Chapter 13
As I arrived at Evalyn’s the next day like she’d requested, for once I hoped she’d also invited her friends.
I was eager for a chance to talk to Carrie about my brother.
They’d flirted, something real had sparked between them, but given her emphasis on her married name when they’d met and the fact that Julien had spent a lot of time with her husband, I suspected it had been a harmless meeting one afternoon at the bazaar and nothing more.
The thought was followed by instant doubt.
I couldn’t discount the fact that Julien had become mixed up with a married woman before.
Still, the affair had been short-lived. Once a woman became too infatuated with him, the thrill of the chase would end, and he would stop courting her almost immediately.
More than once, I’d had to take over his client account after explaining away his terrible behavior.
My brother’s most prominent character flaw was his short attention span.
Paradoxically, his lust for life that made him so attractive and such great fun also made him flighty at times.
Jerry smiled in greeting as he opened the door. “It’s nice to see you again so soon.”
“I’ve brought something for you.” I held out a small wrapped package. Perhaps it was too much, but I was grateful for his candor and his kindness, and should I work for the McLeans for the foreseeable future, it would be good to have an ally.
“For me? Whatever for, ma’am. That wasn’t at all necessary,” he said coyly while tearing open the paper as if his life depended on it.
I stifled my amusement and said, “Gifts are always a good idea.”
He turned over the money clip to peer at the long, narrow pewter strip etched with a lion’s head. “It’s a handsome piece, ma’am. Thank you! You really shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”
“It’s a thank-you for being so welcoming and looking after me while I was having a rough time of things.”
Though half of his face was covered in a thick, dark beard, I didn’t miss the glimmer in his eyes. “Anytime you need anything at all, you come to me, ma’am.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I do.” He smiled, revealing a row of crooked teeth. “Now, Mrs. McLean is having her breakfast. Right this way.”
Evalyn was seated at the dining table, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands. “Would you like some coffee?” She blew at the steam rising from the hot liquid. “I couldn’t get out of bed this morning. I’m such a lazybones! I’ve just now sat down to breakfast. How luxurious is that?”
I recalled the conversation I’d overheard about Evalyn’s use of Veronal to sleep.
Combined with booze, the medication was enough to put a whale to sleep.
I watched her as she set her cup on the table and tapped the shell of her two-minute egg.
It cracked obediently, and she dipped a spoon into the creamy mixture to scoop out the insides.
Her hands shook slightly as she spread the goo on a point of toasted bread.
A leftover from the drug and alcohol combination, I’d be willing to bet.
I found two-minute eggs repulsive—runny and undercooked—but I hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day, so the sight of a runny egg still made my stomach grumble.
“Goodness, was that you?” Evalyn asked with a smile.
“I forgot to eat breakfast,” I said sheepishly.
“That’s easy to remedy. Tillie!” she called.
“Yes, ma’am,” the young woman said as she whisked into the room promptly.
Now, after my conversation with Jerry about the curse, I noticed Tillie’s subtle but obvious distance from Evalyn.
The way her eyes darted to her mistress and quickly darted away.
She wanted to be anywhere but here, in the presence of the diamond.
Her bills and the need for a job likely dictated otherwise.
“Bring Miss Beaumont a plate of breakfast. She’s famished. How do you like your eggs?” Evalyn looked at me for confirmation.
“Scrambled, thank you.” When a pile of warm sourdough toast and fluffy eggs arrived, I didn’t hesitate and dug into the mound of food.
“There now, that’s better,” Evalyn said with a smile. “Eat up. You’ll need your strength today. We’re going shopping.”
“Shopping?” I said, holding my toast slathered in melted butter and strawberry jam an inch from my mouth.
To spend an entire day shopping would be an egregious waste of time, precisely when I didn’t have time to lose.
Though I envied the simplicity of Evalyn’s days, her easy come-and-go, I did not envy the endless hours of meaningless tasks like shopping.
“We’re going to pick up a few new dresses for you.”
“Do I need new clothes?” I looked down at the carefully chosen gray skirt and white blouse and felt a pang of embarrassment.
As her eyes dipped to my shirt and skirt, she smiled brightly. “I think we can do much better than that, don’t you? With your dark hair and eyes, a little color would go a long way. Red, perhaps, or royal blue.”
I set down my toast and wiped my mouth with my napkin, deciding if I should tell her that I didn’t wear what most women did, who were still confined to skirts and dresses.
“I wear trousers nearly every day. It would be a waste to buy beautiful clothes when I so rarely need them. They would be ruined in the workshop.”
“Nonsense,” she said dismissively. She pushed her plate away and lit a cigarette. “If you attend events at my house, you’ll need a new wardrobe.” She blew out a stream of smoke. “I know just the place. You’ll be stunning after I’m finished with you.”
I hesitated a moment before replying. I wanted to keep Evalyn close, to remain a part of her circle, but I didn’t have the funds to spend on something I ultimately didn’t need. It was an unnecessary extravagance I couldn’t afford.
She exhaled again as if growing annoyed and continued, “Come now. It’ll be fun! Besides, we have a lunch date afterward at the Café St. Marks by McPherson Square. We simply must dress to impress while dining there, and impress them we shall.” She winked.
“I couldn’t possibly… It isn’t in the budget this month and—”
“This is my treat, Lizzie.” Her voice was firm. “I can’t have a young woman who works for me wearing worn and dreary clothing from five years ago. Anyway, I dress all my employees, so think nothing of it, darling.” When she saw my expression, she added, “I insist.”
I knew without looking in a mirror that my face had gone blotchy with embarrassment. I wasn’t going to get out of this, no matter how much I protested. When Evalyn insisted, everyone obeyed, and I had learned this the first day I’d met her. “That’s very kind of you,” I said. “Thank you.”
At that moment, Ned and Vinnie crashed into the room, each carrying a wooden sword painted black and red. They both wore an eye patch and a makeshift cape that tangled around their limbs as they tried to move like fencers.
“Take that, you villain!” Vinnie cried as he hit his father’s sword with a thwack.
“You’ll never get me this time, Black Beard!” Ned shouted back.
Vinnie noticed me and flashed his toothless smile. “Are you cleaning the diamonds again?”
“Not today,” I said with a smile.
“En garde!” Ned shouted as he jumped over a footstool.
“Oh, that’s enough, Ned!” Evalyn shouted. “Go outside if you’re going to play like that.”
“But, Moooom,” Vinnie whined.
“You heard your mother,” Ned said with a grin. “Let’s go outside. And hello, Lizzie.” He gave me a short wave and led his son out of the room.
“Hello,” I called after him as they were pushing through the French doors onto the patio. It was so nice to see a man playing with his children, and Vinnie was such a charming little boy.
Evalyn threw her napkin on the dining table. “While you finish eating, I’ll get dressed.”
I didn’t argue, but I was glad I had a quiet few minutes to myself. As I watched Ned and Vinnie sparring on the lawn, nostalgia bloomed inside my chest, warm and comforting as a vision of playing in the spring sunshine with my brother flickered in my mind’s eye.
A few minutes later, Evalyn blazed into the room again, handbag and coat in hand. “Are we ready?”
This time, the chauffeur drove us to the fashionable Georgetown neighborhood at the intersection of M Street and Wisconsin.
I looked warily at the row of boutiques, showcasing beautiful window displays filled with the kind of clothing I’d never considered wearing.
Silk dresses with drop waists, beaded and feathered headbands, evening gloves and day gloves in every color and length, and an endless array of shoes, hats, and handbags.
The dizzying selection overwhelmed me on sight.
I hoped Evalyn would lead the way; I hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin.
She saw my face and shrieked in glee. “Oh, don’t be such a bore. This is going to be so much fun!”
We browsed first, stopping at several boutiques where Evalyn greeted the salesclerks whom she clearly seemed to know. After a first sweep of her favorite places, we circled back to where we began.
“Now that we’ve seen everything, we’re ready to buy,” she said. “I think blue looks particularly well on you.”
Chattering as happily as a bird the whole way, she directed the shop clerks and selected my wardrobe as if I were her doll.
She didn’t allow me to pay for a single item or to broach the subject of anything owed.
After we’d purchased four new dresses, three for daytime and one for evening, along with shoes and handbags, we made our way to a hairdresser.
“Are you sure you’re all right with this?” she asked, reaching for a lock of my hair. “I do think a little trim will do it wonders.”
I’d always worn my hair long and loose, and no one had ever said a thing about it. I supposed I was uncouth in the eyes of Evalyn’s friends, whose hair was always either rolled and pinned elegantly or worn in soft short waves that cupped their chins.
“Do you think it’s necessary?” I replied.
“I do,” she insisted.