Miss Fortescue's Protector in Paris
Page 22
She drew Alex and Diana closer to her sides and studied the three of them in the mirror. Di, with her vivid red hair, angelic Alex in her pistachio-green taffeta, her own bridal finery. How far they had come since their school days! How lucky they were to have each other.
‘Sisters for ever,’ she said and blinked hard to keep from bursting into tears. She could never have imagined such happiness as that washing over her now. Her dearest friends all together; her love waiting for her downstairs. All the deception, all the danger, past and gone. A bright new day waiting for all of them.
‘We should go now, or we’ll be quite late,’ Diana said. ‘You should have seen all the guests crowding in while I was downstairs!’
‘And you can’t keep your handsome bridegroom waiting.’ Alex laughed.
‘Yes, let’s hurry,’ Emily said. She could hardly wait for that bright new day to begin.
Alex straightened Emily’s train and made sure the nanny was with Florence before she and Diana led Emily towards the staircase. A special licence had been obtained to allow Chris and Emily to marry at her father’s home and the whole house was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Garlands of white roses and silver satin bows wound along the staircase banisters and silver vases filled with more roses and gardenias made pathways through the hall towards the open drawing-room doors.
Emily could hear music, the sweet strains of a string quartet and the laughter of the guests gathered there. Lady Smythe-Tomas was one of the last going inside, her pink-feathered hat bright against the pale flowers. She waved merrily up at Emily before taking the arm of her handsome young escort and sweeping away.
Emily’s father waited at the foot of the stairs for her. He had gained some weight recently and his eyes were brighter, healthier. And there was no mistaking the happiness and pride in his smile. ‘My dearest girl,’ he said, his voice thick with tears as he took her hand. ‘How beautiful you are. Just like your mother.’
Emily tried not to start crying herself. ‘I am sure she watches us today.’
‘She is always with us. She walks with us right now.’
The drawing-room doors opened one last time and a fanfare of music burst out. Alex and Diana hurried to their seats with their own husbands near the front of the room, waving at the distinguished guests—a prince, some dukes and Lord and Lady Ellersmere from Chris’s office. The room was crowded with colour and flowers.
But the only person Emily could see waited for her at the rose-bedecked altar. Surely Chris had never looked as handsome, as wonderful, as he did in that moment. Her golden god in his brocade waistcoat, his bright hair shining, tears shimmering in his eyes as he saw her entrance. The man who had opened the whole world to her, a world of fun and hope and brightness, of making a difference in the world. They would never be alone again. They would see new countries together, make a whole new family.
And she was quite sure that life with Chris would never, ever be boring.
Her father gently placed her hand in Chris’s and the archbishop stepped forward to begin the service. Chris raised her fingers to his lips for a gentle kiss, making her giggle.
‘A lovely day for a wedding, don’t you think?’ he whispered.
‘Oh, yes,’ she answered. ‘The loveliest of lovely days.’
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story
be sure to read the other books in
the Debutantes in Paris miniseries
Secrets of a Wallflower
The Governess’s Convenient Marriage
And check out these other great reads
by Amanda McCabe
The Queen’s Christmas Summons
The Wallflower’s Mistletoe Wedding
Keep reading for an excerpt from Baby on His Hollywood Doorstep by Lauri Robinson.
Author Note
I’ve had the most fun working on this series and visiting my favourite place in the world: Paris! Even if it is only vicariously, on the page. I also love the Belle Époque period, a time of such beauty and innovation and optimism. It seemed like the perfect place for my three vivacious debutante heroines and their handsome heroes.
The Exposition Universelle had run from May the sixth to October the thirty-first in 1889, celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the Bastille, and was a high-water mark in modern Europe. It also gave us one of my very favourite spots, the Eiffel Tower! Covering two hundred and thirty-seven acres, the Exposition featured pavilions and villages from countries all over the world, including Java, Egypt, Mexico, Senegal, and Cambodia, introducing Europeans to a wide array of music, food, art, and languages. There was a railroad to carry fair-goers between exhibits, the Galerie des Machines featuring modern inventions—including a visit by Thomas Edison to show off his newfangled lightbulb and gramophone—Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show with Annie Oakley, and the art pavilion with works by Whistler, Munch, Bonheur and Gaugin.
Another popular exhibit was the Imperial Diamond, also known as the Jacob Diamond, in the French pavilion. It was one of the largest stones in the world, previously owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad and then by the government of India. I used it as inspiration for the Eastern Star.
The fair’s main symbol, of course, was the Eiffel Tower, the entrance arch to the fair. By the time the Exposition opened, workers were still putting on the finishing touches and the lifts weren’t quite working, but people swarmed up its stairs to take in the dizzying views and shop at the souvenir counters and eat at the cafés. It wasn’t entirely loved, though. A petition sent to the paper Le Temps read, ‘We writers, painters, sculptors, and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength...in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower.’ The tower was meant to be temporary, but grew on the population of the city, and now is one of the most visited and beloved landmarks in the world, a symbol of the beautiful city itself.
One of my favourite aspects of researching historical background for my stories is looking into the fashions of the day! The end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth seems like a particularly elegant period to me and the most famous of all the purveyors of fashions of the day was the House of Worth. Opened in 1858 by an Englishman, the house on the Rue de la Paix was soon The Place for ladies of fashion to shop. Empress Eugénie, Sarah Bernhardt, Lillie Langtry, Jenny Lind, Princess Alexandra and a variety of royalty and American millionaires patronised the elegant, comfortable salon, ordering their wardrobes for each season. The lush fabrics, unique designs, and impeccable service made it famous, and its designs are still well known.
I also had a lot of fun using the real-life visit of Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, in my story! On June the tenth Bertie, Alexandra and their five children arrived at the Eiffel Tower. It was a ‘private’ visit—Queen Victoria couldn’t countenance a celebration of a country throwing off their monarchy!—but Paris was Bertie’s lifelong favourite city and he wasn’t about to miss a look at something as grand as the Exposition.
They arrived at the Tower at ten-thirty in the morning, entourage and press in tow, with the Princess wearing a ‘simple’ blue and white silk gown and a bonnet trimmed with lilies of the valley, and were conducted on a tour by Monsieur Eiffel himself. I expanded the trip with a few more parties and excursions for the royal group, but I’m sure the fun-loving Prince wouldn’t have minded!
I hope you enjoy exploring the beauties of Paris as much as I loved writing about it!
The following are a few sources I used in researching the period:
Jill Jonnes, Eiffel’s Tower (2009)
Amy de la Haye and Valerie D. Mendes, House of Worth: Portrait of an Archive (2014)
Claire Rose, Art Nouveau Fashion (2014)
Jane Ridley, Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII (2013)
Richard Hough, Edward and Alex
andra: Their Private and Public Lives (1992)
Baby on His Hollywood Doorstep
by Lauri Robinson
Prologue
Chicago, Illinois, 1925
She’d done it!
Helen Hathaway pinched the clasp on her purse, making sure it was securely closed. It was only a piece of paper, but that secretarial course certificate meant far more to her. It was her future.
She already had a job!
Would start tomorrow.
The happiness of her accomplishment was overshadowed by worry of what her father would say about it all. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach while glancing at the back of his head in front of her. He was driving, her brother sitting next to him. The two of them were laughing about something. She hadn’t heard what. Hadn’t been paying attention.
Her mind was on that certificate in her purse.
She glanced at her mother, sitting next to her in the backseat. Mother was the only one who knew she’d taken the secretarial course. Who knew she wanted a job outside of the family business. One that would eventually get her out of Chicago.
Far. Far away.
A hint of guilt tickled Helen’s stomach. Not even Mother knew how far away she wanted to get.
Offering her one of her secretive smiles, Mother nodded. “Ray,” she said while smoothing the cuff of the pink glove on her wrist. “Helen has something to celebrate tonight, too.”
“She does?” Father answered.
A ripple of excitement shot through Helen at the sound of enthusiasm in his voice. She bit back a smile, but it was to no avail. She couldn’t keep it hidden.
Mother nodded again, and glanced toward the front seat.
“Yes,” Helen said. “I got a job today.”
“A job?” Junior, her brother twisted and lifted a dark brow as he looked at her over the seat. “Doing what?”
He was only three years older than her, had just turned twenty last month, but acted far older and far more superior. As most of the men she knew did.
She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “Typing.”
He rolled his eyes. “Typing what? Where?”
“Helen completed a secretarial course, and today Mr. Stamper offered her a job at the laundry,” Mother said, giving Junior an eye that told him to keep any comments to himself. “It’s only a couple blocks away from the house, and will be something to keep her busy.”
The smile tried to slip off Helen’s face, but she wouldn’t let it. Not while Junior was still looking at her. This job would do more than keep her busy, she’d show him. Show all of them.
Junior snorted, and then turned around as father pulled the car into the lot near the restaurant. It was her uncle’s birthday. A big celebration. It was the first one like this that she’d been allowed to attend. She wasn’t overly excited about that. The less she had to do with the family, the more she liked it, but she was excited about her new dress. White with green stripes. The weather was warm, so she wasn’t wearing a jacket, but did have on a pair of pristine white gloves and matching shoes. Mother had helped her pick out the outfit and she would wear it again tomorrow, to her first day of work.
That’s what she was really excited for.
Father kissed her cheek as she climbed out of the car. “You want to work at the laundry?” he asked.
Fearful that he’d deny her this, she nodded. “Yes, I do. Very much.”
He smiled and nodded. “All right, then.”
Happiness fully engulfed her. She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you.”
He gave her a tight squeeze and then let her go to take ahold of Mother’s arm. Junior walked beside her as they all headed toward the restaurant. Junior gave her a questioning look, but she kept her eyes forward. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her parents and her brother, she just didn’t like who they were. Who she was. Now that she fully understood. The truth hadn’t shocked her, she’d always known they were different, that her father and brother didn’t have normal jobs.
They were part of the Outfit. All of them. Her parents. Junior. Her. They were one of many families who lived two lives. An outside one, and an inside one.
The noise inside the restaurant filtered out as Father opened the door and Junior held it as they all stepped inside. It was wall-to-wall people. Her uncle Vinnie, a formidable figure, stood on the far side of the room, surrounded by others, and waved at them as they entered.
Mother took ahold of her arm. “Let’s go to the powder room while the men get a drink.”
Helen caught glimpses of people she’d known her entire life, cousins, aunts and uncles as she followed her mother around tables and chairs toward the hallway at the back of the building. Most of them weren’t blood relatives, but were referred to as family because they were all part of the Outfit. Helen wondered if any of the others thought like her. Wanted out of this life before it was too late. That had resonated deep inside her when her cousin Amelia had been mugged by a member of the North End Gang.
More than mugged.
Mother stopped to visit, talking about the new dress she was wearing, and Helen, espying her cousin Karen, kept walking toward the hallway.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Karen asked, clapping her hands with glee. “Your first grown-up party?”
Helen nodded, but kept her honest opinion about that to herself. “I got a job,” she whispered instead.
Karen frowned. “Why?”
Helen open her mouth to reply, but chaos struck just then. It was a moment before she realized what was happening. That the earsplitting rat-a-tat sound was gunfire. Tommy guns. Bullets were flying, glass shattering and people screaming, running, falling.
“Run!”
Someone grabbed her arm, she tried to shake it off, searching for her family, but there were too many people. Too many bullets.
Copyright © 2019 by by Lauri Robinson
IMPRINT: Historical
ISBN: 9781489285355
TITLE: MISS FORTESCUE’S PROTECTOR IN PARIS
First Australian Publication 2019
Copyright © 2019 Amanda McCabe
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