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Eva Trenthams’s Mansion
New York City
Kate Royston
The bedroom window was open to admit the warm breeze of mid-summer. Sunlight filtered through the fluttering curtains and cast a shifting shadow across Kate’s trousseau laid out on the bed for Eva’s inspection. Six weeks had passed since Joe Bayliss had escorted Kate back to Eva’s house in New York and helped her to send a message to Danny McSorley at Cape Race.
In the weeks that followed Kate and Danny had exchanged long and increasingly romantic letters leading eventually to the conclusion that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Kate was still not sure which of them had first decided that they should marry because their letters, each with a stammering, hesitant suggestion of marriage, had crossed in the post. None of that mattered now because the final result was that by this time tomorrow Kate would be Mrs. McSorley.
Danny would soon be arriving on a packet steamer from St. John’s and tomorrow there would be a wedding. Eva’s servants had decorated the reception rooms with summer blossoms and white ribbons, and the parlor maids were twittering in anticipation as they plied their feather dusters. Eva’s cook was at work in the kitchen making cakes and pastries for the guests and Eva’s butler was making sure that the silver serving pieces were polished to a mirror shine. Senator and Mrs. Smith would be the guests of honor along with prominent members of New York society. Joe Bayliss had sent his apologies in a brief note mailed from Sault Ste. Marie.
Everything was ready for the big day including the trousseau Eva had insisted on ordering. Kate and Danny would not be taking a honeymoon and would go straight to Cape Race but Eva insisted that the bride should have a trousseau. Now, Kate watched in amusement as Eva stomped around the room inspecting her purchases and leaning heavily on a cane. Bridie followed behind ready to catch the old lady if she stumbled. Eva’s face was a mask of disapproval as she studied each garment. She frowned at the heavy wool jackets, sturdy shoes and small practical hats. She gestured toward a garment that seemed to meet with her most extreme disapproval.
“What is that?”
Kate picked up the offending item and held it out to display its merits. “It’s called a divided skirt.”
“And why, in the name of all that’s holy, would you want a divided skirt?”
Kate held the skirt at her waist and demonstrated its benefits. “In most circumstances it would look like a walking skirt,” Kate said, “but it’s divided in the center like a man’s trouser. If the wind blows, as I understand will be the case, it will not blow up. Should I wish to climb a rock, or ride a bicycle...”
“Ride a bicycle!” Eva exclaimed. “Climb a rock! Why ever would you want to do such a thing? When I think of all the opportunities you could have in European society I could just ...”
Bridie caught Eva’s arm as Eva made wild gestures with her cane. ”Shush now,” she said. “Miss Kate has made her choice and she’ll not be changing her mind just because you don’t like her clothes. As for me, I must say the divided skirt seems a sensible thing.”
“And better than bloomers,” Kate added.
She smiled as she watched Eva’s expression soften. “Bloomers,” Eva declared, “are the designed to make women look ridiculous.” She studied the divided skirt again. “I suppose it is a sensible solution” she admitted, “for the life you are going to lead.”
She moved to the other side of the bed where Kate had laid out her new lingerie designed by Lucy Duff-Gordon at Eva’s insistence. Kate allowed her hand to trail across the soft silks and fine lace. She looked at Eva. “Well,” she asked, “what do you think of these?”
“Nothing there will keep you warm on a cold night,” Bridie said. “I’m hoping you’ve some woolies tucked away somewhere in your trunk.”
“She won’t need woolies,” Eva declared. “She’ll have her man to keep her warm.”
Kate felt a flush rising in her cheeks at the thought of being kept warm by Danny McSorley. She had never kissed him, never even felt his hand at her waist and now Eva was talking about him keeping her warm in bed.
Eva leaned down atand picked up a wispy silk garment trimmed with fine Brussels lace. “This,” Eva declared, holding it out to admire its brevity, “will ensure she’s warm at night.”
The words were out of Kate’s mouth before she could stop herself. “I don’t see how.... how...” She stuttered into silence as Eva and Bridie stared at her.
“What don’t you see?” Eva asked.
Kate hung her head, suddenly fearful of what she might hear. “I don’t understand about...”
“About what?” Eva asked, and her voice was not unkind.
“The lingerie,” Kate mumbled, “the keeping warm.... the ... er ... the wedding night.”
“Oh glory be! Bridie exclaimed, “The girl doesn’t know. She really doesn’t know.”
Eva turned away from Kate and addressed herself to Bridie. “That’s how it is with well brought up young ladies,” she said. “I know it’s absurd but society insists that young ladies such as Kate are kept in ignorance so they can be presented as terrified virgins on their wedding night. I suppose that Kate’s mother intended to explain the most basic facts on the night before the wedding, but of course Kate’s mother is no longer with us to fulfill that duty.” She turned back to Kate. “Perhaps it’s for the best. Your mother would no doubt have told you that you were going to experience something dreadful that men do to women, and she would have encouraged you to just close your eyes and it would soon be over.”
Kate felt a rush of fear. “What do you mean? What’s going to happen to me?”
“Well, saints preserve us,” Bride declared, “have you never seen two dogs goings about their business, horses, even frogs? Do you know nothing of baby making? Have you never wondered?”
Eva sat down on the bed and pushed aside the wispy petticoats, drawers and nightgowns. She waved a dismissive hand at Bridie. “Leave us alone, woman!, I’m going to tell this girl what she needs to know.”
Bridie frowned in disapproval. “Do you think you should do that? I’m sure that neither one of us knows what a fine young lady would expect to hear from her mother.”
“I should hope not,” Eva said. “I’m sure that any number of marriages have been ruined by mothers telling their daughters what to expect and filling them with fear. As for me, I had brothers and sisters to tell me what was what and no one to curl their lip and say that I wouldn’t enjoy it. So be off with you Bridie and leave Kate to me.”
“Don’t tell her too much all at once,” Bridie warned. “If the girl knows nothing, it’s all going to be a shock.”
“Better than a nasty surprise,” Eva said. She turned to Kate with a smile lighting up her face. “Sit down, Kate, and let me tell you what’s going to happen. It’s not right that a girl like you should be kept in ignorance. I should have realized when you first told me you were going to jump ship in Gibraltar that you had no real idea of what goes on between a man and a woman. I’m sure Danny will be kind, but it will be better if you know what to expect and if you are not afraid. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
A half hour later Eva stomped out of the bedroom leaving Kate alone with her tangled thoughts. She stared down at the pile of silken undergarments, minuscule shifts, ribbon accented drawers, fine silk stockings, and a new garment that Lucy Duff Gordon called a brassiere. She touched them tentatively. According to Eva these garments were intended for only one person. They were not for wearing, they were for removing and she would not be the person doing the removing. Her cheeks grew warm at the very idea of Danny seeing her this way. Her hand trembled as she allowed the garments to slither though her fingers. She wondered if Danny would know what to do once they were alone and she presented herself to him dressed only in these scandalous wisps of silk. Joe Bayliss would know what to do she thought irrationally. She dismissed the thought immediately. Even if Joe would know what to do, she didn’t think she would want him to do it. She wasn’t sure that she wanted anyone to do it.
Her mood veered from fear to anger at her mother for keeping her in ignorance and anger at herself for never wondering. How could she have been so stupid? She thought of all the babies she’d seen in her lifetime. Why had she never wondered exactly how they were made? Her mother had told her that babies came after marriage and that was all she needed to know. Her father had told her nothing. She finally understood Eva’s scorn at hearing that Kate planned to leave the Carpathia at Gibraltar and make her way alone across Europe. She must have sounded like an ignorant fool. For all her education she did not have the knowledge available to any scullery maid or farm worker. She thought of all the married men she had met. The Revered Mr. Dayton, Cecil Huygen the banker, Josiah Cartwright from the mill, Senator Smith, Sir Bruce Ismay. Did they all behave this way?
She tried to reassure herself with Eva’s promise that the wedding night would be fun but in her current state of panic she could not see how that would be possible. Eva’s eyes had been alight with resurrected memories and a flush had come to her pale withered cheeks. “Fun,” she said, “great fun. Just wait and see. There’ll be a little pain at first but it will be worth it and he’s a fine strapping young man and no doubt well-endowed which is something you’ll learn to appreciate. Don’t look so afraid. With the right man at the right time there’s nothing better.”
Kate’s fevered thoughts were interrupted by a flurry of sound from downstairs followed by a volley of loud enthusiastic barking. Wolfie? Danny was here already and he’d brought Wolfie with him. She tiptoed to the top of the stairs and looked down into the entrance hall. She stood for a moment studying her bridegroom. She had forgotten how very handsome he was with his curling blond hair and broad shoulders. He had a flower in his buttonhole and a small bouquet of violets in his hand. His eyes were on the butler who was indicating that Danny should go ahead into the parlor but that Wolfie should... Before the butler could come to a firm conclusion as to where Wolfie belonged, Wolfie raised his head and looked directly at Kate.
Danny followed the dog’s gaze and saw Kate at the top of the stairs. She stared into his eyes. She had forgotten how blue and how bright they were. Danny leaned down to Wolfie and unclipped his leash. He offered Wolfie the bouquet of violets and Wolfie took them carefully from his open palm. Kate grinned thinking of Danny spending hours teaching Wolfie a new trick. Wolfie, with the bouquet in his mouth, bounded up the stairs and met her as she descended. She took the bouquet from him, ignoring the fact that the decorative doily wrapped around the stems was damp with dog slobber. Keeping her eyes fixed on Danny, she descended the last few steps. She wished that Eva had not explained what was going to happen after the wedding. She wished that she was not so terrified.
She reached the bottom step and hesitated. Danny smiled at her the way he had smiled the first time she met him on the Carpathia. He took a step forward and held out his arms. As she had done so many times before, Kate threw caution to the winds and flung herself forward. Danny caught her and gathered her into his arms. She lifted her head for his kiss. She dropped the bouquet of violets and wound her arms around his neck. As she responded to the warmth of his lips, her fear vanished. She could hardly wait for what would happen next.
She was only dimly aware of Wolfie’s contented growl as he settled down to eat the bouquet.