Philadelphia, July, 1933.
"So my wife tells me you were the ward of Caledon Hockley." Colonel Gracie said at dinner that first night.
Eliza finished the mouthful she was chewing before nodding. "Yes, Cal took me in after the Titanic disaster killed my parents." She said. "He was more than good to me. He sent me to school, and helped my to obtain a position as a governess. When the market crashed in '29 he brought me home, and I worked further as a governess for the privilege of having somewhere to stay."
"I didn't think much of his wife. Living with a woman like that- so damn controlling- it's little wonder he killed himself!" The colonel said.
"ARCHIBALD!" Mrs. Gracie said shocked. "We don't talk of such things at the dinner table!"
"Well anyway his passing was a shock to us all." The colonel finished. "I'm sure you were devastated."
Eliza opened her mouth to reply, but before she could reply Mrs. Gracie said, "Of course she wasn't devastated. He wasn't her real father was he?"
"But she lived there since she was six, I'm sure..." The colonel trailed off seeing his wife's look.
They ate in silence until Edward spoke up. "So Father have you thought about which business acquaintances you're going to invite to our wedding?"
The colonel shook his head. "Not yet, I guess we'll have to invite the Morgans, and probably the Guggenheims..."
"So you are thinking a big wedding will be suitable then?" Mrs. Gracie asked. "A real society affair?"
Edward glanced over at Eliza. "To tell you the truth Mother we hadn't really decided yet. I'm happy with whatever Eliza wants. After all it really is more the bride's day than the grooms isn't it?"
Eliza smiled at him. "I have no ideas though Edward." Then she turned to Mrs. Gracie. "But I'm sure you know what's in and not in, and what's tasteful and what's not. Will you help me Mrs. Gracie?"
Mrs. Gracie chewed in silence for a moment, while the entire room held their collective breaths. Edward was silently applauding Eliza's words- surely his mother couldn't refuse something like this? Especially not considering her ideas on how she wanted to get involved with things!
"I can see I'll probably have to. After all, the guests will be expecting a lovely one, with the Gracie name to it." Mrs. Gracie said. "If I don't help it might be a complete disaster and I don't want society gossiping about that behind my back."
Eliza glanced at Edward, who shrugged slightly and smiled. "Thank you Mrs. Gracie." Eliza said. "I'm sure with your help it will be a wonderful wedding."
"Hmmm." Mrs. Gracie replied. "Did you know Cal's Melanie is back here at the moment?"
"No." Eliza said frowning. "I thought she got married and was planning on living in England with her new husband and her children?"
"She was. But there was a terrible accident- her new husband was killed in a riding fall, and rather than stay there were she was reminded of him she came over here." Mrs. Gracie explained eagerly. "We're all taking bets on when she'll get her claws into another eligible, rich young man. Despite the fact that she really did love Cal there was no way she would have married him if he didn't have the money he did. Tell me Eliza, what was it like to live with her?"
Eliza sighed. "It was alright actually. She treated me like a governess, cool, polite and slightly detached for the most part." She said.
"For the most part?" Mrs. Gracie asked leaning forward.
"Well we did actually have an argument before she sailed for England." Eliza replied, a little reluctant. But the look in Mrs. Gracie's eyes urged her to continue. "Pretty stupid really. And it was then that she told me how she felt about me. So when Cal left me the money- I mean when her lawyer convinced her to give me some money she must have hated it."
Mrs. Gracie smiled slightly. "Everyone knows that Cal left you the money. A tightwad like Melanie would hardly give anyone a cent- even on the orders of her lawyer! And everyone thought it was exceedingly generous of Cal. I mean its not like you were his own child was it? An orphan whom he took in out of the goodness of his heart!"
The colonel changed the subject then. "I met Cal's first fiancée- Rose- on board the Titanic. She was the most amazing woman. We all used to tease him about whether or not he could handle her. A firecracker she was! But at the same time she was beautiful, and brought up as a real lady. A great catch for any man. It was terrible she died on board the ship! There have always been a lot of rumors about why she jumped back onto the ship. Some say she wanted to be with Cal. Some say she had another man on there she wanted to be with. The cruelest claim that she didn't love Cal, and he didn't love her, and the idea of being his wife was less appealing than the idea of dying. Regardless of why she did it, it was a terrible loss. A wonderful woman..."
Eliza thought about the Broadway show that Edward had taken her to the week before they left New York, which featured the return of Rose Calvert, one of Broadway's most loved actresses. She managed a sad smile. "Yes, it would have been a shame. I know Cal never completely got over her death."
"He didn't?" Mrs. Gracie asked eagerly. "You don't say?"
"Well I mean he talked about her often and all..." Eliza explained. "He loved her."
"Hmmm." Mrs. Gracie said again.
"Well if that's enough gossip do you think we could have some brandy now?" The colonel asked. "I haven't seen my son in a few months and I want to catch up with him- and of course his lovely fiancée."
Mrs. Gracie frowned slightly. "You do that Archibald, but count me out. I'm going up to bed. I've got one of my tension headaches."
Eliza sighed as Mrs. Gracie kissed her son and husband goodnight and left the room. For a moment there she thought she was making real progress with Mrs. Gracie being interested in what she had to say. Now, she realised, Mrs. Gracie was simply interested in the gossip-nothing else!
"She'll come around," Edward whispered in Eliza's ear as they left the room. "Before the wedding you'll have her eating out of your hand."
Eliza just smiled. Mrs. Gracie didn't appear to be the type to eat out of anyone's hand- especially the woman who was marrying her only son, and whom she considered far from good enough!
"So my wife tells me you were the ward of Caledon Hockley." Colonel Gracie said at dinner that first night.
Eliza finished the mouthful she was chewing before nodding. "Yes, Cal took me in after the Titanic disaster killed my parents." She said. "He was more than good to me. He sent me to school, and helped my to obtain a position as a governess. When the market crashed in '29 he brought me home, and I worked further as a governess for the privilege of having somewhere to stay."
"I didn't think much of his wife. Living with a woman like that- so damn controlling- it's little wonder he killed himself!" The colonel said.
"ARCHIBALD!" Mrs. Gracie said shocked. "We don't talk of such things at the dinner table!"
"Well anyway his passing was a shock to us all." The colonel finished. "I'm sure you were devastated."
Eliza opened her mouth to reply, but before she could reply Mrs. Gracie said, "Of course she wasn't devastated. He wasn't her real father was he?"
"But she lived there since she was six, I'm sure..." The colonel trailed off seeing his wife's look.
They ate in silence until Edward spoke up. "So Father have you thought about which business acquaintances you're going to invite to our wedding?"
The colonel shook his head. "Not yet, I guess we'll have to invite the Morgans, and probably the Guggenheims..."
"So you are thinking a big wedding will be suitable then?" Mrs. Gracie asked. "A real society affair?"
Edward glanced over at Eliza. "To tell you the truth Mother we hadn't really decided yet. I'm happy with whatever Eliza wants. After all it really is more the bride's day than the grooms isn't it?"
Eliza smiled at him. "I have no ideas though Edward." Then she turned to Mrs. Gracie. "But I'm sure you know what's in and not in, and what's tasteful and what's not. Will you help me Mrs. Gracie?"
Mrs. Gracie chewed in silence for a moment, while the entire room held their collective breaths. Edward was silently applauding Eliza's words- surely his mother couldn't refuse something like this? Especially not considering her ideas on how she wanted to get involved with things!
"I can see I'll probably have to. After all, the guests will be expecting a lovely one, with the Gracie name to it." Mrs. Gracie said. "If I don't help it might be a complete disaster and I don't want society gossiping about that behind my back."
Eliza glanced at Edward, who shrugged slightly and smiled. "Thank you Mrs. Gracie." Eliza said. "I'm sure with your help it will be a wonderful wedding."
"Hmmm." Mrs. Gracie replied. "Did you know Cal's Melanie is back here at the moment?"
"No." Eliza said frowning. "I thought she got married and was planning on living in England with her new husband and her children?"
"She was. But there was a terrible accident- her new husband was killed in a riding fall, and rather than stay there were she was reminded of him she came over here." Mrs. Gracie explained eagerly. "We're all taking bets on when she'll get her claws into another eligible, rich young man. Despite the fact that she really did love Cal there was no way she would have married him if he didn't have the money he did. Tell me Eliza, what was it like to live with her?"
Eliza sighed. "It was alright actually. She treated me like a governess, cool, polite and slightly detached for the most part." She said.
"For the most part?" Mrs. Gracie asked leaning forward.
"Well we did actually have an argument before she sailed for England." Eliza replied, a little reluctant. But the look in Mrs. Gracie's eyes urged her to continue. "Pretty stupid really. And it was then that she told me how she felt about me. So when Cal left me the money- I mean when her lawyer convinced her to give me some money she must have hated it."
Mrs. Gracie smiled slightly. "Everyone knows that Cal left you the money. A tightwad like Melanie would hardly give anyone a cent- even on the orders of her lawyer! And everyone thought it was exceedingly generous of Cal. I mean its not like you were his own child was it? An orphan whom he took in out of the goodness of his heart!"
The colonel changed the subject then. "I met Cal's first fiancée- Rose- on board the Titanic. She was the most amazing woman. We all used to tease him about whether or not he could handle her. A firecracker she was! But at the same time she was beautiful, and brought up as a real lady. A great catch for any man. It was terrible she died on board the ship! There have always been a lot of rumors about why she jumped back onto the ship. Some say she wanted to be with Cal. Some say she had another man on there she wanted to be with. The cruelest claim that she didn't love Cal, and he didn't love her, and the idea of being his wife was less appealing than the idea of dying. Regardless of why she did it, it was a terrible loss. A wonderful woman..."
Eliza thought about the Broadway show that Edward had taken her to the week before they left New York, which featured the return of Rose Calvert, one of Broadway's most loved actresses. She managed a sad smile. "Yes, it would have been a shame. I know Cal never completely got over her death."
"He didn't?" Mrs. Gracie asked eagerly. "You don't say?"
"Well I mean he talked about her often and all..." Eliza explained. "He loved her."
"Hmmm." Mrs. Gracie said again.
"Well if that's enough gossip do you think we could have some brandy now?" The colonel asked. "I haven't seen my son in a few months and I want to catch up with him- and of course his lovely fiancée."
Mrs. Gracie frowned slightly. "You do that Archibald, but count me out. I'm going up to bed. I've got one of my tension headaches."
Eliza sighed as Mrs. Gracie kissed her son and husband goodnight and left the room. For a moment there she thought she was making real progress with Mrs. Gracie being interested in what she had to say. Now, she realised, Mrs. Gracie was simply interested in the gossip-nothing else!
"She'll come around," Edward whispered in Eliza's ear as they left the room. "Before the wedding you'll have her eating out of your hand."
Eliza just smiled. Mrs. Gracie didn't appear to be the type to eat out of anyone's hand- especially the woman who was marrying her only son, and whom she considered far from good enough!