by Abigail Keam
Now stabbing at her salad, Alice said, “Doesn’t mean I am wrong though. You should have seen all of our ‘British cousins’ come out of the woodwork when I became of marriage age. They were simply ghastly. Mark my words, Mona. Hold tight onto your pocket book.”
Mona started to respond, but Alice interrupted her.
“Speaking of the British, it seems that the Prince of Wales has a new mistress.”
“How would you know, Alice?” Eleanor asked.
“It seems the American Lady Furness has been replaced by another Yank named Wallis Simpson. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Huh, I see from your face, Eleanor, you didn’t know.”
“Again, Alice, how did you gain that information?”
“Read it from an intelligence report.”
Eleanor shook her head. “I must tell Franklin to hide those reports when you are in the White House. You know those are for the President’s eyes only.”
“Then Franklin shouldn’t be leaving those files on his desk,” Alice said, now lighting up her cigarette.
“Are you going to get married here or across the pond?” Eleanor asked, beckoning to the server for more water.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Mona answered. Anxious to change the subject, she redirected the conversation. “Mrs. Roosevelt, I mean Eleanor, it was very kind of you to ask us to lunch.”
“I have an ulterior motive. I wanted to see what kind of woman you were. Alice told me how you solved a murder in Lexington. She was impressed, and Alice is hardly impressed by anyone. She thought we should meet. One thing about my cousin is that she is politically astute. Oh, I know she has the tongue of a viper, but she has one of the sharpest minds in Washington.”
“Thanks, cuz,” Alice mumbled, now sipping a Bloody Mary.
“Alice knows her way around Washington and hears everything. One thing we need to rebuild this country is dependable supplies of copper.”
Alice said, “That’s true. Congressmen talk to me all the time about the need for metals like tin and copper.”
“So you see, I needed to meet you and hear your views on things. One of my jobs as First Lady is to make friends with those who can help bring this country out of this economic mire. I hope you understand, my dear.”
“I will try to help whenever possible. I love my country.”
Eleanor said, “If things go south in Europe, the United States might be called upon to rise to the occasion. We must be ready if that happens.”
“Public polls say the American people want to stay out of Europe’s affairs and for them to stay out of ours,” Alice said.
Before Eleanor could respond, a secretary entered the room. “Very sorry to intrude, but you have a meeting in ten minutes, Mrs. Roosevelt.”
Eleanor looked at her wrist watch. “So I do. It was wonderful to meet you and Violet.” As she stood, so did Mona and Violet. Alice remained seated, blowing smoke donut holes into the air.
The First Lady clasped Mona’s hands. “I wish you a beautiful wedding and hope to meet you again soon.”
“Thank you. I look forward to speaking with you again.”
Eleanor turned to Violet. “Violet! You be a good girl now. Don’t stop at a high school diploma. Get some college accreditations under your belt. Education is the best gift a woman can give to herself.”
“Spoken by a woman who was privately tutored all her life,” Alice murmured.
“Ignore my cousin. She knows not of what she speaks.”
“Yes, Mrs. Roosevelt.” Violet couldn’t bring herself to call the First Lady Eleanor.
“Do you have a beau?”
“No, ma’am.”
“That’s good. Learn all you can before you get married. You need pluck and knowledge to engage in this world. Life is not always kind. Continue with your learning.”
“I will. Thank you, ma’am.”
“Ladies, duty calls, but feel free to stay as long as you wish and enjoy your lunch.”
Mona and Violet said in unison. “Thank you.” After Eleanor left, both Mona and Violet sat back down.
The server poured water in their glasses. “Ladies, tea and coffee are on the buffet as well as more sandwiches. Please ring the bell if you need anything. I’ll be waiting outside the door to escort you to the main entrance when ready.”
“Thank you,” Mona replied, folding her napkin and waiting for the server to exit. She leaned back in her chair.
“Well,” Violet said. “Mrs. Roosevelt is a very impressive woman.”
“Yes, she is,” replied Alice. “But she doesn’t know a damn thing about food. Wasn’t this lunch just awful?”
Mona burst out laughing, nodding her head. “Well, at least the bread crusts were cut off.”
“Hush,” Violet admonished, looking about. “The servants will hear us.”
“You’re quite right, Bucktooth Becky. We should leave so we can criticize without any hindrance.”
Violet frowned. “Mrs. Longworth, I wish you’d quit calling me that. I do not have buck teeth, and my name is Violet, not Becky.”
Alice leaned forward and peered at Violet. “Are you sure you don’t have buck teeth?”
Mona interceded. “Violet, Mrs. Longworth is having you on. Pay her no heed. I certainly don’t.”
“I don’t like to be teased.”
“You don’t? I used to be teased by my brothers quite a bit in this very home.” Alice sighed. “Those were the glory days when my father was president.”
Not wishing to hear another Theodore Roosevelt story, Mona rose. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, we should leave this domicile of austerity. Not like when my father was president. Only the best would do. He would have thrown this lunch out the window in a fit of pique and fired the cook. You know it is Henrietta Nesbitt’s fault.”
Violet asked, “Who is Henrietta Nesbitt?”
“She’s a witch Eleanor hired, and she plans these horrid meals for five and ten cents a go. The recipes are even printed in magazines and the papers. We’d have better fare at the nearest soup kitchen.”
Mona said, “Mrs. Roosevelt is only trying to help women economize their food budgets with nutritious meals at a very low cost. I admire her for following her own guidelines.”
Alice looked smug. “Oh really? Did you enjoy your lunch, Mona? I noticed you didn’t eat very much.”
Mona sheepishly grinned. “No comment.”
“I thought so. Hey, where are you two staying?”
Mona replied, “The Willard.”
“Excellent. We’ll take my car and have a proper lunch.”
“I have my own car,” Mona explained.
“That’s even better. I really came by taxi, so you can drive all three of us back to the Willard.” Alice rose. “Come on, girls. Let’s get the lead out.”
Mona and Violet exchanged glances before following Alice out.
2
Mona, Alice, and Violet entered the palatial lobby of the Willard Hotel and headed for the dining room. Mona was starving as she had been too nervous to eat breakfast and only picked at her lunch. Once seated, Mona ordered the fillet of sole with fresh asparagus while Alice decided upon braised beef with noodles, and Violet wanted the fried cornmeal mush with bacon.
“You can take the girl out of the South, but not the South out of the girl,” Alice mumbled.
“Did I order wrong?” Violet asked.
Alice remarked, “Cornmeal is a lunch for a sharecropper.”
“Then why does this fancy hotel have fried cornmeal on its lunch menu if it is so low-down common?” Violet replied, heatedly.
“Because we have a lot of sharecroppers in Congress. That’s not saying much for this country.”
“You could learn a lot from a sharecropper,” Violet snapped.
“I doubt it,” Alice replied.
Mona smiled. She was proud of the way Violet was learning to stand up for herself, and Alice Roosevelt Longworth was a formidable opponent. If Violet could take on Alice
, she could stand up to anyone.
“I suppose Mona is paying for our lunch, so why not order the most expensive item on the menu like real meat. Get the fish or the beef. Order a steak even,” Alice said.
“Am I paying for your lunch, Alice?” Mona teased. “Didn’t realize that.”
Violet said, “I like fried cornmeal, and that’s what I want.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Okay. Just trying to broaden your horizons.”
“Noted,” Violet said, coolly.
Mona ordered a pink champagne cocktail while observing a young, handsome man two tables away reading The Washington Herald, but obviously listening to their conversation. He was wearing a beautifully tailored black suit with a silver pocket watch chain hanging from his waistcoat. She decided not to cause a fuss, because people always tried to listen in when they recognized Alice Longworth. Mona thought nothing more about the gauche young man. After she married Robert, she was going to have to get used to living in a goldfish bowl.
“A bit early for you, isn’t it?” Alice said, sipping on another gin and tonic, which was her third cocktail of the day.
“I feel like celebrating. It’s not every day someone meets the First Lady of the United States.”
“May I order a cocktail, Miss Mona?” Violet asked.
“NO!” both Mona and Alice chorused together.
“Girls my age are getting married, let alone having a drink,” Violet insisted.
“You’re too young to drink or get married, Violet,” Mona said. “Wait until you’re twenty-one.”
“But you drank at eighteen, Mrs. Longworth.”
“Yeah, I did, Violet, and look how I turned out,” Alice laughed.
Both Mona and Violet joined in.
Alice said to Violet, “I know you think I’m a horrible old prune, but I’m telling you the truth when I tell you to cherish these years and don’t be in a hurry to grow up. Don’t rush donning a black velvet gown with pearls that a matron would wear. Be a girl as long as you can. And be very careful whom you marry, Violet. I thought I had married the man of my dreams only to come home from visiting my family to find some other woman’s bloomers dangling from the bedroom chandelier.”
“Oh, my,” Violet gasped, her face turning pink. She thought for a moment before asking, “What do you think of Lord Farley?”
“Violet!” exclaimed Mona. “Such a question.”
Alice stared at Mona. “I think with a little bit of luck, Mona and Robert should have a happy marriage. Oh, yes, Violet, luck plays into a good marriage.”
“At least, you didn’t say we were wrong for each other,” Mona said, buttering a roll. She sank her teeth into the yeasty bread. “Oh, goodness, this is heaven. I could fill up on these rolls alone.”
“What the devil is all that noise?” Alice asked, turning around in her seat toward the dining room entrance.
Shouting and whistle blowing came from the hotel lobby. Several Congressmen, who were lunching, stood and motioned for their wives to move behind them. Violence was not unheard of in Washington, D.C.
“Some sort of serious commotion that’s for sure,” Mona said, grabbing her purse where her trusty revolver was stashed.
“What’s happening?” Violet asked, twisting in her chair as well.
A man, with pomaded black hair and no hat, burst into the dining room followed by two men. “STOP OR I’LL SHOOT!” yelled one of the pursuing men.
The fleeing man stopped, looked about, and seeing two more men come through the kitchen door into the dining room, ran for a window with his arms covering his head.
The man with the gun, fired two shots as Mona, Alice, and Violet ducked under their table.
The shots missed and the running man jumped through a closed window spraying broken glass over the dining room guests as women screamed. Mona and Alice jumped up and ran to another window. They saw the black-haired man lying prostrate on the pavement outside the hotel. He was not moving.
“Looks like he’s been cut to ribbons from the glass,” Mona said. “We should get a doctor.”
Alice grabbed Mona’s arm. “Don’t get involved, Mona.” She pointed to the four men now outside inspecting the injured man. A car pulled up, and the four men lifted the injured man and put him inside the car. As the car drove off, the four men reentered the hotel.
“I’m going to give those men a piece of my mind,” Mona said, heatedly. “Shooting in a room full of innocents. Well, that kind of thing is simply not done.”
Alice cautioned, “Mona, listen to me. Those men were G-men.”
“You mean they were FBI?”
“Exactly. If for some reason, they want to interview you, only respond with a yes or no. Don’t volunteer information. You don’t want to come under Hoover’s scrutiny. He’s one of the most powerful men in Washington.”
“Who was the man they were chasing?”
“I don’t know. Listen, dear, lunch is over. Have your meal sent up to your room,” Alice said, watching other rattled guests leave.
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine, Mona. I’m Alice Roosevelt Longworth. No one bothers me.” Alice kissed Mona on the cheek. “If I don’t see you again before you leave, have a pleasant journey. Send me a wire every so often. I need to know what is happening with you.”
Alice tapped on their table under which Violet was still hiding. “Have a memorable sea voyage, Bucktooth Becky. Say hello to King George for me.” With that, Alice strode out of the dining room.
Mona peered under the table. “Violet, I think the drama is over. You can come out.”
Violet crawled out from under the table as the manager came over. “Miss, the dining room will be closed until further notice. We need to replace the window and clean. Hopefully, we will be open for dinner. I want to apologize for this unfortunate incident.”
“Is the kitchen closed?” Violet asked.
“No, miss. Shall I send your meals to your rooms?”
“That would be wonderful,” Mona replied. “We are Miss Moon and Miss Violet in Suite 204.”
“I’m afraid there has been a mishap on the second floor. You have been moved to a larger suite on the fourth floor.”
Irritated, Mona said, “This is most unusual. I don’t like strangers going through my things.”
“I completely understand, but I’m afraid it cannot be helped. The entire second floor has been cordoned off until further notice. We have assigned a butler and a maid to help you with the transition. They have been with the Willard for many years and are trustworthy.”
“Who was the man that jumped out of the window?” Mona asked.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the incident. I’m very sorry.”
Mona sighed. “I see. Very well then. May we have our keys to the suite?”
“You will find Mr. Hammond waiting for you in your suite. He will serve your lunch, and he also has your keys. It is Suite 432.”
“Who else has keys to our suite?”
“Both Mr. Hammond and the maid have pass keys. And our office keeps another key in case of an emergency.” He motioned to a bell boy. “Jason will escort you to your new suite.”
“No thank you. We can find it on our own. Come Violet.”
Giving a fleeting embarrassed smile at the manager, Violet hurried to join Mona, who was quickly leaving the dining room. “What is going on, Miss Mona? Are we going to take the suite?”
“I don’t know, but I think I’ll put in a call to Robert.” She looked at her watch. “He should know about this incident. I’ll call this afternoon. Violet, I think we should move to a new hotel tomorrow.”
“I can pack our steamer trunks tonight.”
Mona and Violet found their new suite quickly, and just as the manager had promised, lunch was waiting for them on a lace-covered table with white porcelain china encircled by a gold rim with sterling silver serving ware.
Lunch was delicious!
3
Mona was finishin
g dressing for a party at the British Embassy that evening. She was sure Robert had something to do with the invite. Since he was not able to escort her, Mona was hesitant to attend, but Robert assured her that she would be assisted by an old university friend of his, Colonel Maynard Pickard.
Violet helped Mona slip into her silver metallic backless dress. The front of the dress rose to Mona’s neckline in a triangle from the waist only to have it fastened around her neck. Halfway down the back, a silver mesh band reached from side to side keeping the dress in place. The skirt was form fitting and accentuated Mona’s hips, flaring out above the knees to accommodate dancing. After checking the dress for flaws, Violet buckled the ankle straps on Mona’s open-toed platinum dress shoes. “There,” Violet said, standing back and admiring. “Pretty as a picture.”
“I really don’t want to go and leave you here alone. Especially after what happened today,” Mona said.
Violet replied, “I’ll be fine. Lord Farley must have a reason if he wants you to go to this fancy bash.”
“Yes, but I have no idea what it is,” Mona said, putting on red lipstick. She turned to Violet. “Is my face right?”
“Looks good, but put a little more powder on your nose. It’s shiny.”
Looking in a mirror, Mona powdered her nose. “Thank you.”
A loud knock sounded on the door of the suite.
“That must be your car.”
“I don’t think so, Violet. The front desk said they would call the suite. Ask who it is before opening the door.”
Violet went to the foyer of the suite, which was laid out more as a two bedroom apartment. “Who is it, please?”
“We want to speak with Miss Moon.”
Violet looked at Mona, who was standing in the doorway of her bedroom.
“Who is we?”
“Wait a minute, Violet.” Mona went to get her gun from her purse and motioned Violet to stand away from the door. “Violet, go into your room and lock the door.”
“I will not!”
“Then call the front desk and have them send up the house detective.”
They both heard the door unlock from the hallway and as the door swung open two men wearing brown Fedoras stepped inside. Upon seeing Mona holding a gun on them, one of them with a scar on his right hand said, “Hold it, sister. We’re the good guys. Let me get my badge out.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his credentials. The other man with gray hair, grabbed the phone from Violet and said into the mouthpiece, “Sorry, Mac, there’s been a mistake,” before hanging the phone up.
