[A/N. I'm surprised nobody has noticed the mistake I've made with my dates.
After the Christmas entry they should all be dated 1942, otherwise Eliza's
living the same year all over again. Sorry! I also should mention that I
don't like this chapter as much as the one before, for some reason I quite
liked that one.]
Philadelphia, April, 1942.
"Margaret, didn't your mother ever teach you that a lady doesn't eat much?" Mrs. Gracie asked as Margaret took a couple of items from the tray circulating the room. "But then she'd hardly know what makes a lady, would she?"
Eliza bit her tongue. 'Don't say anything, she's just buried her husband. In her own way she's grieving.' She told herself, and so she turned away and walked over to her husband instead. Edward was talking earnestly to a man about his age.
"And then Roosevelt decided straight off he had to sign order number 9102 to establish the War Relocation Authority. Basically it created a civilian agency in the Office For Emergency Management to provide for the removal of persons or classes or people from designated areas. And they're at a place they call Colorado River Relocation Center." The man was saying.
"War talk again?" Eliza sighed as she walked up to them.
"Not exactly war talk sweetie." Edward said. "James here has had his cook, gardener and one of the maids taken off and put in a camp because they're Japanese American."
Eliza looked horrified. "A camp? Like the Nazi camps?" She asked.
"Oh god no, we claim to be more civilised than that." James said with a slightly ironic smile. "They're basically like miniature towns with homes, schools, libraries, post offices, hospitals, canteens and the like. But the government is taking thousands of Japanese American citizens and putting them in these camps."
Eliza frowned. "But isn't that still wrong?" She asked.
James nodded. "Very wrong in my opinion. As I was explaining to Edward we need to do something about this before it gets out of control."
Edward sighed. "Let me see what I can do James, that's the best I can do at the moment. As you're probably no doubt aware the business hasn't exactly been the most important thing on my mind the last few months." He promised.
James nodded. "Thanks Edward, you were always a fair minded person- like your Father, god rest his soul."
Edward led Eliza away. "I wish you hadn't heard that." He said.
"Why not?" Eliza demanded. "I'd have heard soon enough. The damn American government! Putting out movies like 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' the other month with the whole flag waving patriotism and love of one's country, and how we must fight to preserve our way of life, fight the Nazi's terrible persecution and they're doing the same thing on a smaller scale."
Edward smiled slightly. "I knew you'd have an opinion."
"And why shouldn't I?" Eliza demanded.
"Of course you should have an opinion!" Edward hurried to appease her. "But most ladies don't express it in such vehement tones."
Eliza bit her lip. "Right, so I should be seen and not heard?" She asked angrily. "Isn't that a rather old fashioned notion Edward?"
"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying most of our friends and family wouldn't be used to...look, don't worry about it now. I've got to speak to a few people and thank them for coming to Father's funeral." Edward said, and he walked off leaving Eliza alone and blinking back tears. She liked to tell herself that it was simply the fact that his Father was dying which accounted for Edward's strange moods lately, but she also wondered whether it was being back here which had something to do with it. True Edward hadn't really listened to society before, like marrying her, but it didn't mean he wasn't thinking about it now. Maybe his image seemed too important to him to have a wife who had an opinion on everything, even matters most men would never discuss with their wives? Despite the fact that he'd never wanted it before maybe Edward now wished she was more like some of the other women he knew? And perhaps Mrs. Gracie had something to do with this? Eliza decided that she and Edward would have to begin the search for a home of their own as soon as possible.
"Eliza." Jennifer said coming over to hug her. "You look pale and tired. Are you sleeping all right?"
"To tell you the truth I haven't really been sleeping well the last few weeks and I've been sick on occasions." Eliza admitted.
"Maybe you should go to the Doctors?" Jennifer suggested.
"I might if it continues." Eliza said. "Can you excuse me for a moment? Look at the looks Mrs. Gracie is giving Margaret! She was telling her off for taking too much food before and god knows what stupid little thing she's done now to offend her majesty." Normally she wouldn't have spoken so rudely about someone- especially to one of their relatives, but Mrs. Gracie had been quite rude to Margaret on a number of occasions in the last few months and Eliza wasn't in the best of moods after her husband's rebuke a few moments before.
However, slightly to Eliza's relief although she told herself she wouldn't care what Jennifer had said, Jennifer laughed. "That's a good description. You know don't you that Aunt Margaret was fifteen years older than my mother who was an accident? Their mother died in giving birth to my mother and Aunt Margaret took on the responsibility of raising her. She got married to the colonel when my mother was only four, and Edward was born a few years later so they've always been like brother and sister. Sometimes I think Aunt Margaret resented the way the colonel seemed to dote on mother. Anyway, the point is when I look at the way Aunt Margaret treats your daughter it seems to me to be exactly the way everyone always said she treated my mother. Interesting isn't it?"
Eliza had to admit it was certainly strange- maybe it had something to do with the way Mrs. Gracie treated Margaret? Perhaps luckily for Mrs. Gracie given Eliza's mood she'd moved away from Margaret when Eliza reached her.
*****
Later that night as they were getting ready for bed Edward said, without looking at his wife, "I'm sorry for getting annoyed at you earlier Eliza. It's just that none of my friends or business associates would have a wife who's always got such a strong opinion on everything and anything."
Eliza frowned. "Well to be honest I don't see why not. It's the 1940's- we're even allowed to vote now for heavens sake!" She said.
Edward shrugged. "True," He admitted. "But I guess it's just always been that way in our circle."
Eliza sighed. "Fine. Would you like me to keep my mouth shut firmly in future?" She asked, expecting he'd realise that it was a stupid ask to change her when they'd been married for eight years and he hadn't complained about it before now.
"Maybe that would be a good idea." He replied. "So we fit in properly and all."
Eliza bit her lip. She didn't care whether or not they fitted in all right, to be honest she'd rather they didn't fit in than to pretend that she was part of them. Part of the people who'd treated her so shabbily when she was younger! But for some reason Edward was bothered about it all the sudden so she'd do as he asked and act like the perfect high society wife. Still, as she was falling asleep, she wished she knew where this had come from all of a sudden.
Philadelphia, April, 1942.
"Margaret, didn't your mother ever teach you that a lady doesn't eat much?" Mrs. Gracie asked as Margaret took a couple of items from the tray circulating the room. "But then she'd hardly know what makes a lady, would she?"
Eliza bit her tongue. 'Don't say anything, she's just buried her husband. In her own way she's grieving.' She told herself, and so she turned away and walked over to her husband instead. Edward was talking earnestly to a man about his age.
"And then Roosevelt decided straight off he had to sign order number 9102 to establish the War Relocation Authority. Basically it created a civilian agency in the Office For Emergency Management to provide for the removal of persons or classes or people from designated areas. And they're at a place they call Colorado River Relocation Center." The man was saying.
"War talk again?" Eliza sighed as she walked up to them.
"Not exactly war talk sweetie." Edward said. "James here has had his cook, gardener and one of the maids taken off and put in a camp because they're Japanese American."
Eliza looked horrified. "A camp? Like the Nazi camps?" She asked.
"Oh god no, we claim to be more civilised than that." James said with a slightly ironic smile. "They're basically like miniature towns with homes, schools, libraries, post offices, hospitals, canteens and the like. But the government is taking thousands of Japanese American citizens and putting them in these camps."
Eliza frowned. "But isn't that still wrong?" She asked.
James nodded. "Very wrong in my opinion. As I was explaining to Edward we need to do something about this before it gets out of control."
Edward sighed. "Let me see what I can do James, that's the best I can do at the moment. As you're probably no doubt aware the business hasn't exactly been the most important thing on my mind the last few months." He promised.
James nodded. "Thanks Edward, you were always a fair minded person- like your Father, god rest his soul."
Edward led Eliza away. "I wish you hadn't heard that." He said.
"Why not?" Eliza demanded. "I'd have heard soon enough. The damn American government! Putting out movies like 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' the other month with the whole flag waving patriotism and love of one's country, and how we must fight to preserve our way of life, fight the Nazi's terrible persecution and they're doing the same thing on a smaller scale."
Edward smiled slightly. "I knew you'd have an opinion."
"And why shouldn't I?" Eliza demanded.
"Of course you should have an opinion!" Edward hurried to appease her. "But most ladies don't express it in such vehement tones."
Eliza bit her lip. "Right, so I should be seen and not heard?" She asked angrily. "Isn't that a rather old fashioned notion Edward?"
"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying most of our friends and family wouldn't be used to...look, don't worry about it now. I've got to speak to a few people and thank them for coming to Father's funeral." Edward said, and he walked off leaving Eliza alone and blinking back tears. She liked to tell herself that it was simply the fact that his Father was dying which accounted for Edward's strange moods lately, but she also wondered whether it was being back here which had something to do with it. True Edward hadn't really listened to society before, like marrying her, but it didn't mean he wasn't thinking about it now. Maybe his image seemed too important to him to have a wife who had an opinion on everything, even matters most men would never discuss with their wives? Despite the fact that he'd never wanted it before maybe Edward now wished she was more like some of the other women he knew? And perhaps Mrs. Gracie had something to do with this? Eliza decided that she and Edward would have to begin the search for a home of their own as soon as possible.
"Eliza." Jennifer said coming over to hug her. "You look pale and tired. Are you sleeping all right?"
"To tell you the truth I haven't really been sleeping well the last few weeks and I've been sick on occasions." Eliza admitted.
"Maybe you should go to the Doctors?" Jennifer suggested.
"I might if it continues." Eliza said. "Can you excuse me for a moment? Look at the looks Mrs. Gracie is giving Margaret! She was telling her off for taking too much food before and god knows what stupid little thing she's done now to offend her majesty." Normally she wouldn't have spoken so rudely about someone- especially to one of their relatives, but Mrs. Gracie had been quite rude to Margaret on a number of occasions in the last few months and Eliza wasn't in the best of moods after her husband's rebuke a few moments before.
However, slightly to Eliza's relief although she told herself she wouldn't care what Jennifer had said, Jennifer laughed. "That's a good description. You know don't you that Aunt Margaret was fifteen years older than my mother who was an accident? Their mother died in giving birth to my mother and Aunt Margaret took on the responsibility of raising her. She got married to the colonel when my mother was only four, and Edward was born a few years later so they've always been like brother and sister. Sometimes I think Aunt Margaret resented the way the colonel seemed to dote on mother. Anyway, the point is when I look at the way Aunt Margaret treats your daughter it seems to me to be exactly the way everyone always said she treated my mother. Interesting isn't it?"
Eliza had to admit it was certainly strange- maybe it had something to do with the way Mrs. Gracie treated Margaret? Perhaps luckily for Mrs. Gracie given Eliza's mood she'd moved away from Margaret when Eliza reached her.
*****
Later that night as they were getting ready for bed Edward said, without looking at his wife, "I'm sorry for getting annoyed at you earlier Eliza. It's just that none of my friends or business associates would have a wife who's always got such a strong opinion on everything and anything."
Eliza frowned. "Well to be honest I don't see why not. It's the 1940's- we're even allowed to vote now for heavens sake!" She said.
Edward shrugged. "True," He admitted. "But I guess it's just always been that way in our circle."
Eliza sighed. "Fine. Would you like me to keep my mouth shut firmly in future?" She asked, expecting he'd realise that it was a stupid ask to change her when they'd been married for eight years and he hadn't complained about it before now.
"Maybe that would be a good idea." He replied. "So we fit in properly and all."
Eliza bit her lip. She didn't care whether or not they fitted in all right, to be honest she'd rather they didn't fit in than to pretend that she was part of them. Part of the people who'd treated her so shabbily when she was younger! But for some reason Edward was bothered about it all the sudden so she'd do as he asked and act like the perfect high society wife. Still, as she was falling asleep, she wished she knew where this had come from all of a sudden.