"I had better go back," Angie whispered. "Before someone notices."
Peggy lifted her head from the pillow with a sad look. "Please don't," she replied.
Angie sat up properly and looked around for her dress, which she noticed now lay creased on the floor. "Well I at least have to get that ironed before tomorrow," she smirked.
Peggy looked round to see what she was talking about and laughed. "Will they really give you that much of a hard time?"
"No, but good old Fry will know something's up," Angie responded, hastily putting the dress back on. "The woman's a hawk, Peggy! You should have seen the other girls, she sees it all! The cologne on the skin, the blood in the cheeks‒"
"But she can't prove anything, Angie," Peggy smiled. "We're not harbouring a man after all."
Angie roared with laughter, before Peggy quickly pressed a finger to her lips. Angie quickly brushed it away to meet her with a hasty kiss.
"I have to go," she told her, kissing her again as she buttoned her dress at the front. Peggy stepped away and quickly slipped her dressing gown on.
"She shouldn't be back for a bit," Angie whispered as she slipped quietly over to the door. "If I go now, I should be fine."
She quietly turned the knob and opened the door, just in time to be met with Ms Miriam Fry herself.
"Miss Martinelli?" Ms Fry asked, looking quite surprised.
Not noticing what had happened, Peggy stepped out from behind Angie in her dressing gown.
"Miss Carter?"
The three women fell silent.
Angie and Peggy stared bewildered at their landlady whose eyes quickly darted between the two girls, taking note of the colour now rising in their cheeks.
"Ms Fry, a pleasure as always," Angie began, her tone rich with false optimism. Peggy awkwardly wrapped her dressing gown tighter round herself while Angie remained oblivious to her open collar exposing her reddened neck, where Peggy had been rather too affectionate.
"I was just headin' to bed," Angie continued, unable to ease the situation, and slipped between the other two to head to her door. Peggy hastily nodded a "good-night" and shut her door, leaving Miriam Fry standing in the hall utterly dumbfounded.
...
"Ladies, if I may have your attention!"
The landlady's voice filled the dining room next morning at breakfast. Peggy and Angie were sitting together, their fingers intertwined beneath the tabletop. At the sound of Ms Fry's voice, they shared a brief glance. The rest of the room quickly fell silent.
"We are all aware of the dangers facing young ladies in this crude and modern world."
The girls all sighed to themselves and stared down at their plates, already half expecting what they were to be lectured on. Peggy and Angie released their fingers and quickly place their hands in their laps.
"We have measures in store to prevent many kinds of illicit behaviour however, it seems some behaviours have their ways of slipping through the cracks, but that does not mean they shall go on unnoticed! At least not anymore."
The girls all looked from one another in puzzlement.
"Deviance, my dear ladies," she continued, barely managing to utter the word, "of any kind is not and will not be permitted."
The girls began to whisper to each other; what did she mean by deviance? But more importantly, of whom was she speaking? Angie and Peggy exchanged a brief glance.
"Miss Martinelli, Miss Carter," Fry concluded, breathless. "I must ask that you pack your things."
All the heads in the room turned to Peggy and Angie, all of them confused and bewildered. Without a second thought, Peggy interjected. "With all due respect Ms Fry, I really haven't the faintest idea what this is all about."
"I'm with you on that one, English!" Angie cut in, trying to stifle her horror and amusement. "I got no clue what you got on us!"
Ms Fry opened her mouth to elaborate, but found she could not begin to comprehend what she had deduced the previous night. "If I might have a word," she gestured to the lobby. The two girls rose reluctantly from their seats.
Without wasting another second when they entered the hall, Fry rounded on the pair of them.
"I do not have the courage to remotely comprehend what sort of behaviour may have occurred, but do not think for one minute! that I will permit it under this roof!"
"Ms Fry, please," Peggy responded. "You must tell us what is going on, I don't understand where any of this is coming from."
"Don't play coy with me Miss Carter!" She snapped.
Suddenly, Angie's face fell into a half smile in mock realisation as she blurted, "Oh Ms Fry! This isn't 'bout last night is it? You don't think Peggy and I were‒ were‒"
"Oh!" Peggy joined, pretending to have only just caught on. "Oh, Ms Fry I don't know what made you think‒"
"Don't take me for a fool, I know what I saw!" She was quickly growing very flushed in the face, clearly very embarrassed at being forced to contemplate such a subject. "And do not think for a minute I will permit such‒ such‒ behaviour! in my establishment!"
"Ms Fry," Peggy continued, trying to keep her voice calm, "I don't know what kind of conclusion you have made, but please understand Angie is like a sister to me."
Angie nodded, rather too enthusiastically, in agreement. But Ms Fry clearly wasn't convinced.
"I don't know what you consider sisterly behaviour, Miss Carter," she rebutted. "But I will have no behaviour of that kind at the Griff."
Her eyes darted sharply to Angie. "While I wouldn't have expected less from a chorus girl, Miss Martinelli. You theatre types are always up to all sorts of trouble‒"
She rounded back on Peggy. "But you, Miss Carter, I am deeply disappointed in."
Peggy stared unblinking back at her landlady, while Angie hung her head at her former remark.
"Very well," Peggy replied, calmly. "As it seems we are no longer welcome here, we will leave."
Angie looked up in horror, but Peggy already had an idea.
...
No more than one hour later, they were on the curb sitting on their hastily packed belongings. Peggy occasionally glancing to the corner for Jarvis' car, while Angie stared awkwardly at the ground. Then, they caught each other's eye and started to laugh.
"Did you see her!" Angie gasped, unable to breath. "I think muttering 'deviance' just the once is enough to do her in!"
"Oh Angie," Peggy stammered. "I'm so sorry! You were right. We should have been more careful."
Angie shrugged. "It was bound to happen, English. Besides, from what you've told me 'bout this Stark friend of yours, our situation doesn't sound half bad."
Peggy shook her head in disbelief, a broad smile spread across her face.
"I tell you what, English," Angie said, shuffling closer. "To make up for this... incident, when we get to our new, humble, lodgings‒"
Peggy laughed hard at this. Angie smiled slyly. "You can help me Christen the place."
"You are unbelievable," Peggy grinned, shaking her head.
Angie raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't expect much less from a chorus girl."
They both roared with laughter, their foreheads together, tears of ecstasy falling from their eyes. In the quiet of the street, Peggy quickly stole a glance to ensure their privacy and placed a much anticipated kiss on Angie's lips. Angie closed her eyes as her breath quickly rose. Peggy kissed her again. They embraced quietly in their brief moment of solitude, when the sound of a car approaching made them stop. Peggy looked over her shoulder to see Jarvis' behind the wheel of Howard's car and sighed with relief. She looked back at Angie, who was suddenly struck with worry.
"It will be alright, Angie," Peggy promised. "Trust me."
Angie nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Peggy," she said. "For everything."
Based on this tumblr GIF set: post/123046621895/laura2theletter-youngbloodbuzz-miriam-fry