Chapter Seventy-Six
A COOL SEPTEMBER brEEZE FLUTTERED OUTSIDE THE grounds of Lynnewood Hall. Amalie brought in Eleanor’s afternoon mail on a small silver tray. Resting on top of the pile of letters sat Ada’s envelope.
“What’s this?” Eleanor asked as she held it toward the light and scrutinized the return address. “I expressly informed Dr. Rosenbach that I did not want to engage with Miss Lippoldt,” she said curtly, as she threw the unopened letter in the trash bin.
Eleanor shook her head and looked through her other letters, opening each one and glancing at their contents. Those that needed an immediate response she put in a pile to the left. The others that she didn’t need to answer she gave to Amalie to burn.
For the next hour, she diligently wrote back to the ones she had put to the side. She saved her last letter for Rosenbach.
Dear Dr. Rosenbach,
I know that I was quite clear when I wrote to you indicating that I wish to have no future contact with Miss Ada Lippoldt.
This very afternoon, however, I received a letter from her.
Please know that I find it completely unacceptable that someone under your employment would so shamefully disregard my request. While I disposed of the letter without reading its contents, I did want to make sure you were aware that Miss Lippoldt appears to be sufficiently emboldened to disregard any instructions that I trust you conveyed to her.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Elkins Widener
When Ada was summoned the following afternoon into Rosenbach’s office, she didn’t need him to tell her what was in the letter that lay open on his desk. His face was scarlet. His round cheeks were filled with air.
“How could you ignore what I told you?” He slammed down his fist on his desk.
Ada stood in his office, unable to move. She waited for the next sentences to fly out of his mouth with equal fury. His disbelief that she’d written to Eleanor revealing that she was pregnant with Harry’s child.
She curled her fingers into little fists at her side, preparing for him to call her a torrent of names. But instead, Rosenbach only railed at her for jeopardizing his relationship with Eleanor Widener.
“You realize you have upset my biggest patron, don’t you? You must have considered this at least a tiny bit when you sat down and wrote to her.” He shook his head with disbelief.
“And what reason did you even have to correspond with her?” His eyes grew wide. “I myself can’t even think of any!”
Ada’s body stood rigid as though she were facing a firing squad. So Rosenbach didn’t know the contents of the letter. Did Eleanor choose not to inform him?
Her mind began to race. Could she ever tell him that she was pregnant with Harry’s child? He would never employ someone who had let herself fall into such a compromising state. The potential for scandal and gossip was just too great.
“I am truly, truly… sorry,” she said. Ada could barely get out the words.
“You’re sorry? Yet you still won’t tell me what it was about.
” He shifted some papers on his desk angrily.
“Miss Lippoldt, you had so much potential here.” He opened his palm for her to hand over her keys.
“This is all extremely unfortunate. A real shame, actually. I hope you understand that you’ve left me with no other choice. I need to ask you to leave.”