Chapter Fifteen #2
Rosalyn, Rhonda, Bethany, and Margie were gathered around the piano
where Velma was sitting. Natalie stood a little further from the
piano because there wasn’t enough room for her over there. The
other women were crowding it.
Velma was wearing one of the dresses she’d
worn before she married Tony, and the hat she wore was just as
elegant as her outfit. Her hair was even styled in a way that would
have made Natalie’s maid envious. She looked every bit the part of
a wealthy woman. More than that, she acted it, too.
Natalie glanced at the door. If she slipped
out of here, would they even notice?
“Oh, you must play another song,” Katherine
insisted.
Natalie turned her attention back to the
others.
Velma closed the music book and shook her
head. “I didn’t come here to be the center of attention. I came as
Natalie’s guest.”
“And we’re thrilled she brought you here,”
Fran said. “It’s only fair we give you our attention.”
“She’s right,” Janet added. “And since you
play so wonderfully, why shouldn’t we enjoy your talent? I’ve been
practicing my entire life, and I’m not nearly as good as you.”
“Me neither,” Bethany agreed. “Won’t you
please play one more song?”
The others encouraged Velma to do it. Velma
glanced over at Natalie, her eyebrows furrowed in a way that told
Natalie she was worried about her. Well, maybe that was good. Maybe
Velma could tell that Natalie didn’t belong in this group. Now
maybe she could help her.
“I’m flattered,” Velma began with a polite
smile, “but I’d rather drink some tea.” She rose from the bench and
walked over to Natalie. “Would you like to sit on the couch with
me?”
Natalie nodded and followed her sister-in-law
to the couch. Velma sat beside her, and the others found their own
seats to settle in. Velma picked up a pastry and napkin from the
table and offered it to Natalie. Natalie thought about saying no,
but she realized this was a good chance to learn how to properly
eat it. Thanking Velma, she accepted the pastry and napkin.
“Lately, Annabelle is nowhere to be seen,”
Janet spoke up. “She usually comes to all of these social
engagements.”
Velma picked up her own napkin and pastry.
She took a small bite of it. Natalie followed her example.
“She’s probably with Kenneth,” Katherine
replied with a wink. “I think it’s just a matter of time before we
have a wedding.”
“I didn’t realize someone was courting
Annabelle,” Velma said with a glance at Natalie as if to ask her if
she was aware of this.
Natalie shrugged. “She met Kenneth during a
dinner party with Mark and me.”
“That’s what happens when you’re out on a
farm,” Fran said. “You miss everything interesting that happens in
town. It’s why I could never be out there. I’d grow bored.”
“It’s not so bad once you get used to it,”
Velma replied.
“Did you grow up on a farm like Natalie did?”
Fran asked.
Velma swallowed another bite of her pastry.
“No. I grew up in a place like Omaha. Actually, where I grew up was
bigger than Omaha. When I first came here, I didn’t think there’d
be anything interesting to do.” She laughed. “Imagine someone like
me saying I’m happy being on a farm. If you had told me I’d be
happy living on a farm when I first got here, I would have thought
you’d lost your mind. But that just goes to show you how marrying
the right man can make anything possible.”
“I’m surprised you chose Tony instead of
Mark,” Katherine said, seeming intrigued. “You and Natalie are as
different as Tony and Mark are. I would have thought you would have
been a better match for Mark and Natalie would have made a better
match for Tony.”
Natalie held her breath. Would Velma tell
them she’d been tricked into marrying Tony?
“Sometimes opposites attract,” Velma replied.
“Don’t ask me to explain it, but I’m actually better suited for
Tony and Natalie’s better suited for Mark.”
“Mark does love Natalie,” Margie spoke up.
“The two make a handsome couple.”
“Yes,” Fran said, giving Natalie a slight
scowl that no one else probably noticed, “I suppose they do.”
To Natalie’s surprise, Velma glanced over at
her with raised eyebrows. So Velma noticed it, too.
“Annabelle isn’t here today because Kenneth
is taking her out to lunch,” Katherine told Velma and Natalie.
“Really?” Janet asked, interest piqued.
“Where did he take her?”
Katherine told her, and Rosalyn gasped.
“That’s the most expensive restaurant in Omaha,” Rosalyn said. “He
must intend to propose.”
“Not quite yet,” Margie spoke up. When
everyone turned their gazes to her, she chuckled. “I suppose I can
tell you since Kenneth got her father’s permission to propose to
her, but you must not tell anyone.”
Though the rest of the group agreed, Natalie
kept silent. Mark wasn’t going to like this. Sure, he was expecting
it, but he wasn’t going to like this one bit when he found out that
Kenneth was going to propose to his sister.
“He’s not doing it today, though,” Margie
continued. “He plans to take her on a carriage ride through the
park at night where an orchestra will be waiting. He will have a
picnic with her under the stars while the music plays. Afterwards,
he will recite a love poem to her and ask her to marry him. My
husband is paying for the orchestra and arranging for the carriage
ride, and I have found one of my favorite poems to give him for the
occasion. I don’t want to cause envy in the group, so I should warn
you that the ring we bought for him to give her was expensive.”
Velma’s eyebrows furrowed,
and Natalie wondered what that
meant.
Katherine sighed, putting her hand on her
heart. “How romantic. When my husband proposed, he came to me while
I was in the parlor. There was nothing as extravagant as that.”
“Is a picnic outdoors wise?” Velma asked.
“Omaha is a windy place.”
“I doubt their minds will be on the food or
the wind,” Rosalyn replied with a laugh.
The others laughed. Well, except for Natalie
and Velma. Velma gave a shrug to Natalie then turned her attention
to her pastry. Natalie wished they were alone so she could ask
Velma what she was thinking. But she’d have to bide her time.
“I’m sure Richard Larson is glad he’ll be
connected with a family as distinguished as yours,” Fran told
Margie.
“We’re just as glad to be connected with
him,” Margie said. “But as Kenneth’s aunt, I’m happy he’s found
love again.”
“Again?” Fran asked.
Margie nodded. “My husband and I were about
to move from Massachusetts when Kenneth arrived at our residence
with a broken heart. It turned out the young lady he was hoping to
marry ran off and left him for another man. He said he couldn’t
bear to be in Chicago anymore. He sold the railroad he owned and
joined us.”
Velma frowned. “If he owned a railroad, he
must have a lot of money.”
“He does. He has it all saved away. My
husband and I told him there’s no point in buying a house until he
marries. Then his wife can have some input into it.” Margie winked.
“A house is a woman’s domain. She should have the final say in how
the rooms are organized and what goes in them.”
“I wish my husband had taken that into
consideration when he proposed to me,” Janet said with a chuckle.
“I would never have picked out some of the awful furniture he did.
I love him with all of my heart, but he has no sense of color
coordination at all.”
“Why don’t you just order the things you want
and get rid of the old furniture?” Fran asked.
Janet sipped her tea. “Because, as silly as
it sounds, it makes me think of him, and I like thinking of
him.”
“You said your nephew owned a railroad line
in Chicago?” Velma asked Margie.
“Well, not for long. He bought it for a short
time and sold it for a good profit,” Margie replied. “His parents
would be proud of him if they were still alive.”
“Is your nephew on your husband’s side or on
your side?” Velma asked.
“My husband’s. Kenneth is my husband’s
brother’s son. They only had one child, but it was better than what
my dear husband and I had. We tried for children but never had any.
That’s why we were glad he came to Omaha with us. He doesn’t have
his parents anymore, and we never had children. I think we all
benefit from the arrangement.”
The others nodded their agreement and went on
to discuss their own family situations. Natalie didn’t bother
paying attention to them. She was too eager to find out why Velma
had asked the questions she did. From the time she’d spent with
Velma before they got married, she’d learned that Velma chose her
words carefully. She wouldn’t have said anything if there wasn’t a
good reason for it.
Finally, an hour later, the social engagement
was over.
Though Natalie had to bite her tongue, she
managed to wait until she and Velma were alone in the carriage
before she asked, “Why did you ask Margie so much about
Kenneth?”
“My father knew some railroad tycoons, and I
can’t recall a single time when Kenneth Gordon’s name ever came up
in a conversation,” Velma replied.
Natalie leaned toward her in interest. “You
think Kenneth lied to Margie and her husband about it?”
“I can’t prove it, but it’s strange the name
Gordon never came up. Chicago is a large place, but if he was as
important as Margie claims, my father should have mentioned it. I
might not have everything going for me, but I do have a good
memory. Also,” she continued as she removed her gloves, “I think
it’s odd that he is choosing such an inexpensive way to propose. I
know his aunt and uncle have paid for the orchestra and the ring,
but I would be insulted if a rich young man proposed to me with
something as simple as a picnic. I would expect a lot more flair.
He should be showing off how wealthy he is.”
“Mark didn’t do that, and you thought it was
fine to marry him.”
“That’s because Mark grew up here with
parents who built up their wealth. Things out here are nothing like
they are back East. The social engagements I’m used to were far
more extravagant than the one we just went to. I’ve come to realize
life is simpler out here for everyone. But if Kenneth was in
Chicago, he should be used to large displays of wealth. He should
be flaunting it. That’s what we all did back in Rhode Island.”
“Rhode Island isn’t close to Chicago. Maybe
things were different there.”
“For a railroad tycoon?” Velma shook her
head. “I can’t believe it. If he wants to impress Annabelle, he
would give it more effort…unless he doesn’t have the money.”
“How much do you think he has?”
“Well, he’s living with his aunt and uncle.
His aunt and uncle are paying for things.” She paused. “I should
have asked if they funded today’s restaurant lunch he and Annabelle
are enjoying. If I had to bet, I’d say they did.”
“Do you think Margie and her husband are
lying about him selling a railroad?”
“I don’t sense any deception on her part. I
think she’s so glad to have her nephew here because she never had
children that she’ll accept whatever Kenneth tells her. Emotions
often get in the way of good judgment. I don’t know if her husband
is the same way or not, but she’s obviously soft.”
Natalie settled back in her seat. Was this
the missing piece Mark was looking for? She had to tell him. She
couldn’t sit on this information without telling him.
“Now,” Velma began as she set her gloves on
her lap and removed her hat, “would you like to discuss what
happened in the group as far as you’re concerned?”
“Obviously, some of those women don’t care
much for me,” Natalie said, bringing her attention back to the
reason she’d asked Velma to join her today. “Fran, especially,
doesn’t like me.”
Velma snickered. “I wondered if you noticed
the way she scowled at you when Margie said you and Mark made a
handsome couple. Fran hates the fact that you married him. And from
what I saw, she’s pretty close to Katherine, Janet, and Rosalyn.
I’m going to guess that those four are the ones who are giving you
a difficult time. Am I correct?”
Natalie thought it over. “Yes, they are. The
others haven’t bothered me about things I’m doing wrong.”
“There you go. The reason you don’t fit in is
because Mark didn’t marry Fran. He married you. Fran is jealous,
and she and her friends resent you. They would have fawned all over
you like they did me today if you weren’t Mark’s wife.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so. I grew up around women like them.
They can’t come out and say what’s really bothering them. It would
be rude and impolite. So they put on a pretense of being nice while
looking for ways to make you feel bad about yourself.”
Natalie hadn’t considered that possibility,
but Velma’s words made a good deal of sense.
Velma chuckled. “Mark was the most desirable
bachelor in Omaha, and you were the only one who could get him. If
I were in your shoes, I’d enjoy it. He could have picked anyone,
and he chose you. You should be flattered.”
“I didn’t want to be with him because he had
women lined up to marry him.”
“I know you didn’t. You wanted to be with
him. You loved him. I don’t know if Fran loved him or not, but I
was only after him because of the money. Even if Fran had loved
him, she’s petty and manipulative. He’s much better off with
you.”
Touched that Velma should say that, Natalie
smiled at her. “Thank you.”
Velma returned her smile. “Things worked out
for the best.”
Feeling much better, Natalie relaxed and
enjoyed the rest of the ride.