Chapter 30
After my confrontation with Carrie, I floated through the house from one room to the other, despair and anger warring inside me.
I was glad Carrie would be out of town for months.
I didn’t want to think about her or be faced with the trouble of avoiding her.
And yet I couldn’t banish what she’d said about her husband from my mind.
Was he the one responsible for Julien’s death, or was it the chauffeur?
Did it matter? The tires had hit a wet patch in the road and skidded uncontrollably.
I’d seen it myself that night. I’d seen it behind my eyes a thousand times, every moment of every day.
Carrie believed Julien’s death was an accident, and though I wasn’t inclined to believe anything she said, I knew, at least in part, she was right.
Julien’s death was a horrible tragedy but an accident either way, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
I also understood why Julien hadn’t wanted to tell me about Carrie.
I wouldn’t agree he should spend time with a married woman, and given his track record, I wouldn’t have believed he would commit to her.
For Carrie to leave her husband would have made a mess of both of their lives.
She would be cast out of her social circles, and he would have put the Beaumont reputation in danger.
Never mind the harm he’d caused to his many new friendships with Jet and Ned and the other husbands.
Julien’s dream of expanding the business was a bust—they’d never support a man making off with one of their friends’ wives.
When I’d thoroughly wrung myself out, obsessively reviewing the details, the conversations, the way Evalyn’s friends had acted, and the horrible events of that night, I flopped down on the sofa out of sheer exhaustion.
I’d scarcely closed my eyes when the telephone rang.
I sat up, frowning. It was half past nine. Who could be calling at this hour? I could think of only one person who would be selfish enough to ignore the time. Who would demand her wish be fulfilled as soon as she had one. Suddenly hopeful I hadn’t been entirely shunned, I lunged for the telephone.
“Lizzie? Hi, it’s Bea. I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“Oh,” I said, not bothering to hide the disappointment in my voice. “Bea, hello. Is everything all right?”
“Unfortunately, no. It isn’t.” She paused, and I could make out the faint sound of her sniffling.
“What’s happened?” I said, gripping the receiver.
“It’s Evie’s son, Vinnie. He’s”—her voice cracked—“he’s been in an accident. Hit by a car. He’s…he’s just passed, the poor child.”
I gasped. The child, named after Evalyn’s older brother—who had also been killed in a car accident—was dead of the same cause.
As was Julien, a voice whispered in my head.
Bile surged up my throat. The curse. The Hope Diamond.
Bad luck will befall you.
And it had come for Evalyn again. I shook my head. No, it couldn’t be. My God, that sweet little boy so full of life, gone too young.
My heart ached as I remembered our conversation the day I showed little Vinnie how to use the jeweler’s tools, and again, seeing him sword fight with Ned on the lawn.
The handful of other instances I’d seen the child, he’d brightened every room he stepped into, just as his mother often did.
I couldn’t believe he was gone. Grief swelled until I felt I’d drown.
My throat was raw with it. Vinnie, dead at nine years old. It was unimaginable.
When I didn’t reply, Bea filled in the silence.
“I’m not sure when the funeral service will be, but I wanted you to know.
We’re all stunned, of course. And Evie is…
Well, I’ve been here all evening and need to go home, but I hate to leave her alone, and the others haven’t made it home from the races yet.
She’s hysterical, Lizzie. Could you come over for a little while?
The doctor has given her something to sleep, but she hasn’t nodded off yet. I didn’t know who else to call.”
I gripped the phone. “Yes, of course. I’m on my way.”
* * *
“I’m afraid Mrs. McLean isn’t seeing any guests,” Jerry said after he’d greeted me. His eyes were red, his shoulders slumped.
Guest. I’d been relegated to a guest when once I’d been called her friend.
A pang hit me as I realized my suspicions had been correct all along.
I was entertainment for a woman who was lost, who lacked meaning in her life.
She’d always had too much of everything and everyone, and yet I’d been a fool for her whims. I’d lost myself somewhere amid the parties and luncheons and too many cocktails.
Despite the hateful comments and the way she’d toyed with others, I’d considered Evalyn a friend.
“Bea called me,” I said. “She asked that I look after Evalyn for a while.” But perhaps it was better that I left. It was clear Evalyn didn’t want me here anymore.
Bea breezed into the front hall. “I’m so glad you’re here.” As Jerry stepped aside, she yanked my arm and pulled me to her. “She’s been unhinged. Wailing uncontrollably, screaming at Ned, at the staff. Ned is roaming the grounds somewhere… I finally got her to take something to help her sleep.”
Bea’s face was swollen, her hair mussed, and she smelled of whiskey. She’d clearly been crying, too. I returned her embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I can’t believe it. He was so young. Such a darling little boy.”
“To lose a child… I could never imagine it until today.” She wiped at her eyes. “That poor boy.”
“You’re a good friend to her,” I said.
Confusion passed over her features. “Of course. I’ve known Evie for ten years. And losing one of your babies is the worst thing a mother can imagine. I couldn’t let her go through that alone.”
My throat was tight as I thought of the worst thing I could imagine happening and how I’d gone through it almost entirely alone. “She’s lucky to have you,” I said.
“I’m exhausted. I’ve been here most of the evening, and I need a break,” she said. “I gave her a double dose of Veronal to sleep. Perhaps check on her in a couple of hours? Keep her company should she wake?”
I nodded. “I will.”
As Bea left, I wondered what Evalyn would say when she found me there at her side in her most vulnerable moment. Perhaps I should leave her a note and return home? If she really had taken a powerful dose of Veronal, it could be hours and hours before she stirred.
At last, I decided to stay, to rest on the sofa until she awakened.
Only, I couldn’t rest. I tossed and turned until I pushed up from the sofa and wandered into the parlor.
I looked around for a place to sit, for a book or a deck of cards, for something to occupy my hands and most of all my mind.
Nausea roiled in my belly each time I thought of little Vinnie, imagined his young body crumpled and bloody, the way Julien’s had been.
I squeezed my eyes closed, pushing away the image.
The poor child. He was a sweet, convivial little boy.
Jerry appeared in the doorway. “Can I bring you anything, ma’am? A drink perhaps? Something to eat?”
“A drink would be nice. Whatever you have that’s easy. Thank you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He returned with not one but two whiskeys and held one out to me. The other he retained for himself. “I felt today’s events called for one.”
I nodded. We sipped from our glasses in companionable silence for several long moments until at last, I said, “How did it happen?”
“He was hit by a car, ma’am. It was more of a hard nudge than anything, because the car was barely moving when Vinnie ran into the street.
Apparently he got up from the pavement a little dazed and continued on his way at first. The McLeans were alerted about the incident and were already on their way home to look in on him.
In fact, Mrs. McLean had had some premonition that her son wasn’t well.
Vinnie passed away a few hours later. The doctor said he was bleeding internally. ” He took a deep drink from his glass.
“Did it happen in Kentucky?”
“No, ma’am. Mr. and Mrs. McLean left the children at home with their nannies while they were away in Ohio. They were scheduled to leave for the races tomorrow.”
“Of course, I see,” I said, though I didn’t see.
My father had never left Julien and me while he was on vacation.
And he certainly wouldn’t have left us to a nanny, but that was the difference between the wealthy and those who worked for a living.
We formed closer attachments, real bonds, and nurtured our relationships as a matter of course.
Or perhaps out of necessity because we simply didn’t have the opportunity to make a different choice.
Either way, I couldn’t imagine having so much distance from my father.
“I was surprised to see you’d come, ma’am,” Jerry said, swilling the last of his whiskey.
“Why is that? I am Evalyn’s friend after all.” I cringed inwardly at my unintentional harsh tone. It wasn’t his fault that she had distanced herself from me of late. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just…tired. Concerned.”
He offered a conciliatory smile. “What I meant to say is that I thought you might wish to steer clear of the household given the events and…the things we’ve discussed before about the diamond.”
“The bad luck, you mean.”
“Yes, ma’am. As you can see, it affects all who spend time here, in her presence and in the presence of the diamond. I’d hate to see bad luck befall you. Again.”
Bad luck befall me…again.
An echo of recognition struck me, and I gasped. “Jerry? Did you send those notes to my house? The warnings?”
The color drained from his face, but he didn’t reply.
“It was you!” I set down my glass. “They frightened me! At first anyway. The last note made me angry. Why didn’t you just tell me you were concerned?”