Chapter 28

Elsie and Bessie lay side by side on deck chairs aboard the SS Cedric as they sailed for New York. They'd been at sea for four glorious days. The weather had been mild, the passengers congenial,

and it was heaven being aboard ship, just the two of them.

Just like the old days. Anne wouldn't return to the city for another few weeks.

Bessie had spent the last few days with her head in a stack of new plays she was considering. Sometimes they read scenes together

to see how the language flowed. But mostly Elsie strolled the deck or sat on the deck chairs to sketch an idea she had and

which was so poorly executed it could only be understood by her. And sometimes mystified even Elsie.

She turned her head to watch her companion. Bessie was getting older—they both were. She'd begun dyeing her hair.

"How's the new play?"

"It will be a hit," Bessie said, without looking up from the manuscript.

"You don't seem to be that enthused. You've been on that same page for several minutes now."

Bessie closed the manuscript. "I was thinking about Stanny."

Elsie nodded. "We're all going to miss him."

"They're going to crucify him in the trial."

"Do you think so?"

"No doubt. The Thaws and their money? Harry is a violent man, madly jealous and crazy as a loon. But the family money will bury Stanny under a barrage of god-knows-what. It's already started; Evelyn prancing around for the papers, acting like Little Miss Innocent. It's detestable."

"She's quite the good actress. I noticed that the first time we met her." Elsie hadn't much liked her then. She bit back a

surge of resentment. "What a waste of a talent, to descend to these cheap theatrics, while that useless rat of a husband extinguishes

the life of a great architect."

"And will most likely go free for it." Bessie jabbed her hand in the air.

A steward magically appeared at her side.

"Two champagne cocktails."

The man bowed and strode away.

"Mark my words, before this is over, Stanny will be the monster and Thaw and Evelyn will be the victims. But regardless of

what the Thaw family spends, no one will come out of this unscathed. Not even Harry, eventually."

Elsie hoped Bessie was wrong but she had no misconceptions about what money could buy. It wasn't like the news in France had

been all that enlightening or even continuous. But what there was hadn't been kind. They had even mentioned the Colony Club

in conjunction with Stanny's name.

And Elsie felt a stab of nerves, the kind that one felt before the opening of an untried play. More than a case of butterflies,

but a rush of excitement accompanied by dread, praying that it would be a success. Only this time, the curtain would be opening

on the rest of her life.

Elsie had landed several more clients among their guests in Versailles. Had future projects lined up once the Colony Club

opened.

If she still had a future after Stanny's fall from grace.

Of course she would, she reassured herself. Men were notori ous for their peccadilloes. Stanny wasn't the worst of the lot. It was the way of the world. The world of men. Well, they could have their world. As long as it didn't mess up hers.

Nora was poring over the lists of items to be moved into the new building when the office door opened and Elsie's voice trilled,

"Nora, my dear! I was sure I'd find you here hard at work."

Nora whirled around. "Welcome back," she said, delighted to see her and just a little relieved. "How was your trip? I think

you'll be pleased with the work done while you were gone."

"I'm sure I will. I knew I could rely on you to keep all those men on their toes."

"Well, we did have a—a setback."

"Yes, Stanny. A tragedy. That's why we owe him a spectacular success."

"The papers are—"

"Never mind them." Elsie stopped to rummage in a tapestry bag. She pulled out a small paper bag. "Here is a petite cadeau pour toi ."

A present . Nora didn't know quite how to react.

Elsie took the problem out of her hands. She opened the bag and slid two nacre hair combs into Nora's hands.

Nora's breath caught. They were beautiful, but much too dear for someone like Nora.

"Don't you like them? I saw them and thought they would be perfect with your lusciously dark hair."

"They're beautiful," Nora managed.

"Well, let me put them in for you." Elsie stood back and ran a practiced eye over Nora's head. "You should really have a swept-up

hairstyle, but we'll make do for today." She turned Nora one way and another, then slid one of the combs above her coil of

braid at the crown of her head. Cocked her head, considering, and placed the other at the side. "Perfect!"

She rummaged in her bag again, pulled out a hand mirror that she held out for Nora to see.

Nora unconsciously touched her hair.

Elsie lifted Nora's chin with her forefinger. "You're beautiful, Nora. Let others see that. Now let's go see this beautiful

building."

Nora and Elsie stood just inside the white marble vestibule, the hallway stretching before them like an invitation into Wonderland. And Nora tried to see it as Elsie was seeing it. So much had been transformed since she'd

left for Europe. It was all there before them, chronicled within these finished walls. The problems overcome, readjustments

made, the setbacks, the excitement, the frustrations, the heartache, the pride of a job well done.

Could Elsie see that? Or did she just see an empty vessel to be filled with her own ideas?

That was the last thought Nora had before she was swept along on Elsie's enthusiasm, down the hall. Elsie stopped at the door

to the reading room, its walls painted in a pale bluish green. "Perfect, just like sitting beneath the sky."

Across the main hall to the veranda, now completely clad in green diamond-shaped trellises. Nora could see the plumbing sticking

out from a semicircle of stone that would house the Cupid fountain that had been waiting in storage for over a year.

"Where is everyone?" Elsie asked, looking around.

"Most of the construction crew have gone on to other projects. The few carpenters left are upstairs with the woodworkers,

finishing the sleeping apartments. The restaurant is stocked with linens and cutlery and the kitchen is nearly finished. There

is a crew waiting to begin moving things from the warehouse, when you're ready for them."

"Call them in. I'm ready!" Elsie proclaimed and made a graceful pirouette as if she were surrounded by an audience.

"I've written up several plans on how to proceed if you'd like to look at them," Nora said. "What was the construction office is now the Colony Club business office. They've already moved in. But Mrs. Harriman said we could use the other reception room, the strangers room, for our—your office, which will put us on-site, and she'll be able to release use of the office in the other space."

"Excellent," said Elsie. "When can we get started?"

"I'll have the office moved tomorrow."

"Even more excellent. Now where is the man in charge?"

On cue, George and Mr.Wojcik walked through the front door. They immediately checked on the threshold before collecting themselves

and striding toward the two women.

"Miss de Wolfe," said George. "Welcome home."

Mr.Wojcik nodded. "Ma'am."

Elsie acknowledged them both with a graceful gesture that wrapped them both around her little finger.

Nora wished she could be more like that herself. It certainly made some things easier.

"Nora and I have been visiting the first floor. We'll move our office over tomorrow and be ready to begin furnishing on the

following Monday." Before either man could protest, she added, "If that's amenable with you. Nora says you're ready but I

don't want to mess up your very busy schedule."

"But of course—just let us know what you need," said George.

Nora had a hard time not rolling her eyes.

"Excellent." Elsie started for the door.

George grabbed Nora's arm as she followed.

Great. Now he was going to complain. But he merely looked at her hair. "I haven't seen those before."

"What?"

"Those hair things. They're new."

Nora realized he was talking about her hair combs. "They're a present from Miss de Wolfe."

"They're pretty. You should have nice things."

"Thanks, I—"

"Nora?" Elsie called from the doorway, and Nora hurried to catch up.

Elsie and Nora moved their office into the new building the following day. The newly hired domestic staff was hard at work,

organizing silver and dinnerware, stacking sheets and linens. Others folded towels for the bedrooms, gymnasium, and swimming

pool. Teams of men moved furniture up the stairs and over floors, still covered in tarps.

Things began to progress in earnest. Between trying to organize their office, coordinate schedules, and keep track of Elsie's

burgeoning changes, Nora was giddy with trying to make everything happen.

Elsie, on the other hand, just seemed to snap her fingers and the exact person she needed would appear at her side. Everyone

was working indefatigably, and work was progressing steadily, but there was still much to do.

The death of Stanford White had caused various setbacks, and the ladies ceased talking about a fall opening. They chose a

new date in March that would allow the building to be completed without rushing. But in actuality, as Nora learned from Elsie

and Bessie, they were hoping the worst of the scandal would have passed by then.

Mrs.Harriman moved into the business office, along with Anne Morgan and the club secretary, Mrs.Damrosch, and several others.

She asked Elsie if she could furnish the parlor and tearoom at the back of the building for the home and building committee

meetings, as they were in continual conferences with the housekeeper and general manager.

On Monday, the furniture for the tearoom, parlor, and reading room arrived, along with a steady stream of art, statuary, and

fabrics, bringing artists, sculptors, and seamstresses with it.

The installation was going so well that Nora began to think they might have smooth sailing ahead.

Then the house committee arrived for their first meeting.

"Cabbage roses!" shrieked Mrs.Canfield, as if a mouse had just run across her toes. "They're awful! What was she thinking?"

Her outrage reverberated throughout the hall all the way to the strangers room, where Nora was working on the reading room

plan. She hurried out to see what was happening. She met Elsie running down the stairs from the second floor and they both

ran to the back parlor.

Several committee members were there and they had plenty to say.

"It's so... so plain. Did she forget half the furniture? This does not reflect the serious nature and purpose of the club.

This is New York City, not some country cottage!"

"Well, I think it's charming," said Mary Dick.

"Sometimes I question your taste in fabric, Mary."

"But it is certainly more conducive to sitting and chatting," argued Maud Bull, settling into an upholstered armchair. "Very

comfortable."

"I like it," pronounced Mrs.Harriman, who had followed Nora to the altercation. "Why don't we give it a try before we make

a final judgment?"

"Good idea," said one of the members. "Do we have a quorum?"

Mrs.Harriman smiled at Elsie and Nora and went back to her office.

"They certainly do have a lot of opinions," Nora said.

"And most of them bad," Elsie added.

One day George and Nora were discussing a minor adjustment in the gymnasium storage space when Mr.Wojcik stormed in. "She

wants to change the wallpaper!"

They both looked up.

The ladies must have been at it again, Nora thought. "Don't worry, Mr. Wojcik. Elsie—Miss de Wolfe will take care of it."

"No, miss, it's Miss de Wolfe that wants to change the wallpaper."

Nora practically ran from the room, followed closely by the two men.

They found Elsie standing in the foyer, arms akimbo and staring in the direction of the front door.

"It's all wrong," Elsie announced. "I thought it would accentuate the marble and be a perfect prologue, but the colors are

not true to the idea." No one said a word. It seemed like the entire building fell silent. "I was wrong , I admit it. This is just ugly. We'll have to start again. Take it down, Mr.Wojcik."

George and Mr.Wojcik exchanged looks. Mr.Wojcik mumbled something that sounded like "raving mad" before he nodded. "Yes,

ma'am."

The paperers arrived the next day, covered the floor and the woodwork, removed the wallpaper, and reprimed the walls. Two

days later new wallpaper was installed.

Elsie took one look, said, " This is what I meant," and wandered away.

During the next few weeks, load after load of furniture and tables, paintings and lamps were delivered to the site. Droves

of young men came to apply for work. In the kitchen, sous chefs and busboys were given instructions. A maintenance team was

assigned duties. But they hit a snag when it came to the uniformed house men. With a line of hopeful men of all heights and

shapes waiting to apply, they discovered Elsie had ordered all the uniforms in only one size. So a dozen young men were hired

not for their expertise but for the size of their trousers.

Everything was coming together. The rooms filled with furniture laid out to plan, drawn by Nora to Elsie's specifications. The interest in Stanford White's murder began to wane as Bessie said it would. And everyone began looking forward to the holidays.

At the beginning of each day, Nora would walk through the rooms, making notes of the things that had been finished, and what

was left to be done.

Then one day she noticed that several chairs had been moved. She knew Elsie hadn't changed her mind. She was adamant about

every little detail. And though it could be maddening, Nora respected her for it. She moved the chairs back to their original

positions.

Several days later it happened again, this time in the tearoom. But there had been a committee meeting the day before; perhaps

they had moved the seats by necessity and hadn't put them back. Nora rearranged them to the original layout.

No matter how closely Nora oversaw the placement of each chair, chaise, table, or lamp, the configurations changed overnight.

"Are you moving the furniture around?" she asked Elsie one morning.

"No, why would I?"

"I thought it might be the workmen," said Nora. "But now I'm not sure."

"We can't have people actually using the rooms before the Grand Opening. Everything will look lived-in for the reviewers."

They asked Mrs.Harriman to send out a letter, asking the ladies to curtail their visits except for the tearoom and parlor

for scheduled meetings.

They hoped that would be the end of it. But one morning Nora arrived at the club to a reverberating shriek. She didn't even

stop at the office but rushed toward the sound, to find Elsie standing in the middle of the reading room, hands clenched into

fists at her sides. "They're doing this on purpose. I'll have their heads!"

Nora just stared. They'd spent the entire day before putting the finishing touches on the reading room, exactly as Elsie envisioned it, down to the books on the shelves.

This morning the room had been completely rearranged, the chairs pushed into tight groups; one of the settees from the main

lounge had been moved into the room, shoving two high-backed chairs into the corner to make space for it. It seemed that the

pieces had gotten up and traded places overnight.

"Where's Bessie?" Elsie stormed out of the room, Nora following at her heels.

They found Bessie in the assembly room, overseeing the hanging of the coat of arms she had designed specifically for the club.

"You have to do something," Elsie demanded.

"Certainly, my dear," Bessie said.

"They've moved the furniture again. I'll have to completely rearrange the reading room back to the original. It will take

hours. How am I expected to get this finished if they keep changing it while I'm gone?"

"A legitimate question," Bessie agreed. "I'll call a meeting of the home committee, if you'll be so good as to address them."

"My pleasure," Elsie growled and stormed out of the room.

Bessie smiled at Nora and turned back to the workman who was still standing on the ladder holding the heavy frame against

the wall.

"A little higher on the right, I think..." Bessie said.

The next day all twelve members of the house committee met in the back parlor.

"It has been brought to my attention," Elsie said, "that certain of you have taken it upon yourselves to rearrange the furniture.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, if we are to be able to open on schedule, I must ask you to refrain from adding your special

touches to the rooms."

There was some grumbling. Elsie stood her ground. "Please, ladies. I just ask one thing: that you please leave everything as it is until our Grand Opening. After that you may do anything you wish with the furnishings." She nodded graciously and left the room, pausing as she passed Nora, who was lingering by the door. "They can stack them in the middle of the floor, light a fire, and dance widdershins around them, naked for all I care."

Alarmed at the idea, Nora rushed after her. "You don't mean that."

"Of course not. They'll gradually come around, end up thinking it was all their idea, and love every piece exactly where and

how I placed it."

Thanksgiving came and went and Nora began to think of her family. She'd been so busy, she hadn't even had time to catch a

moment for a clandestine meeting with Rina. But her bank account was beginning to look healthy and she wondered how long it

would be before her mother and Rina could find a place of their own.

Their own. The idea startled Nora. She meant our own. As much as she loved living with Higgie and Aunt Sorcha, she couldn't take advantage of their hospitality for much longer.

She would miss them when the time came. Then chastised herself for the thought. Her family needed her. She couldn't forget

that.

One night at the beginning of December, Nora and Higgie were sitting by the fire, Higgie working out a budget for Dr.Jamison,

and Nora nodding over her book on Roman art. Aunt Sorcha came in from the library and announced that she'd like to invite

Nora's mother and younger sister to Christmas dinner.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it for Thanksgiving, except that we were all so busy. But we'll make up for that at Christmas.

We'll have a feast, see if Dr.Jamison has plans, and George Douglas, too. And anyone else you girls would like to invite."

Nora wrote the letter to Mama that night with a shaking hand. What if they refused to come, made excuses that they couldn't leave the children or that Louise needed them? Well, Nora needed them, too. Still, she wouldn't get her hopes up. Please let me know soonest. Love, Nora.

She put the letter in the post the very next morning.

Much to her surprise, Mama and Rina accepted. And Mama included a thank-you to Aunt Sorcha for her thoughtfulness.

Suddenly there was more Christmas spirit and less angst over the scandal of the century. Aunt Sorcha was busy feeding the

poor down on Varick Street, but she still found time to make fruitcakes and fancy breads that Nora had never seen before.

Nora insisted they use the money in the mason jar for the Christmas feast. For days Nora left the house with the sweet aroma

of rising dough filling the air and came home at night tired to the bone to find soup or stew warm on the oven.

"I think I must be getting fat, the way you feed me," she told Aunt Sorcha one night.

"A little flesh never hurt a girl, and you came to us mere skin and bones."

Two days before Christmas they went down to the corner and bought a Christmas tree. A luxury indeed. They trimmed it with

old glass ornaments and chains of cranberries and popcorn that they also ate until they were stuffed.

All the while Higgie seemed to glow with happiness. Nora thought it might have something to do with Dr.Jamison. But no matter

how much she cajoled, Higgie wouldn't say a word.

On Christmas Day, Nora dressed in her Sunday best, the same dress she'd worn for the last two Christmases. But Aunt Sorcha

helped her do her hair on the top of her head and placed the nacre combs to the most effect, then found a ribbon to tie around

Nora's waist. By the time she had finished, Nora was feeling quite up-to-date.

When the doorbell rang, Nora was the first to answer it. Mama and Rina stood huddled together, tentative, until Nora pulled them inside.

Aunt Sorcha came running from the kitchen to greet them.

"Forgive my apron." She helped them off with their coats.

Rina turned to hug Nora.

"How do you like the new dress Mama sewed for me?" Rina glanced at Nora's old dress and bit her lip.

"Don't you look spiffy," Nora said brightly.

"She looks quite the young lady," their mother said.

"She does, and it's a perfect color for you. Now come meet Higgie and see our tree."

Mama and Aunt Sorcha hit it off though they couldn't be more unalike. The bluestocking and the seamstress. Rina was fascinated

by the books in the library, and spent much of her time poring through their contents.

By the time the doctor arrived, followed shortly by George, it was like they'd all known each other forever.

Dinner was "spectacular," according to Rina, and they all ate until they couldn't eat any more.

"I would like to make a special Christmas toast," Dr.Jamison said.

They all raised their glasses. "To good friends and family, to the spirit of the holiday, and to MissCaroline Higgins, who

has graciously accepted my proposal of marriage."

This caused a call for another round of punch and they were all quite merry when Mama insisted it was time to take their leave.

Aunt Sorcha sent them home with a bundle of leftovers and made them promise to come to Sunday dinner the following week. George

and Dr.Jamison offered to escort them to the trolley stop, and with a final burst of "Merry Christmas and happy holidays,"

the house settled into a sated silence.

It was sad to see Mama and Rina leave. And yet Nora also felt content. And excited for Higgie's engagement.

"You'll stay here for a while at least, won't you?" Higgie asked as they sat in Nora's room getting ready for bed. "I mean,

we won't be getting married for a while, but I don't want to leave Aunt Sorcha alone. She's taken care of me all my life."

"I won't leave as long as she wants me here."

"Thank you, Nora. You know, even with all the trouble Mr.White caused, I have to thank him for bringing us together. I've

always wanted a sister." She squeezed Nora's hand. Then turned away to energetically brush her hair.

But before Higgie left for her own room, Aunt Sorcha stuck her head in the door. "Tomorrow you and Higgie and I are going

shopping. You'll both get new dresses, and Nora, you will get a new coat. And before you argue, we'll use the money in the

mason jar."

"I don't think there's enough to buy dresses and coats," said Nora. "Maybe at the secondhand clothing vendor."

"Absolutely not. A new coat, warm and well-made, will last a lifetime," she said as if reading an advertisement. "Besides,

there's a sale on."