part here is done,” he says, turning away from me, “not much to keep you from the noose.” The door slams behind him and I know I will not see Mercy again. “Mercy! Mercy! Whither thou goest, I will go! Whither thou goest, I will go!” I can’t hear anything over my own
DREAMING AND SCHEMING — THOSE ARE LUXURIES AFFORDED ONLY TO MEN. WE WOMEN? WELL, WE’RE LUCKY IF WE SURVIVE THE DREAMS OF OUR MEN. NOT TO MENTION THEIR NIGHTMARES.
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screams, my own rage. Screaming, sobbing, I crawl to the door, pound on the solid wood with my fists, ignore the pain and blood when my flesh meets with the point of a rusted nail protruding from the door. “I want my daughter! Bring me my daughter!” I scream until I collapse to the floor, exhausted from the exertion, the heartbreak. I consider the discovery of the nail. A way out, perhaps. An opportunity. An expedited execution of sorts. Spare the village some rope. Would it be so hard to thrust my bosom against the door, as many times as it might take? Or my wrists? All the parts of my wretched body that can bleed and bleed and bleed. But then I feel Dorothy climb tentatively into my lap. She reaches one tiny hand up to my cheek and wipes away the tears. “Here I am, Mother,” she says. “Here is your daughter. I am your daughter.” She gently places her cool hand behind my ear, stroking the detestable mole there, the way she has since she was an infant. I grasp her tiny hand in mine, take it from behind my ear, press it to my lips. A few final sobs heave my chest. I swallow them. “Where are the blankets?” I ask, suddenly remembering the cold. Dorothy doesn’t say anything, just stands to retrieve the blankets. “Aye, you are my daughter, Dorothy,” I say, regaining my wits. “You are Dorothy Good. Your sister is Mercy Good — no matter what the arses tell you. Your mother is Sarah Good. We are not evil, little one, no matter what the arses tell you. We are good. It’s in our name. It is our name.” Dorothy looks at me with wide, innocent eyes. Nods silently, the blankets hanging from her hands. Those eyes fed us for a time. Those pools of blue, saucer-sized on her little face, could melt even the most callous hearts once. Those who gave naught to me, who cared not whether I starved or froze or whored or died. Well, they couldn’t harden their hearts against Dorothy. Not then. Even William is cold to us now. Refuses to pay for rations, even for Dorothy. I would expect him to behave in such a way toward me. But not toward Dorothy. He never was a provider, though. I suppose it’s folly to expect he’d become one now Dorothy and I are in jail. If he’d ever had any gumption, any manliness about him at all, my child and I might not be here, rotting in this cell. It’s fortunate Abigail sees we’re fed. Dorothy sits beside me, our backs against the door, and dutifully wraps the blankets around her shoulders. She isn’t even careful of the blood. Perhaps she doesn’t notice it. Perhaps she has grown accustomed to the gore of this place — this cell, this world, this whole ungodly life. After all, what else has she ever really known? Even
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before this cell, her existence was meager, all of us labeled a burden to the village, a hardship, a charity case. I’m the one who knows better. The only one in this whole cursed little family who’s ever known any better. And that is perhaps why I, it seems, suffer the most. No one else knows any differently. But I — I know how it should have been. I lean down, nuzzle my nose into her dirty little cap. “Do you want to hear a story?” I ask.
CHAPTER 2 Salem, Massachusetts, February 1670 “Do you know how we got our name, Sarah dearest?” my father asked. “God gave us that name because we are the artwork of his soul, our family. Soulart. It only makes sense. You heard what the reverend said on Sunday: ‘A good name is as a thread tied about the finger, to make us mindful of the errand we came into the world to do for our master.’” A lock of brown hair fell over his left eye. He brushed it behind his ear and leaned in, speaking low, watching out for Mother. I was 17 years old, fortunate still to be in my father’s home, and not laboring in another family’s. A Bible lay open on Father’s lap where he sat by the fire. The hearth and fireplace were still new then, not yet blackened by years of keeping our family warm. It was a frigid night, but there by the fireside, Father and I were warm. His greatcoat hung by the front door. His hat, too, hung from a peg beside the door, so that his chinlength brown hair was loose, matted down on top from where the hat had been, curling under just slightly at his jaw. Mother must have hung them both for him; he always draped the coat over the banister and left the hat on the long wooden bench beside the door, much to her chagrin. Father planned to open the inn come spring, but for now, he said, we would winter. I liked the idea of wintering, hiding away like the little animals, sleeping away the cold like the trees and plants. Why must men toil when all of nature rests? But Mother was not a man, and Mother did not approve. Men must toil, she said, because they were cast out of Eden. Called Father slovenly. She was ashamed of his slothfulness. “Winter,” she said, “is not a verb, but a season, requiring no less work than spring or summer or fall. Sinners have no business resting. The tree and the squirrel and the little brown bird need not worry about their immortal souls. But we are neither tree nor squirrel nor little brown bird.” And there was indeed much to do
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