City of Schemes

by Victoria Thompson

  “But when I realized Noelle had come to love me the way I loved her, I had to tell her the truth about my situation.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She was very sad, of course. We both wept, but she understood. She’d been in love with a young man when the war started, but he’d died at Ypres. She thought if he were still alive, she would feel honor bound to marry him as well.”

  “Honor bound?” Gideon echoed. “Is that a good basis for a marriage, do you think?”

  Logan gave him a look of despair. “I have no idea, but it’s the only way I know to live my life.”

  Gideon could have explained what he had learned from Elizabeth and how his opinion of justice—the principle by which he had always lived his life—had changed in the past year, but Logan was much too distraught and drunk at the moment to comprehend. “I’m sorry,” was all he could manage.

  “Do you want to know the irony of it?” Logan asked with a ghastly smile. “The irony is that I was the one who had to approve the marriages for the men in my company.”

  “What marriages?”

  “The marriages to French women. I’m not the only man who fell in love over there, you see. Thousands of other men did, too. Oh, they had all kinds of rules against fraternization, but when did that ever stop young men from seeking out the company of young women? Pershing very quickly realized that if he didn’t allow our men to marry French women, they’d be leaving a lot of fatherless children behind when the war was over.”

  “And why did you have to approve these marriages? I don’t understand.”

  Logan shook his head as if to clear it. “Like I said, not all the French women were respectable young ladies, so the company commanders had to personally approve any marriages to make sure our men weren’t being taken advantage of by some adventuress. It was a thankless job, I can tell you. Luckily, I only had to refuse permission to a few of the men.”

  “And you had to refuse yourself permission, too,” Gideon realized.

  Logan nodded sadly. “The army is sending all the brides over here on transport ships. Those lucky girls get to leave the ruins of Europe to make a new life here, but Noelle . . .” His voice broke and Gideon pulled out a handkerchief and passed it to him.

  Poor Logan. Gideon remembered only too well how devastated he’d felt when he thought he’d lost Elizabeth. He wanted to offer Logan some advice or at least some comfort, but mere words couldn’t soothe this pain. “I think I should get you home,” Gideon said. “I’ll see if I can get us a cab.”

  * * *

  —

  How sad,” Elizabeth said when Gideon told her of his conversation with Logan Carstens a few days later. It was Monday evening, the night Elizabeth’s aunt Cybil and her companion, Zelda, held their weekly salon for their artist and writer friends, their students and their fellow faculty members from Hunter College. Elizabeth had to attend because she still lived with Cybil and Zelda, at least until she married Gideon. Gideon attended the salons to spend time with Elizabeth.

  Elizabeth and Gideon had little interest in the literary discussions occurring in the parlor, so they had stolen away to the privacy of the butler’s pantry, as they often did during these events. It was the first opportunity they’d had for a serious conversation in days.

  “I felt like I should offer Logan some advice, but I realized I had no advice to give on this subject. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know, either,” she said. They were snuggled together on the window seat, ignoring the cold air seeping through the glass. “He must have been in love with this Rosemary when he proposed to her, so he’ll probably be able to love her again.”

  Gideon just made a noncommittal noise.

  “What?” Elizabeth said, instantly recognizing his characteristic reluctance to say anything bad about anyone.

  “I really can’t speak for Logan, but . . .”

  “Oh please! Just tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He had to clear his throat because he really didn’t like gossip. “Let’s just say I was a little surprised when he chose Rosemary.”

  Oh my, this was growing more interesting by the moment. “Why?”

  He gave this a few moments’ thought. “You have to understand. I’ve known both of them forever. Our families attend the same church, and we went to the same schools and the same parties and the same everything. Logan and I are the same age, so we were even in the same class. I’d never seen Logan show Rosemary any particular attention, but when he was drafted—”

  “How did he get drafted if you’re the same age?” Gideon had missed the first rounds of the draft because he was too old.

  “He’s a few months younger than I am, so he made the cutoff. And Rosemary is a few years younger, but she was always there, like the children of all my family’s friends.”

  Which meant Rosemary must be approaching her mid-twenties and might even be past them, so why hadn’t she married before now? A very interesting question that she would ask someone else later because Gideon probably wouldn’t want to gossip about her. “All right, so he got drafted and what? Did he suddenly realize he was madly in love with Rosemary?”

  “I guess that’s what I thought and what most people thought. As I said, I can’t speak for Logan.”

  “A lot of people got engaged and even married when the war started,” Elizabeth reminded him. “Not everyone is as sensible as you are.”

  He gave her a look. “I told you—”

  “I know, you didn’t want to leave me a widow and possibly with a child to raise alone,” she said, using a singsong voice to remind him of how many times he’d given her his reasons and what she thought of them. “And you were right to wait. How many times do I have to agree with you?”

  Gideon sighed. “I didn’t realize you’d ever agreed with me.”

  She didn’t bother to argue. “So getting back to Logan and Rosemary, you said you were surprised when they became engaged.”

  “A lot of people were surprised. And now Logan apparently regrets it, but he feels honor bound to marry her anyway. Besides, he’s already left this Noelle behind in France.”

  “He could go back for her.”

  “Yes, he could, but did I mention that he feels honor bound to marry Rosemary?”

  “Is that really so important?” Until she’d met Gideon, she’d never known anyone to whom honor meant anything at all.

  “In some cases it is, and don’t even think about trying to help Logan with his problem.”

  Elizabeth widened her eyes at him in perfect innocence. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “This isn’t something you can solve with a con.”

  He was probably wrong about that. Elizabeth had recently discovered several unusual problems that had been solved very nicely with a con, but she had vowed to give up her former profession, and she had every intention of doing so. “I don’t even know Logan, so why would I want to help him?”

  “Because you’re going to meet him soon, and he’s a very nice man, so you might be tempted. We’re invited to a dinner party at Rosemary’s house.”

  “How delightful. I can meet them and—”

  “And nothing. You can meet them and that’s all.”

  “But darling, if we can help your friend—”

  “If he needs help, I’m sure he’ll ask for it. Until then, we’re going to mind our own business.”

  “That will be a first,” Elizabeth’s brother said from the doorway.

  “You should be glad I minded your business a time or two,” Elizabeth replied tartly.

  “She’s got you there, Jake,” Anna Vanderslice said, having come up behind him in the doorway. “And what are the two of you doing hiding away here? According to Mrs. Ordway, engaged couples should not spend too much time together, and the young woman should not permit her fia
ncé to take her away in a corner from other guests for a long time.”

  Elizabeth gave her dearest friend a mock glare. “This isn’t a corner.”

  “And I am convinced that Mrs. Ordway was never engaged, or she would not have made such ridiculous rules about it,” Gideon added.

  “Who is Mrs. Ordway?” Jake asked, thoroughly confused.

  “She wrote an etiquette book that Elizabeth has been using to rule her life lately,” Anna explained with a sly grin.

  “I have not!” Elizabeth said.

  “I’m afraid you have, darling,” Gideon said gently. “But why do you know so much about it, Anna?”

  “I’ve been reading it, too, so I’ll know how to act at your wedding.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Is it etiquette to leave your brother and your best friend at a party with nobody to talk to? I don’t think there’s another person out there younger than sixty.”

  “Cybil will clock you with a poker if she finds out you said she is older than sixty,” Elizabeth said. “But we’re sorry if you feel neglected. Gideon has been telling me about his soldier friend who is engaged to a girl here but in love with a girl he left behind in France.”

  “Oh, who is it?” Anna asked with obvious delight, pushing past Jake to come all the way into the butler’s pantry. It was getting crowded.

  Elizabeth hadn’t thought about Anna knowing all the same people Gideon knew. Even though she was much younger, she, too, had grown up in that social circle, and her brother, David, had been Gideon’s best friend. Knowing how he hated gossip, Elizabeth cast Gideon an apologetic look and didn’t reply. She really did need to start minding her own business.

  But Gideon said, however reluctantly, “It’s Logan Carstens.”

  “Logan? Oh dear. Did he really fall in love with a French girl?” Anna asked Gideon in wonder.

  “So it seems.”

  “Rosemary won’t be happy about that,” Anna said meaningfully, although Elizabeth had no idea what the meaning was.

  “Which is why you won’t tell her,” Gideon warned, obviously understanding the meaning very well.

  “So you’re just going to leave poor Logan to his fate?” Anna asked him.

  “His fate?” Jake echoed with interest. “What does that mean?”

  Anna turned to him. “That means Rosemary is a bit of a drip.”

  “Many people are,” Gideon said tartly. “That doesn’t mean they deserve to suffer.”

  “It sounds like Logan is the one who will suffer,” Jake said, “but if what I’ve heard about those French girls is true—”

  “It’s not,” Gideon said quickly.

  “And if it were, you still wouldn’t have wanted to join the army, Jake,” Elizabeth said. “Admit it.”

  Jake shrugged, not about to admit anything of the kind. “So if Rosemary is a drip, why is Logan going to marry her at all, even if he didn’t meet a French girl?”

  “That is something you will have to ask Logan,” Gideon said. “Jake is right, we should rejoin the party.” He rose and helped Elizabeth to her feet.

  “Gideon, you and Jake go ahead,” Anna said. “I need to talk to Elizabeth for a minute.”

  “Wedding stuff,” Jake said knowingly and led Gideon out of the room.

  When they were gone, Anna’s expression grew solemn. “How is Gideon doing? I mean, how is he really doing?”

  Elizabeth sighed. “I’m not sure. He’s happy that we’re getting married, I know, but every time I try to talk to him about the wedding, he remembers that he needs to ask someone to be his best man and then . . .”

  David Vanderslice would have filled that role, had he lived, and now Gideon was not only grieving the loss of his best friend but also being reminded of it every time he thought about his own wedding.

  “I know how he feels,” Anna said. “At least once a day I think of something I need to tell David or ask him, or I look up and expect to see him. He was my brother, so naturally he could be very annoying, but I miss him terribly.”

  Elizabeth gave her friend a comforting hug and offered her handkerchief when Anna needed to wipe her eyes. “I just wish the wedding didn’t keep reminding Gideon that David isn’t here to be his best man.”

  “Maybe he could ask Logan,” Anna said, having regained her composure. “He was always part of their group when they were in school. I know Gideon wasn’t as close with Logan as he was with David, but . . .”

  “That’s an idea, but I’ll see how the two of them get along before I suggest it. We’re invited to a dinner party at Rosemary’s house on Friday.”

  “Oh dear. I’m sorry I said she was a drip. You should be allowed to form your own opinion.”

  “Gideon had already hinted that she’s not his favorite person.”

  “So tell me about Logan and his French girl. One hears so many stories.”

  “This isn’t that kind of story, Anna,” Elizabeth warned, and she told her all she knew.

  * * *

  —

  Rosemary Westerly’s family lived in a new brownstone in the Upper West Side of the city. The address was far more fashionable than Gideon’s family home. A lot of the older families, the ones who still had the means, had moved north as the city expanded, so obviously the Westerly family was doing well.

  Elizabeth noted that the home—or at least the rooms that visitors would see—had been furnished with new pieces and not with the furniture they’d inherited from past generations that they might have brought with them from their old home. The parlor was lovely, but Elizabeth realized she preferred the warmth of furniture that had served generations of a family.

  Rosemary Westerly was handsome rather than beautiful. Her pale blond hair had been artfully styled in a way that overpowered her face rather than enhanced it. She’d probably pinched her cheeks before coming downstairs, but the color had long since faded, leaving her a bit washed out. Her blue eyes were full of life however, and missed little, if Elizabeth was any judge. She offered Gideon her hands and lifted her cheek for a perfunctory peck of greeting before turning to Elizabeth.

  Gideon introduced them, and Elizabeth didn’t miss the way Rosemary openly studied every detail of Elizabeth’s appearance, from the ornament pinned into her auburn hair to the tips of her satin pumps. Elizabeth returned the favor. Rosemary’s gown was every bit as fashionable as Elizabeth’s and almost as flattering. She’d chosen robin’s-egg blue, probably to match her eyes and because blondes were supposed to look good in that color, but it was a bit much for one so pale.

  “I’m so happy to meet you at last, Miss Miles,” Rosemary said, and she seemed to mean it.

  Elizabeth returned the sentiment with equal enthusiasm. She was an accomplished liar, after all, and she had every reason to want Rosemary’s good opinion. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting more of Gideon’s old friends.”

  Gideon distracted her by introducing her to Logan, who had chosen to wear evening dress tonight instead of his uniform. She’d noticed that many of the returning soldiers continued to wear theirs, even after being discharged. Or maybe some of them simply didn’t have any other clothes. Whatever the reason, Logan looked as if he had been born to wear formal attire. He, too, was blond, although he wasn’t at all pale. His skin was weathered from his military service, and his brown eyes looked far older than the rest of him. Elizabeth felt a pang of pity for him and what he had endured.

  “She’s a beauty, Gideon,” Logan declared cheerfully, earning a disgruntled frown from his fiancée that he didn’t notice. “Wherever did you find her?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” Gideon said, giving Elizabeth a knowing look. “Are your parents at home, Rosemary? I’d like to introduce them to Elizabeth.”

  “They went out for the evening so we ‘young folks’ could have the house to ourselves,” she reported with a smile.
“Logan, why don’t you get us some drinks? Is sherry all right, Miss Miles?”

  “Yes, and please, call me Elizabeth.”

  “Come over here with me,” Rosemary said, linking arms with her. “We’ll leave the men to themselves while we get to know each other.”

  She led Elizabeth to a grouping of chairs by the front window and at the opposite end of the room from the cabinet with the drinks. When they were seated, Rosemary said, “Where on earth did Gideon find you? You’re not from New York, I know.”

  “How could you know that?” Elizabeth asked, genuinely curious, since she had been born and raised in the city.

  “Because I’ve never met you before. I know everyone, you see.”

  Elizabeth did see. Rosemary meant she knew everyone who was important. She was hardly likely to have met the daughter of a con man.

  Logan arrived with their sherry, and when he had delivered a glass to each of them, he rejoined Gideon at the far end of the room.

  Elizabeth gave Rosemary her most winning smile and waited until she’d taken a sip of her sherry. “I met Gideon when I was in prison.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Rosemary’s response was a bit more than Elizabeth had expected. To his credit, Logan ran over to see if he could be of assistance when Rosemary started choking on her sherry, but she waved him away. She was made of sterner stuff than that.

  “I’m terribly sorry,” Elizabeth said with so much sincerity that she almost believed it herself. “I hope you’re all right.”

  Rosemary gave one more cough before waving away Elizabeth’s concern, too. “I’m fine, really. I just . . . I should have remembered. I heard about it, of course. Everyone knew Mrs. Bates had been arrested in Washington City. It was all anyone could talk about for weeks. Whatever were you doing there, though?”

  Rosemary would have done far more than choke if Elizabeth had answered that question honestly. Instead, she said, “I was arrested along with all the other demonstrators, of course.” If only Gideon had heard her. She hadn’t really told the truth, but she also hadn’t lied, either. He would be proud.