A/N: so long since an update, but w/e. i had no internet. neway, more of
this story no one's reading but i'm writing for my own entertainment.
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Two weeks later........
Zelda, her daughter, and her mother (A/N: whose name is NORMA) were all gathered in the Haines bedroom. The trip to Bermuda had just ended; and Zelda had put on a short movie show for them (using the footage taped on the trip to Bermuda).
"Ah, there's me catching that awful fish!" Zelda laughed, as the three of them watched her heave on a string partly off screen. "What a lively brute that was!
Young Zelda giggled when she saw her mother triumphantly pull the animal onto the boat. "You're not fooling anyone, mother! That fish is as dead as a doornail!"
"Oh, so what?" Zelda asked.
"Whoopsy, there I go," sighed Zelda's mother. Her grandaughter started laughing hysterically upon seeing the camera's view suddenly fly sideways and begin shooting film.... underwater?
"Yes, that's when grandma tripped over the tackle and fell over backwards over the boat," Zelda remarked with a grin.
"You mean you dropped our precious camera under water?" Young Zelda gasped, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a laugh.
"Yes, and your precious grandmother dropped in right after it," Norma said. "Though I guess you wouldn't really mind about that, would you?"
(A/N: in case ur wondering how i picked the name norma 4 zelda's mother--all tho ur probly not--it's the name of the actress who played zelda's character in the film version of this story. norma shearer. lil known fact. ANYwho, on with ze story--)
"And, that's it," Zelda said, turning off the projector and starting to put it away.
"No, don't put it away yet, mother," Young Zelda protested. "I want to show daddy when he comes home from work."
"I showed them to daddy last night, sorry," Zelda said.
"Oh..."
"How's your father been doing?" Norma asked Young Zelda.
"All right, I guess," Young Zelda answered, shrugging. "Only he's been coming home late from work a lot still. Aunt Peach says that she was going to call you about that with Daisy while you were still in Bermuda.... anyway, I've got to go. I'm going to Virginia's house, bye!"
"Goodbye, dear," Zelda said quickly, as her daughter skipped out of the room. She looked up to see her mother glaring at her, then turned away and proceeded to take down the screen.
"Zelda, you didn't tell me that those women called you while we were in Bermuda," she said sternly.
"I didn't think it was important," Zelda said lightly, though it had been.
"Is that why we came home two weeks early?"
"Of course not."
"What did they say to you, Zelda?"
"Nothing," Zelda answered, looking down and distractedly straightening out a small carpet. "I am divinely happy."
"Look at me and say that," Norma said, standing over her.
Zelda slowly stood up. She rose her eyes to meet her mother's, taking in a quiet deep breath. "I am divinely happy."
".... All right then. But hurry up, dear, or else you'll be late for the fashion show."
"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me," Zelda said, glad to be off the subject of Link. She grabbed a purse and hat and made for the door of the bedroom.
"Oh, and Zelda, one more thing," Norma called after her.
"Yes?" Zelda asked from the hall.
"Don't confide anything in your girlfriends," she said. "If you do, they'll see to it that you are miserable for the remainder of your life. Don't let them know that you know about Link; or if you're hurt."
"Good-bye, mother," Zelda said rather darkly, flying down the steps and out the front door.
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"Ah, it's the lady of the hour," remarked Marin, as Zelda walked into the building that the fashion show was taking place in.
"Hello, dears, sorry I'm late," Zelda said, meeting them at the buffet.
"I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it," Peach said, opting not to eat and popping a piece of gum in her mouth instead.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Zelda joked.
"Hurry and eat, you lot, it's starting soon," Daisy said, bouncing a bit on her feet.
"Yes, thanks to Zellie dear, we've been waiting a while to find seats," Peach said with a smile.
"Oh, don't be rude, Peach," Saria said. She grinned at Zelda. "It's not your fault you're a tad late, right?"
"Traffic was pretty bad," Zelda told them.
"By the way, how's Link?" Peach asked.
"Oh, he's just fine," Zelda replied in nearly a monotone, leaving to find a seat with the others. In a floaty, fake-happy voice, she said, "Actually, we've been seeing a lot of each other lately."
Unfortunately for Zelda, her cousin saw right through the charade.
"She can't stand it!" Peach laughed, elbowing Daisy as soon as Zelda was safely out of earshot. "C'mon, let's go grab a seat by the others."
A short while later (after ze fashion show).............
"Ah, that was divine!" Saria sighed. "Models are so lucky to be doing what they do." At this remark, Marin made something of a grunting noise and rolled her eyes.
Noticing one of the models walking around and.... doing her job, Daisy nudged a worker at the place and said, "Could you ask her to come model here, please?"
"Of course, ma'am," the worker said. "Oh, Mara! Yes, please come over here and model for a moment, please."
Mara glided towards them in her flowy dress. "It's a very nice fit; skin- tight, pretty much. You should have it made, Zelda--you're just what it needs."
"It was Mrs. Potter who asked for the dress, Princess," the worker said.
Mara stared at Daisy (A/N: who, in this story, is supposed to be somewhat over weight). "Oh ..... I'm sorry."
"Say, you're wearing that wrong," Peach said, standing up and snatching a piece of the fabric. "I saw someone modeling this in Vogue. The veil is supposed to go up over the shoulder like this--"
"Excuse moi!" Mara cried in her hanky-panky French accent, looking shocked. She slapped away Peach's hands. "What do you know how to wear clothes?!"
"Well, I may not be a model, pet, but no one disputes the way I wear clothes!" Peach snorted huffily (at the moment, she was wearing a distasteful pair of glasses and a fluffy cardigan--since she was crocheting at the time, she looked a bit like a little old grandma with blonde hair).
"Now, now, it's just professional jealousy," Zelda told the concerned worker. "They're really very good friends."
"Oh yes, Mara just adores the Fowler family," Peach said, rolling her eyes. "Especially my husband."
"Are you accusing me of having an affair with Marth?" Mara asked lightly, putting her hands on her hips.
Peach pinched the model's cheek rather hard and in a mock-sugary voice, she said, "No, my little pet, but I'm trying to!" She released Mara's cheek and folded her arms. "Heh. I'd like to see Marth Fowler bat an eyelash at another woman."
"I have," Mara said, grinning devilishly. "And she's not bad either." Smiling to herself, the model walked away.
Zelda rolled her eyes and grabbed her cousin's elbow just as Peach was beginning to compute what she'd just been told. "Wha--did you catch her innuendo?!"
"C'mon, she was just pulling your leg," Zelda sighed, as the the group of them headed towards the dressing rooms. They all sat down a Big Comfy Couch (.... ha .... ha?) and were immediately confronted by yet another model.
"Oh, that's simply gorgeous!" Daisy gasped, reaching out and feeling the material of the dress the girl was wearing.
"You're right," Zelda breathed. She looked over at yet another worker and gave her a lop-sided grin. "It's divine ..."
"Lovely," remarked Marin, putting on her glasses.
Peach was smiling from ear to ear; her eyes wide, staring at the dress. Zelda bit down on her lip, trying to decide whether or not she wanted it. "Oh, don't tell me the price, but .... how much is it?"
"Two-hundred twenty-five," the worker answered.
Zelda let out a short laugh. "It IS a nightgown, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mrs. Haines."
"I'd be happy to have it for an evening gown!" Saria giggled.
"Ho, isn't she naïve?" Marin laughed.
"Go on, Zelda! Buy it!" Peach goaded her. "If Link doesn't notice the dress, he'll notice the bill!"
Zelda smiled. "Oh, all right! I'll--"
"I'll take that," came a voice from the entrance of the room. Zelda raised her eyebrows. The model turned towards a certain redhead in the doorway (who is near and dear to us all), and accompanied her to a cabinet. "And I could use a few more on the same order."
Peach and Daisy stared at the woman. The latter whipped towards Zelda and said seriously, "Oh Zelda, I could DIE for you!"
"Me too!" Daisy whimpered.
"Why? I didn't really want it anyway," Zelda said, with another of her I-DID-really-want-that-but-I-won't-tell-you-so smiles.
"Wha--don't you know who that is?!" Daisy hissed.
"No, why?" Zelda asked innocently, in a voice that indicated she didn't care very much.
"That's Malon Allen!" Peach said.
Zelda put on another forced smile, and said slowly, "Malon Allen?" She pretended the name meant nothing to her, as it hadn't a few weeks ago. Saria and Marin exchanged glances.
"And at 225 she could use a few more!" Daisy whispered.
"Mrs. Haines, your room is ready now," announced a worker.
With something of a confused/sad look on her face (imagine a lost puppy), Zelda automatically stood up and followed the worker to a room just down the way.
Meanwhile, in the dressing room across the hall...
"Is that all, Miss Allen?" a worker asked.
"Yes, I think so," Malon answered.
"Now you're opening a charge here, correct?" the worker asked, getting out a pen and a small pad of paper.
"Correct," Malon said, opening a box containing a long, sequined dress.
"And where will we be recieving your payments from?" the worker inquired. "The bank?"
"Oh no, I haven't an account yet," Malon answered.
"Then on cash, or...credit?"
"No, no," Malon answered.
"Well... I'm sorry, Miss Allen, but we must have a financial reference," the worker said.
"Of course, of course," Malon said, turning towards her. "You can put down Mr. Link Haines. He is a very old friend of my family."
"Ahh, yes," the worker said, smiling and writing something down. "Mrs. Haines is a very good customer of ours, you know."
Malon, of course, had not known this. She put on a false sweet smile. "Oh...really? Well, um... I haven't really met Mrs. Haines yet, so would you mind not telling her that I used her husband as a reference?"
"Of course not," the worker said. "We understand."
"Whaddya mean you understand?!" Malon asked indignantly.
"Oh, no, I--I didn't mean--"
"No, no, that's quite all right," Malon said lightly, beginning to undress. "It's just that ..... oh, well being here in a new town; you've got to be so careful about not doing anything that people might misconstrue! You see, I haven't met Mrs. Haines socially before, so I'd feel funny if she knew that I--"
"Yes, of course," the worker said eagerly. "Women are funny about little things like that."
"Yes..." Malon sighed. "Say, you know that blue number you had in the show, the one that was all drippy with embroidery?"
"You mean the blue negligeé?" the worker asked.
"Yeah, yeah, would you bring that in? I'd like to try it on."
"Certainly, Ms. Allen."
Meanwhile, back at Zelda's dressing room--
Zelda stood on a small platform in front of a three-way mirror. She wore an elegant black gown, tight towards the top and middle, then becoming long and wider at the bottom. Mournfully, Zelda looked at her three reflections. Was there something wrong with her that Link didn't like?
"Oh, that really suits you, Mrs. Haines!" exclaimed her assisstant at the place, named Jane.
"Really? Oh, thank you," Zelda said distractedly.
"I brought the hat part of it. Would you like to try it on?"
"Sure."
"Yoo-hoo! May I come in?" came an all-too-familiar bubbly voice. It was Peach. "Hello, dearie."
"Take a seat, Peach," Zelda said, fastening on two crystal earrings.
"Divine dress, darling," Peach said.
"Thank you."
Jane left, leaving the two of them alone. As soon as the door closed, Peach leapt up and took a hold of Zelda's elbow.
"Zelda, dear, you DO know. Why don't you confide in me?"
"Quiet, Peach," Zelda said softly, still gazing blankly at the mirror.
"Now, come on, dear, you've known about this all along, it'll help to talk it out with somebody."
"Stay out of my affairs, Peach," Zelda said, stepping off of the stool and walking towards a wall.
"I most certainly will not!" Peach said. "I've kept quiet for too long! You're the only one in New York who doesn't know all about this! And if you think I'm just going to stand calmly by and let you bury your head in the sand like some ostrich, you're very much mistaken! Marth says that he hasn't seen Link in the club during the afternoons for weeks." She tried to look at Zelda's face to see her reaction, but Zel was doing a fine job of avoiding eye contact. "Look where she was six months ago, and look where she is now!"
"Peach, will you PLEASE let me do what I want to do with my own life?" Zelda pleaded quietly.
The door opened, and Jane stood there, calling out to someone outside, "Mara, show Miss Allen that negligeé you're wearing--" Then turned towards them. "Sorry, Mrs. Haines, I gave you the wrong hat by mistake. I've got the right one, though."
"I was wondering," Zelda laughed softly, taking off the hat she was wearing. Jane began to fasten the new one on her.
"By the way, is that Malon Allen across the hall?" Peach asked.
"Yes," Jane answered, as. "Do you know her?"
"Why--"
"Has she a lot of money?"
"I think she knows where she can get a lot," Peach said, beginning to play around with a couple of the sashes on Zelda's dress and grinning rather wickedly.
"Well, she's buying everything she sees, regardless," Jane sighed. Zelda breathed in deeply, choking a little. "Why--Mrs. Haines, are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, I'm just a little tired, that's all," Zelda said, forcing a smile.
"Perhaps you've been standing too long," Jane said.
"Yes, I think that's it."
"Uh, you go get her a glass of sherry," Peach said quickly.
"Oh, surely." Jane rushed out of the room, and Zelda sat down. Peach squatted next to her, trying her sweet disposition tactic again.
"Now Zelda, you'd feel so much better if you told your troubles to some one," Peach said in the kindest voice she could muster. "Why don't you just confide in me? Link's an absolute WORM spending money on a girl like that!"
"Shut up, Peach!" Zelda cried, getting to her feet. "Just leave me alone!"
"But now's your chance, Zelda!" Peach persisted. "Malon's in just the next room! Get it over with, just go in there and--"
"Go in there?!" Zelda repeated. She shook her head, saying, "I'm going home."
Jane came back to the room with concern, holding a glass of sherry, but Peach took the glass and then shoved her back out the door.
"You can't go, not now!" Peach said desperately. "Just go in there and say a few quiet words! Tell her you'll make Link's life an absolute tornado until he gives her up!"
"PEACH...GO ....AWAY," Zelda said in a choked, determined voice.
Rather huffily, Peach stood on top of the stool in front of the three- way mirror as Zelda made for the door. "Well, she may be a perfectly good influence on your husband, but she's not going to do your child any good." She glanced sideways to try and catch Zelda's facial expression right now.
"What did you say?" Zelda asked quietly, turning back towards her.
"Huh. Far be it from me to tell you things you don't care to hear," Peach snorted. "Daisy wanted me to tell you when we called you up in Bermuda, but did I utter?"
Zelda walked in front of Peach and grabbed her wrist, saying forcefully, "What's this got to do with my child?!"
"Well. It happened while you were away," Peach said, as Zelda's hand slipped from her wrist. "Daisy saw them: Link, that creature, and Young Zelda lunching together in the park. She said they were having a hilarious time; seated pretty cozy, eating ice cream, and Malon was kissing Young Zelda between every bite! When I heard that, I became just heart sick, dear."
Peach tried to read Zelda's expression, but it was too blank. She gave a sigh, and stepped off of the stool. "Well, as you say, it's your affair--not mine." As she walked out the door, Peach added, "No doubt that girl will make an awfully good stepmama for your daughter." Then she exited, shutting the door loudly behind her.
Rubbing her forehead, Zelda tried to think clearly. 'Calm down, Zel, you don't need to get excited,' she told herself. 'Peach was only trying to ....' Suddenly, a new feeling washed over Zelda. A feeling of acute anger, supremacy and regal-ness. Her head raised high, she left her dressing room and defiantly strode defiantly across the hall.
Peach looked from around the corner as Zelda opened the door to the room containing Malon.
For a moment, Zelda could not breathe as Malon, dressed in a slinky golden bath robe, turned to face her. "I beg your pardon?" the redhead asked, smiling in confusion.
"I am Mrs. Link Haines," Zelda said mechanically.
Malon frowned with her smile still in place. So this woman was her competition; this uncommonly attractive girl? "I'm sorry, I don't think I know you."
"I believe it's my husband you know," Zelda said seriously.
"Oh," Malon said flatly. "So, Link's finally told you."
"No, he's never mentioned you. But I couldn't stand by and let this happen any longer."
"Uh-huh, well, that takes a lot of guilt off my shoulders," Malon said, still grinning. "Personally, I'm glad you know."
"You've been seeing my daughter, that's why I came to talk to you," Zelda said quietly. "I won't have you coming near my daughter!"
"You don't have to get hysterical about it!" Malon said, turning her back on Zelda and fixing her hair while looking in a mirror. "What do I care about your daughter, I'm sick of hearing about her."
"You won't have to hear about her anymore," Zelda said coolly, still quiet. "Because you and my husband aren't going on seeing each other."
"That's .... rather up to Link, isn't it?" Malon asked, lighting a cigarette.
"You've made it impossible for me to do anything else!" Zelda cried, changing the subject a little.
"Still, it IS Link's decision," Malon said. She smirked again. "He seems to be satisfied with this arrangement."
Zelda shook her head. "I know that Link could never really love a girl like you."
Malon nodded. "Well, if he couldn't, he's an awfully good actor." She laughed, then gave Zelda a confused smile. "Look, I still don't see what you're complaining about, Mrs. Haines! You've got everything that matters! You've got the name, the position, the money--!"
"My husband's love happens to mean more to me than those things," Zelda said patiently, smiling superciliously.
"Ugh, you noble wives bore the brains outta me," Malon sighed, laughing a little bit. "Bet you bore your husbands, too..."
"Oh, you ARE a hard one, aren't you?" Zelda asked softly, smirking.
"Oh, I can be soft on the right occasion," Malon replied, smiling suggestively. Zelda stiffened, and Malon continued. "Look--what did you expect me to do; burst into tears and beg you to forgive me?" Her smile widened. "That's what you really came in here for, wasn't it?"
"Not after seeing you," Zelda answered. "You're even more typical than I dared hope."
"Well honey, that goes double," Malon sneered. "Now, look--I'd break up your snug little roost if I could, but I don't stand a chance." She saw Zelda smile again, so she quickly and haughtily added, "Oh don't think that it's because your husband isn't crazy about me. It's just that Link's the kind of man who lets that old fashioned sentiment put the Indian sign on him, and that's IT."
"I'm glad that you understand the power of sentiment, Miss Allen," Zelda said. "Because it's beauty is something you'll never know."
Glaring at her, Malon put out her cigarette out and strode towards the door. She opened it (not noticing about fifteen workers scrambling away from it--they'd been eavesdropping, the little weasels!). "This happens to be MY dressing room, Mrs. Haines," Malon said.
Zelda walked towards her. "Yes, it's yours .... for the time being, like everything else you've got. But the time to wake up from the dream world will come soon." She was about to leave, when she glanced down at the robe that revealed much of Malon's shapely legs and smirked again. "May I suggest that if you're dressing to please Link .... not that one. He ... doesn't like such obvious attempts."
"Whenever something I wear doesn't please Link, I take it off," Malon assured her, putting on another impious grin.
Zelda shook her head and stared at Malon. Then she raised a hand a slapped her sharply across the face. And with that, Zelda walked regally back to her own dressing room, and both women's doors slammed shut.
The worker who had been assisting Malon clicked her tongue. "So that's what she calls 'meeting Mrs. Haines socially.'"
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A/N: mua ha haa! isn't malon evil? btw, if ur an AVID lz person, u can just check in this story on the last chapter. if i wasn't writing this story, chances r i wouldn't be reading it b/c i hate malon. however, keep up reading for the comedy and cleverness (once again i remind u this is NOT an original plot here). plz review!!
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Two weeks later........
Zelda, her daughter, and her mother (A/N: whose name is NORMA) were all gathered in the Haines bedroom. The trip to Bermuda had just ended; and Zelda had put on a short movie show for them (using the footage taped on the trip to Bermuda).
"Ah, there's me catching that awful fish!" Zelda laughed, as the three of them watched her heave on a string partly off screen. "What a lively brute that was!
Young Zelda giggled when she saw her mother triumphantly pull the animal onto the boat. "You're not fooling anyone, mother! That fish is as dead as a doornail!"
"Oh, so what?" Zelda asked.
"Whoopsy, there I go," sighed Zelda's mother. Her grandaughter started laughing hysterically upon seeing the camera's view suddenly fly sideways and begin shooting film.... underwater?
"Yes, that's when grandma tripped over the tackle and fell over backwards over the boat," Zelda remarked with a grin.
"You mean you dropped our precious camera under water?" Young Zelda gasped, unsuccessfully attempting to stifle a laugh.
"Yes, and your precious grandmother dropped in right after it," Norma said. "Though I guess you wouldn't really mind about that, would you?"
(A/N: in case ur wondering how i picked the name norma 4 zelda's mother--all tho ur probly not--it's the name of the actress who played zelda's character in the film version of this story. norma shearer. lil known fact. ANYwho, on with ze story--)
"And, that's it," Zelda said, turning off the projector and starting to put it away.
"No, don't put it away yet, mother," Young Zelda protested. "I want to show daddy when he comes home from work."
"I showed them to daddy last night, sorry," Zelda said.
"Oh..."
"How's your father been doing?" Norma asked Young Zelda.
"All right, I guess," Young Zelda answered, shrugging. "Only he's been coming home late from work a lot still. Aunt Peach says that she was going to call you about that with Daisy while you were still in Bermuda.... anyway, I've got to go. I'm going to Virginia's house, bye!"
"Goodbye, dear," Zelda said quickly, as her daughter skipped out of the room. She looked up to see her mother glaring at her, then turned away and proceeded to take down the screen.
"Zelda, you didn't tell me that those women called you while we were in Bermuda," she said sternly.
"I didn't think it was important," Zelda said lightly, though it had been.
"Is that why we came home two weeks early?"
"Of course not."
"What did they say to you, Zelda?"
"Nothing," Zelda answered, looking down and distractedly straightening out a small carpet. "I am divinely happy."
"Look at me and say that," Norma said, standing over her.
Zelda slowly stood up. She rose her eyes to meet her mother's, taking in a quiet deep breath. "I am divinely happy."
".... All right then. But hurry up, dear, or else you'll be late for the fashion show."
"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me," Zelda said, glad to be off the subject of Link. She grabbed a purse and hat and made for the door of the bedroom.
"Oh, and Zelda, one more thing," Norma called after her.
"Yes?" Zelda asked from the hall.
"Don't confide anything in your girlfriends," she said. "If you do, they'll see to it that you are miserable for the remainder of your life. Don't let them know that you know about Link; or if you're hurt."
"Good-bye, mother," Zelda said rather darkly, flying down the steps and out the front door.
------------------------
"Ah, it's the lady of the hour," remarked Marin, as Zelda walked into the building that the fashion show was taking place in.
"Hello, dears, sorry I'm late," Zelda said, meeting them at the buffet.
"I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it," Peach said, opting not to eat and popping a piece of gum in her mouth instead.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Zelda joked.
"Hurry and eat, you lot, it's starting soon," Daisy said, bouncing a bit on her feet.
"Yes, thanks to Zellie dear, we've been waiting a while to find seats," Peach said with a smile.
"Oh, don't be rude, Peach," Saria said. She grinned at Zelda. "It's not your fault you're a tad late, right?"
"Traffic was pretty bad," Zelda told them.
"By the way, how's Link?" Peach asked.
"Oh, he's just fine," Zelda replied in nearly a monotone, leaving to find a seat with the others. In a floaty, fake-happy voice, she said, "Actually, we've been seeing a lot of each other lately."
Unfortunately for Zelda, her cousin saw right through the charade.
"She can't stand it!" Peach laughed, elbowing Daisy as soon as Zelda was safely out of earshot. "C'mon, let's go grab a seat by the others."
A short while later (after ze fashion show).............
"Ah, that was divine!" Saria sighed. "Models are so lucky to be doing what they do." At this remark, Marin made something of a grunting noise and rolled her eyes.
Noticing one of the models walking around and.... doing her job, Daisy nudged a worker at the place and said, "Could you ask her to come model here, please?"
"Of course, ma'am," the worker said. "Oh, Mara! Yes, please come over here and model for a moment, please."
Mara glided towards them in her flowy dress. "It's a very nice fit; skin- tight, pretty much. You should have it made, Zelda--you're just what it needs."
"It was Mrs. Potter who asked for the dress, Princess," the worker said.
Mara stared at Daisy (A/N: who, in this story, is supposed to be somewhat over weight). "Oh ..... I'm sorry."
"Say, you're wearing that wrong," Peach said, standing up and snatching a piece of the fabric. "I saw someone modeling this in Vogue. The veil is supposed to go up over the shoulder like this--"
"Excuse moi!" Mara cried in her hanky-panky French accent, looking shocked. She slapped away Peach's hands. "What do you know how to wear clothes?!"
"Well, I may not be a model, pet, but no one disputes the way I wear clothes!" Peach snorted huffily (at the moment, she was wearing a distasteful pair of glasses and a fluffy cardigan--since she was crocheting at the time, she looked a bit like a little old grandma with blonde hair).
"Now, now, it's just professional jealousy," Zelda told the concerned worker. "They're really very good friends."
"Oh yes, Mara just adores the Fowler family," Peach said, rolling her eyes. "Especially my husband."
"Are you accusing me of having an affair with Marth?" Mara asked lightly, putting her hands on her hips.
Peach pinched the model's cheek rather hard and in a mock-sugary voice, she said, "No, my little pet, but I'm trying to!" She released Mara's cheek and folded her arms. "Heh. I'd like to see Marth Fowler bat an eyelash at another woman."
"I have," Mara said, grinning devilishly. "And she's not bad either." Smiling to herself, the model walked away.
Zelda rolled her eyes and grabbed her cousin's elbow just as Peach was beginning to compute what she'd just been told. "Wha--did you catch her innuendo?!"
"C'mon, she was just pulling your leg," Zelda sighed, as the the group of them headed towards the dressing rooms. They all sat down a Big Comfy Couch (.... ha .... ha?) and were immediately confronted by yet another model.
"Oh, that's simply gorgeous!" Daisy gasped, reaching out and feeling the material of the dress the girl was wearing.
"You're right," Zelda breathed. She looked over at yet another worker and gave her a lop-sided grin. "It's divine ..."
"Lovely," remarked Marin, putting on her glasses.
Peach was smiling from ear to ear; her eyes wide, staring at the dress. Zelda bit down on her lip, trying to decide whether or not she wanted it. "Oh, don't tell me the price, but .... how much is it?"
"Two-hundred twenty-five," the worker answered.
Zelda let out a short laugh. "It IS a nightgown, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mrs. Haines."
"I'd be happy to have it for an evening gown!" Saria giggled.
"Ho, isn't she naïve?" Marin laughed.
"Go on, Zelda! Buy it!" Peach goaded her. "If Link doesn't notice the dress, he'll notice the bill!"
Zelda smiled. "Oh, all right! I'll--"
"I'll take that," came a voice from the entrance of the room. Zelda raised her eyebrows. The model turned towards a certain redhead in the doorway (who is near and dear to us all), and accompanied her to a cabinet. "And I could use a few more on the same order."
Peach and Daisy stared at the woman. The latter whipped towards Zelda and said seriously, "Oh Zelda, I could DIE for you!"
"Me too!" Daisy whimpered.
"Why? I didn't really want it anyway," Zelda said, with another of her I-DID-really-want-that-but-I-won't-tell-you-so smiles.
"Wha--don't you know who that is?!" Daisy hissed.
"No, why?" Zelda asked innocently, in a voice that indicated she didn't care very much.
"That's Malon Allen!" Peach said.
Zelda put on another forced smile, and said slowly, "Malon Allen?" She pretended the name meant nothing to her, as it hadn't a few weeks ago. Saria and Marin exchanged glances.
"And at 225 she could use a few more!" Daisy whispered.
"Mrs. Haines, your room is ready now," announced a worker.
With something of a confused/sad look on her face (imagine a lost puppy), Zelda automatically stood up and followed the worker to a room just down the way.
Meanwhile, in the dressing room across the hall...
"Is that all, Miss Allen?" a worker asked.
"Yes, I think so," Malon answered.
"Now you're opening a charge here, correct?" the worker asked, getting out a pen and a small pad of paper.
"Correct," Malon said, opening a box containing a long, sequined dress.
"And where will we be recieving your payments from?" the worker inquired. "The bank?"
"Oh no, I haven't an account yet," Malon answered.
"Then on cash, or...credit?"
"No, no," Malon answered.
"Well... I'm sorry, Miss Allen, but we must have a financial reference," the worker said.
"Of course, of course," Malon said, turning towards her. "You can put down Mr. Link Haines. He is a very old friend of my family."
"Ahh, yes," the worker said, smiling and writing something down. "Mrs. Haines is a very good customer of ours, you know."
Malon, of course, had not known this. She put on a false sweet smile. "Oh...really? Well, um... I haven't really met Mrs. Haines yet, so would you mind not telling her that I used her husband as a reference?"
"Of course not," the worker said. "We understand."
"Whaddya mean you understand?!" Malon asked indignantly.
"Oh, no, I--I didn't mean--"
"No, no, that's quite all right," Malon said lightly, beginning to undress. "It's just that ..... oh, well being here in a new town; you've got to be so careful about not doing anything that people might misconstrue! You see, I haven't met Mrs. Haines socially before, so I'd feel funny if she knew that I--"
"Yes, of course," the worker said eagerly. "Women are funny about little things like that."
"Yes..." Malon sighed. "Say, you know that blue number you had in the show, the one that was all drippy with embroidery?"
"You mean the blue negligeé?" the worker asked.
"Yeah, yeah, would you bring that in? I'd like to try it on."
"Certainly, Ms. Allen."
Meanwhile, back at Zelda's dressing room--
Zelda stood on a small platform in front of a three-way mirror. She wore an elegant black gown, tight towards the top and middle, then becoming long and wider at the bottom. Mournfully, Zelda looked at her three reflections. Was there something wrong with her that Link didn't like?
"Oh, that really suits you, Mrs. Haines!" exclaimed her assisstant at the place, named Jane.
"Really? Oh, thank you," Zelda said distractedly.
"I brought the hat part of it. Would you like to try it on?"
"Sure."
"Yoo-hoo! May I come in?" came an all-too-familiar bubbly voice. It was Peach. "Hello, dearie."
"Take a seat, Peach," Zelda said, fastening on two crystal earrings.
"Divine dress, darling," Peach said.
"Thank you."
Jane left, leaving the two of them alone. As soon as the door closed, Peach leapt up and took a hold of Zelda's elbow.
"Zelda, dear, you DO know. Why don't you confide in me?"
"Quiet, Peach," Zelda said softly, still gazing blankly at the mirror.
"Now, come on, dear, you've known about this all along, it'll help to talk it out with somebody."
"Stay out of my affairs, Peach," Zelda said, stepping off of the stool and walking towards a wall.
"I most certainly will not!" Peach said. "I've kept quiet for too long! You're the only one in New York who doesn't know all about this! And if you think I'm just going to stand calmly by and let you bury your head in the sand like some ostrich, you're very much mistaken! Marth says that he hasn't seen Link in the club during the afternoons for weeks." She tried to look at Zelda's face to see her reaction, but Zel was doing a fine job of avoiding eye contact. "Look where she was six months ago, and look where she is now!"
"Peach, will you PLEASE let me do what I want to do with my own life?" Zelda pleaded quietly.
The door opened, and Jane stood there, calling out to someone outside, "Mara, show Miss Allen that negligeé you're wearing--" Then turned towards them. "Sorry, Mrs. Haines, I gave you the wrong hat by mistake. I've got the right one, though."
"I was wondering," Zelda laughed softly, taking off the hat she was wearing. Jane began to fasten the new one on her.
"By the way, is that Malon Allen across the hall?" Peach asked.
"Yes," Jane answered, as. "Do you know her?"
"Why--"
"Has she a lot of money?"
"I think she knows where she can get a lot," Peach said, beginning to play around with a couple of the sashes on Zelda's dress and grinning rather wickedly.
"Well, she's buying everything she sees, regardless," Jane sighed. Zelda breathed in deeply, choking a little. "Why--Mrs. Haines, are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, I'm just a little tired, that's all," Zelda said, forcing a smile.
"Perhaps you've been standing too long," Jane said.
"Yes, I think that's it."
"Uh, you go get her a glass of sherry," Peach said quickly.
"Oh, surely." Jane rushed out of the room, and Zelda sat down. Peach squatted next to her, trying her sweet disposition tactic again.
"Now Zelda, you'd feel so much better if you told your troubles to some one," Peach said in the kindest voice she could muster. "Why don't you just confide in me? Link's an absolute WORM spending money on a girl like that!"
"Shut up, Peach!" Zelda cried, getting to her feet. "Just leave me alone!"
"But now's your chance, Zelda!" Peach persisted. "Malon's in just the next room! Get it over with, just go in there and--"
"Go in there?!" Zelda repeated. She shook her head, saying, "I'm going home."
Jane came back to the room with concern, holding a glass of sherry, but Peach took the glass and then shoved her back out the door.
"You can't go, not now!" Peach said desperately. "Just go in there and say a few quiet words! Tell her you'll make Link's life an absolute tornado until he gives her up!"
"PEACH...GO ....AWAY," Zelda said in a choked, determined voice.
Rather huffily, Peach stood on top of the stool in front of the three- way mirror as Zelda made for the door. "Well, she may be a perfectly good influence on your husband, but she's not going to do your child any good." She glanced sideways to try and catch Zelda's facial expression right now.
"What did you say?" Zelda asked quietly, turning back towards her.
"Huh. Far be it from me to tell you things you don't care to hear," Peach snorted. "Daisy wanted me to tell you when we called you up in Bermuda, but did I utter?"
Zelda walked in front of Peach and grabbed her wrist, saying forcefully, "What's this got to do with my child?!"
"Well. It happened while you were away," Peach said, as Zelda's hand slipped from her wrist. "Daisy saw them: Link, that creature, and Young Zelda lunching together in the park. She said they were having a hilarious time; seated pretty cozy, eating ice cream, and Malon was kissing Young Zelda between every bite! When I heard that, I became just heart sick, dear."
Peach tried to read Zelda's expression, but it was too blank. She gave a sigh, and stepped off of the stool. "Well, as you say, it's your affair--not mine." As she walked out the door, Peach added, "No doubt that girl will make an awfully good stepmama for your daughter." Then she exited, shutting the door loudly behind her.
Rubbing her forehead, Zelda tried to think clearly. 'Calm down, Zel, you don't need to get excited,' she told herself. 'Peach was only trying to ....' Suddenly, a new feeling washed over Zelda. A feeling of acute anger, supremacy and regal-ness. Her head raised high, she left her dressing room and defiantly strode defiantly across the hall.
Peach looked from around the corner as Zelda opened the door to the room containing Malon.
For a moment, Zelda could not breathe as Malon, dressed in a slinky golden bath robe, turned to face her. "I beg your pardon?" the redhead asked, smiling in confusion.
"I am Mrs. Link Haines," Zelda said mechanically.
Malon frowned with her smile still in place. So this woman was her competition; this uncommonly attractive girl? "I'm sorry, I don't think I know you."
"I believe it's my husband you know," Zelda said seriously.
"Oh," Malon said flatly. "So, Link's finally told you."
"No, he's never mentioned you. But I couldn't stand by and let this happen any longer."
"Uh-huh, well, that takes a lot of guilt off my shoulders," Malon said, still grinning. "Personally, I'm glad you know."
"You've been seeing my daughter, that's why I came to talk to you," Zelda said quietly. "I won't have you coming near my daughter!"
"You don't have to get hysterical about it!" Malon said, turning her back on Zelda and fixing her hair while looking in a mirror. "What do I care about your daughter, I'm sick of hearing about her."
"You won't have to hear about her anymore," Zelda said coolly, still quiet. "Because you and my husband aren't going on seeing each other."
"That's .... rather up to Link, isn't it?" Malon asked, lighting a cigarette.
"You've made it impossible for me to do anything else!" Zelda cried, changing the subject a little.
"Still, it IS Link's decision," Malon said. She smirked again. "He seems to be satisfied with this arrangement."
Zelda shook her head. "I know that Link could never really love a girl like you."
Malon nodded. "Well, if he couldn't, he's an awfully good actor." She laughed, then gave Zelda a confused smile. "Look, I still don't see what you're complaining about, Mrs. Haines! You've got everything that matters! You've got the name, the position, the money--!"
"My husband's love happens to mean more to me than those things," Zelda said patiently, smiling superciliously.
"Ugh, you noble wives bore the brains outta me," Malon sighed, laughing a little bit. "Bet you bore your husbands, too..."
"Oh, you ARE a hard one, aren't you?" Zelda asked softly, smirking.
"Oh, I can be soft on the right occasion," Malon replied, smiling suggestively. Zelda stiffened, and Malon continued. "Look--what did you expect me to do; burst into tears and beg you to forgive me?" Her smile widened. "That's what you really came in here for, wasn't it?"
"Not after seeing you," Zelda answered. "You're even more typical than I dared hope."
"Well honey, that goes double," Malon sneered. "Now, look--I'd break up your snug little roost if I could, but I don't stand a chance." She saw Zelda smile again, so she quickly and haughtily added, "Oh don't think that it's because your husband isn't crazy about me. It's just that Link's the kind of man who lets that old fashioned sentiment put the Indian sign on him, and that's IT."
"I'm glad that you understand the power of sentiment, Miss Allen," Zelda said. "Because it's beauty is something you'll never know."
Glaring at her, Malon put out her cigarette out and strode towards the door. She opened it (not noticing about fifteen workers scrambling away from it--they'd been eavesdropping, the little weasels!). "This happens to be MY dressing room, Mrs. Haines," Malon said.
Zelda walked towards her. "Yes, it's yours .... for the time being, like everything else you've got. But the time to wake up from the dream world will come soon." She was about to leave, when she glanced down at the robe that revealed much of Malon's shapely legs and smirked again. "May I suggest that if you're dressing to please Link .... not that one. He ... doesn't like such obvious attempts."
"Whenever something I wear doesn't please Link, I take it off," Malon assured her, putting on another impious grin.
Zelda shook her head and stared at Malon. Then she raised a hand a slapped her sharply across the face. And with that, Zelda walked regally back to her own dressing room, and both women's doors slammed shut.
The worker who had been assisting Malon clicked her tongue. "So that's what she calls 'meeting Mrs. Haines socially.'"
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A/N: mua ha haa! isn't malon evil? btw, if ur an AVID lz person, u can just check in this story on the last chapter. if i wasn't writing this story, chances r i wouldn't be reading it b/c i hate malon. however, keep up reading for the comedy and cleverness (once again i remind u this is NOT an original plot here). plz review!!