Chapter 17 Ruby

Chapter 17

Ruby

“Will you stop fidgeting?” Olivia whispered to Ruby. They watched the couples resolve into small groups and the band set up their instruments.

Ruby placed a fist on her hip. “I’m just happy to be able to move around. I understand that you love theater, but I’m not afraid to say that I prefer to dance while I listen to music.”

“I enjoyed the show at The Pekin,” said Olivia.

Ruby grinned. “And now we’re in one of the most popular clubs in town.” Ruby looked around the room. It was more crowded than usual. To her surprise, John had agreed to accompany his sister. The Carters arrived before them to secure a box close enough to the entertainment to enjoy the ensemble but far enough away that they could have a conversation without shouting. All of Chicago’s young people, Black and white, entered and exited the club or lined up outside to enjoy the ragtime musicians on tour from St. Louis.

“I can’t help it,” said Ruby. Eager for a distraction, she asked, “How is your brother faring with Amy-Rose in the house?”

They looked to the bar where John stood with one of the Greenfield boys. Olivia shook her head. “Helen tried to goad me into a bet on how long before they announce they’re attached.”

Ruby gasped, smiled.

“They’d have to have a real conversation first, Ruby, which will be all the more difficult once she’s moved out. I do hope they figure it out soon, one way or another, for their own sakes.”

Ruby agreed. She’d be cross if John indeed settled for someone who adored him less than Amy-Rose did. Ruby had noticed their interaction at the salon’s grand opening, however brief. It sizzled with a tension Ruby now knew all too well. She felt no resentment toward Amy-Rose. Only hope for her future happiness. She glanced down now. “How does it look? My dress?” She had chosen the ivory dress she wore at the last party her parents had hosted. It was one of her reconceived designs, one that she and Margaret had continued to work on. They’d cut large portions of it and added new panels to the skirt that Ruby felt made it more now and more her. The bodice hugged her curves, made her feel strong and confident. “I’ve had the hem shortened and the neckline dropped. And see here”—Ruby pointed to the seam in the skirt—“a pocket large enough to fit my entire hand.”

Olivia laughed at the twirl Ruby did in the cramped space. “You look fabulous, my friend. Oh—here comes Odette.”

Odette slid up to the box, preening, eyes on Ruby and Olivia. “My, what a pretty pair! I’m hoping to make a friendship just as strong as yours here in Chicago.” Ruby thought of how much time Odette had been spending with Agatha and Bertha. The newcomer often split the duo like the point of a spear.

“The people here are wonderful, and you’ve already got Ruby and Mr.Barton,” said Olivia.

“Thank you. I am just so sad to know that the rest of the Bartons will be leaving soon after the wedding in August.” Ruby’s gaze flitted across the room. Harrison stood a few feet away at the bar with John. “Jeremiah was here for the band’s first set but he’s left now.” Odette dropped her voice. “I think the scene was a bit too much for him.” She winked at Ruby as if they shared a joke, but the gesture left Ruby uneasy.

Then there was the mention of the wedding. She glanced at Olivia. Preparations for her nuptials had stalled. Her father’s campaign loss and the rumors, those around his inability to garner enough votes and those that swirled around Ruby herself, had made them all overly cautious. Ruby was impatient. She didn’t want to disappoint her parents. Still, she didn’t understand how postponing her own happiness would change anything.

Eager to shift the subject, Ruby asked, “How are you settling into your new house?”

“Oh, it’s grand,” said Odette. “I’m so happy to be out of the hotel and somewhere I can really stretch out. And so close to Jackson Park! I can’t wait to host my first dinner party. Carter and I just enjoy a good time, and I do love to host.” Odette pulled a cigarette from the folds of her skirts. “Got a light?”

Ruby and Olivia shook their heads.

Odette shrugged. “I find very few young ladies here do. Back in New York, there aren’t as many rules. It was a welcome relief to how stuffy South Carolina was.” She observed the young ladies grouped on one side of the room, coyly eyeing the gentlemen over their fans. “Stays, long skirts, chaperones.” Odette snorted. “All designed to keep us from the fun. Speaking of design,” she said with a grin. “Charles!” Odette waved over a white gentleman with straight, light brown hair. His suit looked like it had just jumped from the catalog. Crisp. Bright. He sauntered over to where they stood and tipped his head as if wearing a hat.

“Good evening, Miss Carter. You look lovely,” he said.

“Thank you! I’d like you to meet my friends. This is Ruby Tremaine—yes, that one—and her dear friend Olivia Davenport—that one, yes.” Odette laughed at her cleverness. “Ladies, this is Charles Price.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Ruby. She was smarting from Odette’s introduction and trying to place where’d she’d seen this man before today. As he and Odette turned to discuss the merits of the Blackstone versus an older hotel, she and Olivia exchanged small talk, and Ruby noticed Mr.Price admiring her and Olivia in a way that made Olivia stand taller, stiffer. His face, Ruby thought to herself, trying to recall if she knew him. “I’m sorry, but have we met before?” she finally said into a pause in their conversation. What if he already recognized her?

“Yes, very likely,” he said. “I work for Marshall Field and Company. A buyer. You may have seen me there.” He glanced over his shoulder and then turned back to Ruby. “That face you’re giving me right now, I’ve been getting it all night.” He laughed into his glass. “Soon you’ll be asking me when the next sale will be.” He leaned in and whispered, “Next weekend.”

“Do you mean the basement bargains?” Ruby knew she must look scandalized. “I would never!” she said, her temperature rising with her voice. Mr.Price released a sharp bark of laughter.

He drained his drink. “I believe I need a refill.”

Ruby glanced at Olivia, whose shoulders were beginning to relax. “Yes, interesting acquaintances,” said her friend.

“Charles was just teasing!” Odette laughed. “He must meet all kinds of people as a buyer. To be surrounded by such luxury and be at the forefront of all things fashionable.”

Ruby’s ears pricked at the word buyer. She thought about how she spent her days lately, alone with her maid creating designs, avoiding her parents. What would she do when she and Harrison were wed and he was at work all day? Olivia had her own pursuits. So did Helen. Amy-Rose had an entire business to run by herself. Ruby had always surrounded herself with the finest things money could buy. And now, those things were all but gone, including the money, spent to support the campaign. But if I were to sell my designs…

Perhaps Mr.Price was just the sort of person she needed to get on her side. Someone who, with taste and the power to tell others what to wear, could place her designs in front of the women who would buy them. She left Odette and Olivia to chat amongst themselves and followed the buyer to the bar. “Excuse me,” said Ruby. “Could I trouble you for a moment, Mr.Price?”

Mr.Price turned slowly. He smiled. “I assure you, talking to a beautiful woman is no trouble.”

Ruby blushed. “I have a business question.”

He frowned and stood straighter. “Not quite where I thought the conversation was going. I’m here to have fun. Not talk business.” He sighed and tapped the side of his glass, signaling to the bartender his need for another.

“Yes, but who says fashion is only a business? I mean, so much of planning a night out depends on what one wears. It’s part of the fun. And for a young lady, it can be the most important part.”

Mr.Price faced her and set his elbow against the bar.

Ruby took this as a sign to go on. She inhaled, her plan taking shape as she formed the words. “I’ve been a staunch patron of Marshall Field and Company for years. The fabrics and offerings are exquisite but lack daring. I’d like to see more dress designs for the modern girl, the young woman looking to step out of the traditional box handed down to her by a mother raised in the last century.” She looked over at Olivia. “The young woman who is brave and who champions others.”

“And where are these dresses?” His eyes scrutinized her outfit. “I recognize parts of what you’re wearing. Cutting up someone’s garment and pasting it together with something else does not make you a designer.”

“I did not—paste it!” Ruby blurted. She held her breath a beat. Her temper would get her no closer to her goal.

“Listen, I make the very difficult decisions,” he went on, accepting a fresh drink from the bartender. “Our clientele is aspirational, and I choose what’s the next best thing. You have an eye,” he said. “Dresses, especially those for social outings, have more relaxed silhouettes now and shorter skirts. And you’ve reconstructed this to highlight your best features too.” He lifted a layer of her dress and inspected the stitching. It was done by Margaret under duress. A small part of Ruby felt bad for how she hovered over the maid’s shoulder, directing her hand as she attempted to follow Ruby’s sketches. Now there was a sour feeling in the pit of Ruby’s stomach as Mr.Price from Marshall Field & Company scrutinized the handiwork.

“This is hand-stitched, and not to our high standards,” he said. Then he offered a glimmer of hope. “Get someone who can sew, with a Singer. Make more dresses with new fabric. Then we can talk.”

Ruby watched him walk away, her hands balled into fists at her side.

“There you are,” said Harrison. He handed Ruby a champagne flute. “Was that gentleman bothering you?” he asked, tracking Mr.Price’s progress through the space. The band had started up, and open space on the dance floor became scarce. Slowly, she relaxed and replayed their conversation in her head. He hadn’t said no. He’d suggested she do better. And try again. Ruby’s hands relaxed. She tilted her chin up and touched her necklace. Bright, brilliant—just like her. She’d try again.

“No, he works in the fashion industry and just offered some advice that may prove useful.”

“Is that so,” Harrison said, looking impressed with her. He lent Ruby his arm and began to walk with her to their box. His eyes left hers only when necessary to navigate the crowd. “That was good of him. What did he suggest?”

“Hmm, that I create samples that are showcase ready.”

“Showcase ready? I have no doubt you’ll be able to create samples that are show stoppers .”

Ruby groaned and bumped him with her hip, smiling. Harrison’s confidence added to her own. I can do this, she thought. Ruby looked at him, wanting very much to turn into his embrace and kiss him firmly on the lips. As if he could read her thoughts, his own eyes softened as they skipped over her mouth. Ruby cleared her throat and asked what had kept him at the bar so long.

“I’ve been talking with some of the gentlemen involved in the newly formed organization for people like us, after the Niagara Movement disbanded.”

“Whatever you do, make sure Olivia stays clear,” John said, joining them on Ruby’s other side. “Mama’s agreed to her activism as long as Mrs.Woodard or Hetty’s with her—women’s issues and all. But a gentlemen’s group may by pushing it.” John studied the young men, engaged in heated conversation, his brows knitting together.

“Not just a gentleman’s group. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,” said Harrison.

Ruby rolled her eyes at this rare display of brotherly overprotectiveness from John. She swatted him playfully before turning back to Harrison. “Their members were in support of my father’s campaign. I don’t understand, though,” she said, coming to a halt and facing Harrison. “Are you thinking of running?” Ruby felt dread rise in her chest. All she knew was the turmoil and sacrifice her father’s bid for mayor had required. And now they had little to nothing to show for it. She had wanted so much for him to win, for their family to be respected, to be affecting the type of change Olivia fought for, but she didn’t know if she could go through that again.

“No,” said Harrison. “I just think there are many more ways to support a community.”

“You sound like Olivia,” said John.

Ruby threw him a look. John raised his hands, a cocktail in each, then walked ahead of them to where his sister stood. He handed Olivia one and seamlessly joined her conversation with Odette, now flanked by Bertha and Agatha.

Ruby wasn’t sure how Harrison planned to support the community more than he already did. He’d been at all her father’s rallies and donated when they were in need. Her anger over his meeting with the candidate who’d defeated Mr.Tremaine had waned, but Ruby felt that, until her relationship with her parents was repaired, she wanted a break from politics. Needed it. Before she could express this, they’d returned to their table.

“So,” said Olivia. “How did it go?”

“Well,” she said, and filled Olivia in on her brief exchange with the buyer. Her encounter with Mr.Price lightened her mood. There would be plenty of time to revisit Harrison’s newfound political aspirations. Tonight, they would enjoy an evening out.

Agatha Leary sidled up to them. Ruby studied the dress she wore. It was in the windows of the boutique downtown, Madame Chérie’s, and was just the sort of dress Ruby would have purchased if she could. Agatha offered a coy smile to Harrison and said to Ruby, “I am just tickled that the two of you have had such a relationship blossom from a foul ball. It’s just fascinating how two people can fall in love.”

Ruby recalled the game—she’d run onto the field that day to see how badly Harrison was hurt after being struck by the ball. It is probably that precise behavior that has gotten you into trouble, she thought. Trouble and happiness.

“It wasn’t a foul ball. Just came off the bat unexpectedly.” Harrison squeezed Ruby’s hand gently. “Sometimes, the best things to happen to us are unpredictable.”

Agatha’s face pinched despite her upturned lips. “And the wedding planning. The twenty-seventh of August is soon!” she sighed. “The invitation is so beautiful. I can’t wait for the ceremony. I’m sure your parents have spared no expense.” Agatha’s tone was light, but there was something more behind her eyes.

“Thank you,” said Ruby. “Harrison, shall we dance?” She placed her glass on the edge of the table and drew her fiancé with her around the side of the dance floor. The music was lively. And the best part was that she and Harrison were in each other’s arms. But around his shoulder, Ruby couldn’t help notice the way Odette and Agatha watched them, hiding their words behind curved fingers and fans of lace.