Something that Eleanor would never understand was how these ladies could never tire of sitting around for hours, having meaningless conversations about the latest gossip or the latest trends that were taking New York City's high society by storm. While they were her dearest friends in the world, all well-bred girls of the upper class that she'd known her whole life, she always seemed to find the vapidity that filled their worlds fascinating. Sure, she was just as fashionable, but she also found it all so boring. At the sound of her name, Ellie, being called from the mouths of one of the young socialites she took her tea with, she was torn from her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, Maggie. What were you saying?" Margaret Carnegie, the niece of the steel tycoon, was her best friend. They had been friends since they were girls, and while they were very different people, they were still very close. Eleanor sipped her tea as her friend looked at her suspiciously. Ellie shrugged inconspicuously as her friend repeated her question.
"Are you going to the Vanderbilt's dinner party, I asked. Listen up! Just because your father is the mayor doesn't mean you are the queen, missy!" Maggie teased her jokingly, and the other two girls at the table, Mary Vanderbilt and Josephine Rockefeller, giggled teasingly. They were each related to some of the richest men in the United States, let alone New York City. Mary's father was the son of William Vanderbilt, the famously rich business man. Josephine was the great niece of the Standard Oil Company owner, John D. Rockefeller. While the young heiresses weren't really royalty, they certainly felt like it most of the time. They had no responsibilities besides enjoying themselves using their parent's money.
That was what was expected of them. Well, that, and to marry well and marry rich. Ellie was seventeen, bordering eighteen in a few months. Her coming out party had been a few months after her sixteenth birthday party, and she had been doing her best to fight off suitors right and left. Most of them wanted the power and status that came with being the mayor's daughter, not to mention the money that Ellie would inherit once she decided to get married.
She smiled at Maggie's joke and took another sip of her tea. She drank her tea with no milk and one sugar cube, something Maggie's staff remembered well. Maggie's kitchen maid made, more than likely, the best tea in New York City. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it. It's this upcoming Saturday, isn't it?" She took a cucumber sandwich that was in the plate on the center of the table and took a bite. "Besides, you know I love dancing." Her three friends nodded and giggled in response, knowing that Ellie was a great dancer, but turned down any young man that tried to dance with her.
The Vanderbilt's threw some of the most elaborate balls in the city. Being invited to one of these events was considered next to impossible and marked the social status of the invitees. While it wasn't exactly "middle class" to not be invited, it certainly wasn't insignificant. Only the richest of New York's richest were there, and if you weren't dressed to reflect that, there would be gossip. Seeing your name in the paper wasn't something to be happy about, unless it was to announce your engagement.
"Miss Van Wyck. There is a telegram from your mother." Maggie's butler handed Ellie the telegram. It was her mother requesting she come home soon, as her dress had arrived for the Vanderbilt's ball, and she wanted to make sure it fit. Ellie looked up from the telegram and smiled at her friends. While she was sad to cut their luncheon short, she was a little glad for the excuse to escape.
"Well, ladies, my dress is here. I must go. Mother wants to make sure it fits." Ellie said goodbye to each of her friends.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow for bridge, don't forget." Maggie said imploringly.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Ellie grabbed her hand and exited the drawing room. The butler saw her out, and she walked down the steps to the street. Her parents lived, what felt like, on the other side of Manhattan. While only a few blocks away, if Ellie took her time and went the long way, it took her nearly a half hour to walk between the two homes. Her parents, although at her very insistent suggestion, let her walk unattended as it was a walk she had done many times by herself. She knew it scandalized her mother, but it was something that allowed her just a little bit of freedom, which she had very little of to begin with.
She knew it must be about time for the afternoon paper to be coming out, as she heard the calls of newsboys hawking their headlines. She found their job absolutely fascinating. The amount of freedom that they had was certainly something to be envied. She had brought the idea up to Maggie once, as they strolled around Central Park with Maggie's great aunt as an escort, and Maggie had been less than subtle about her distaste of the idea. There was nothing exciting about being poor or dirty, was how she had responded. But Ellie had disagreed. She watched as they held their papers high above their heads, working hard to show that their paper was the best paper there was, yelling louder than Ellie had even considered in her life. She blushed as she thought about how outwardly she had been observing them, not paying attention to anything at all. Suddenly, she collided with something solid, and she was sent soaring backwards, landing on her bottom.
Her face, which had already been heated in embarrassment, was a bright red with the spectacle she had just made of herself. "Oh I'm so sorry!" She looked up at the source of the decidedly feminine voice. "I wasn't watching where I was going, are you okay?" She met the other young woman's concerned brown eyes, and noticed that the basket the young woman had been carrying had fallen. This action had the contents, which appeared to be clothing of some sort, strewed all over the dust ground.
"I'm quite alright. I'm so sorry, I was not looking where I was going." She said, her cheeks reddening again. "Here, let me help you." She said, after the brown haired girl had helped her to her feet. "I hope I didn't ruin anything important." She picked up the clothing that was scattered across the dirty ground and placed it in the girl's basket. The shirts were covered in the dust of the street, and Ellie felt terrible.
"Not ruined, just dirty!" The girl laughed good naturedly, "Thank you for helping me pick these up. I'm Sarah, Sarah Jacobs." The girl stuck her hand out to shake, and Ellie stared at it for a moment before taking it. She didn't frequently shake hands with people, but this girl was possibly one of the nicest she had met in her seventeen years.
"I'm Eleanor Van Wyck, but most people call me Ellie." 'Most people' tended to be those she was very close with, and she was shocked she even told the other girl to call her this. She supposed it was a trust in the girl's character, something she couldn't be blamed for. At the mention of her name, Sarah's eyes widened slightly, but she relaxed her face quickly soon after.
"What an unfortunate way to meet. I was just taking a family their laundry that I had finished washing." Ellie nodded as though she had ever even thought about doing her own laundry a day in her life.
"I was on my way home from a luncheon." She responded, offering a smile. She decided her mother could wait. "Would you like to stop for some coffee? I feel like it's the least I can do." Sarah hesitated for a moment, and Eleanor felt her smile falter. "If you have a prior engagement, I absolutely understand."
"It's not that. I…" She trailed off in embarrassment, and it clicked for Ellie what the problem was.
"No, no. It's my treat."
"No you don't have to-"
"I insist." Eleanor insisted, a bright smile on her face. It was rare that she engaged in conversation with anyone besides her usual crowd, and Sarah Jacobs seemed like she may make a good friend. "Besides, it would make my day. Mother wants me home for a dress fitting, and as riveting as that sounds…"
Sarah laughed in response, and said that there was a restaurant that had delicious cake and coffee that her brother and his friends sometimes went to. The pair walked, sharing information about themselves. Ellie learned that life for Sarah was starkly different than life for her, but they shared some interesting similarities. Their families were similarly structured, with loving, busy parents and two tiresome brothers. They both loved journaling, the springtime, and sweets. By the time they got to the restaurant, which wasn't exactly the Waldorf Astoria but held its own charm, the pair found themselves talking like old friends, not acquaintances.
It was rare that Ellie found herself stepping out of her social circle, but she rather liked Sarah. She had always thought that the lower class girls may be far simpler than her, but she found that not to be the case. Sarah was an excellent conversation partner, and she rather liked the girl.
Eventually, as the conversation came to a lull, she told Sarah that she had to go or her mother would have her head, and Sarah laughed in understanding, stating that her mother would've reacted similarly. The girls agreed to meet again and exchanged addresses, marveling at the strange course of events.
"Wait until I tell David that I had dinner with the mayor's daughter." Sarah teased, "He'll be so impressed."
"He won't believe you!" Ellie teased back, "I'd love to meet your brothers. They sound an awful lot like mine."
"Why don't you stop by for dinner tomorrow night? I'm sure mama wouldn't mind!"
"Well, I'll have to check with my parents and their busy plans for my social life, but I doubt they'd mind. I'll send you a telegram and let you know."
They exchanged goodbyes and Ellie made her way home, loving the way that her day had panned out.