Chapter 14 Geraldine #2
Mercifully, the diners at the other tables appeared not to have noticed.
Somehow Marjorie seemed a bit out of place, as though she were a fresh-faced country girl who had been dropped without warning into the heart of a bustling city.
There was something unsophisticated and naive about her, and it prompted a wave of protectiveness from the older woman.
“Has it been difficult because of the diet regimen?” Geraldine asked.
“That hasn’t been particularly pleasant, but what has been truly difficult is the nonstop activity.
” Marjorie lifted her hand and began counting off on her fingers.
“The maid brings lemon and water at seven thirty and then a breakfast tray of juice, coffee, and a single poached egg on wheat toast at eight.”
Geraldine grimaced. “Barbarous!”
“After that, we’re sent off on a three-mile trek.”
“Iris, the housekeeper, told me all about the forced marches and their accompanying pedometers. After such a paltry breakfast, I am sure you are quite wrung out.”
“That’s just the beginning,” Marjorie said. “As soon as we are done with the hike, we’re directed to the beach for calisthenics or to the tennis court for a match.”
“Calisthenics?” A shudder ran up Geraldine’s spine as she recalled the days of her youth, when girls in bloomers attempted to improve their posture and the size of their busts by swinging Indian clubs—things that looked remarkably like bowling pins—in complicated patterns, as recommended in magazines for ladies.
“Yes. We all change into unflattering singlets before trooping out to the beach to make arm circles with Hula-Hoops balanced on our biceps.”
“Hula-Hoops?”
Marjorie nodded. “They make us do toe touches and jumping jacks too. All of that is followed by sunbathing.”
“Sunbathing? I should have thought Elizabeth would know better than that.” In Geraldine’s day, a girl preserved her looks by keeping out of the sun as best she could. It was the one piece of her mother’s advice she had never neglected to follow.
“I’m afraid so. They send you off to a white-canvas-draped cabana, where a spa attendant vigorously slathers you in perfumed tanning oil.
Then, at eleven thirty on the dot, they send you off to the lake for a swim.
Thirty minutes later, they send you to the spa for a massage.
I confess, it usually puts me to sleep after so much fresh air and exercise. ”
“Do tell me they give you lunch eventually.”
“At one o’clock, there is some sort of salad, followed by a fruit dessert like a baked pear drizzled with raspberry juice. After lunch we have free time to rest in our rooms or to lounge about anywhere on the estate until four in the afternoon.”
“More exercise?”
“Thankfully, no. They send us to the spa for facials, masques, and to have our hair shampooed.” Marjorie sighed. “I rather enjoy the afternoons.”
“When I arrived, I was told that cocktail hour consists of iced vegetable juices, followed by dinner, bridge, and an early bedtime.”
“That’s right. Everyone is worn out enough from the day’s activities that they are more than happy to retreat to their rooms.”
“No wonder you feel that it is difficult,” Geraldine said. She hadn’t endured such a rigid schedule since she outgrew the need for a governess.
“The program isn’t the hardest part of it. What I find truly difficult is spending time away from my children. I miss them terribly, especially the baby.”
Geraldine could not relate to that sentiment. Children had not been a significant part of her life.
“How long are you booked to stay?” she asked.
“As long as it takes to drop twenty pounds,” Marjorie said, her face clouding over at the thought. She laid down her fork, a few bits of lettuce clinging to the tines. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll probably be here until they close down for the season.”
Geraldine allowed her gaze to wander across the rest of the dining room once more and noted the average age of the guests was probably twenty or more years younger than her own.
Maybe she might just have a good time here after all.
She always felt more youthful than her age would suggest. And there was nothing she enjoyed more than a new project.
She hadn’t had one in ages. Helping Marjorie reach her goal was just the sort of thing she loved to throw herself into.
At the very least, she could provide Marjorie with some companionship and maybe even a bit of fashion advice.
Even if Marjorie didn’t lose a pound during the course of her stay, she could go home looking as if she had simply by making better choices with her clothing and hairstyle.
“Well, my dear, it could be far worse. Like me, you could have upwards of four hundred pounds to shed.”
Marjorie’s dark eyebrows lifted towards the ceiling. “Surely you are joking.”
“Not in the least. I am absolutely determined not to check out of the resort until my dreadful in-laws have removed themselves from my home. As a group, I estimate they weigh approximately four hundred pounds.”
A wide smile spread across Marjorie’s face.
Despite her unfashionable plumpness, she was a pretty woman when not overcome with sadness and self-doubt.
Geraldine felt herself smiling back. It had been a good long while since she had done so.
Perhaps her stay at the resort would be more than just a way to avoid her in-laws.