Chapter 3

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Emily rolled off her bed again, her silk bedspread wrapping around her as she tumbled onto the hard oak wood floor.

Emily sighed as she sat up, shedding the blanket into a heap on the floor and walking to her closet, pulling out yet another dress, it was times like this she wished she could just be like a boy and wear pants, but that was very un-ladylike.

She glanced at her clock, it was 7:12, it was way too early for a Sunday but she had church, she may be a Christian, but church was utterly boring for her.

She sighed and pulled on her corset, it tightened around her chest, she hated it.

"Hello Miss Vanderbilt," her nanny Loretta said, strolling into her room.

Both Emily and Elizabeth had nannies along with Iris, Emily's was Loretta and Elizabeth's was Antoinette or Toni has Emily called her.

Loretta was beautiful, she was tall and slender, Italian, in her mid thirties with black curly hair, olive skin and soft brown eyes.

"It's Em to you Etta," Emily said with a smile.

Loretta smiled back at her and grabbed her mint green dress, it was huge with a hoopskirt and a train.

"Why do I always feel like I'm living back in the seventeen hundreds?" Emily asked with a laugh as she stared at the dress.

"I think they want you to be…" Etta said, pulling out a large mint green hat, it had a green feather on the top, it was huge, it reminded Emma of wearing a tube on her head, she hated hats like that.

"Why all of this for church?" Emily asked, as Loretta pulled the dress on Emily, buttoning the back.

"You won't be attending church today…" Loretta started.

That could only mean one thing.

"No!" Emily exclaimed, "A banquet?"

Loretta nodded dully as she grabbed her makeup, applying mint green eye shadow to her eyes, blush to her cheeks, and pink lipstick to her lips.

"God!" Emily exclaimed, flopping onto her bed, "Where is it this time?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"Here in Manhattan, at the Callaway manor."

"I hate it there, that's where Charles lives, I hate Charles,"

The Callaway manor was where Emily's fathers assistant Martin lived, and along with Martin was his wife Martha, and there seventeen year old Charles…Emily hated Charles, he always tried sneaking moves on her, she loathed him entirely.

"I didn't even remember daddy mentioning a banquet today," Emily said.

"He just heard about it last night at Medda's. You are supposed to be there at eight and you will be having breakfast and then the banquet is to begin at nine,"

"What's it for?"

"Elections are in less than a month,"

"Damn." Emily muttered, Loretta laughed.

"This may sound mean," Emily started, "But I don't want daddy to make mayor, I want to live like a real teenager should, break free!" Emily exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.

"Emily! Elizabeth!" her father called from downstairs.

Emily pretended to cough, Loretta knew what she was doing.

"Good luck getting out of this Em," Loretta said.

"Please Etta?" Emily asked, practically getting on her knees, "Just make him think I'm sick,"

Loretta sighed, "Richard!" she called out, "Miss Emily has a terrible fever, she won't be able to come!"

Emily grinned and wrapped her nanny in a hug.

"Emily, why not?" Elizabeth asked, walking to her door.
Emily looked at her sister who was wearing a brown silk dress with a long train and a brown hat that looked like a beret that had a pink rose on the top of it.

Emily choked out a cough, "Sick,"

Elizabeth shrugged, "Feel better," she said and bounded off down the hallway.

Just then her mother appeared at the door, wearing a periwinkle blue dress, somewhat similar to Emily's with the hoopskirt and a long train, her hair was up in a bun, "Are you alright?"

"No mother, I think I'm sick," Emily said, coughing.

Mrs. Vanderbilt stared at her daughter, "Emily, this is the big election banquet, we'll be discussing your father running,"

"I'm sorry mother," Emily coughed again.

Emily's mother sighed, "Fine, we'll be home around five tonight, feel better. Loretta, you will be taking care of her right?"

Loretta nodded, "Of course ma'am, I'm going to make her some chicken soup in a bit,"

Mrs. Vanderbilt nodded, "Alright then…feel better sweetheart," she said with a smile and then walked back down the spiral staircase, Emily smiled when she heard the front door close and the sound of a horse's carriage leaving the cobblestone street.

"Yes!" Emily cried, and wrapped Loretta in a hug again.

"You're welcome," Loretta laughed.

"Etta?" Emily asked, breaking the hug, "Do you own any clothes less…professional?"

Loretta nodded, "Come with me," she said leading her downstairs and down a large hallway, to another wing of the house, where the hired help worked.

Etta led her into her bedroom and opened her closet, pulling out a black short sleeved dress, it had white polka dots on it and a red trim along the bottom of the dress.

"It's beautiful, can I wear it?" Emily asked, staring at the dress in awe.

Loretta nodded, "Try it on."

Emily had Loretta unbutton her dress, it feel to the floor in a heap, she took of her corset and pulled the dress on over her body, it felt amazing, like her nightgown, simple and soft and most important-comfortable.

"It's perfect," Emily said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"It looks good on you,"

"I didn't know they made short dresses like this," Emily said, referring to how the dress hit her knees.

"I made it," Etta said.

Emily stared at her nanny in surprise, "You made this?"

Loretta nodded.

"Can you make me one?" Emily asked with a smile.

Loretta smiled back at her, "I'll see what I can do, but first, let's get that goop off your face," Loretta said, sitting Emily on her stool by her mirror, washing off all of Emily's makeup with a washcloth.

"You don't need makeup you know," Loretta said, "You're beautiful without it,"

Emily smiled at her nanny, Loretta was always honest, she had been with the Vanderbilt's since Emily was five years old.

"Etta, do you know any newsies?"

"Of course I do," Loretta said, "My son's a newsie,"

Emily stared at her in disbelief, "You have a son?"

Loretta nodded, "Yep, he's sixteen years old,"

"I didn't know that." Emily said.

"You used to play with him from when you were three until you were six, then his father and I got a divorce, and his father took him…sent him to the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, I didn't know it though, I haven't seen him since he was six, so for ten years,"

"Wouldn't you get him back?" Emily asked.

Loretta shook her head, "He got custody, he was his guardian he did what he wanted to do, and then he died a few years later, drowned himself,"

"The dad or your son?"

"Marc, my husband…my son, Shawn, is still alive, at least I hope…I don't know if he thinks of me anymore,"

"I remember him!" Emily exclaimed, "Shawn Higgins, your son! He had that curly black hair and he would play poker with me even if we were just little kids, he'd gamble with anything,"

Loretta nodded with a smile, "That was my Shawn,"

Emily applied light blush to her cheeks and then stood up, "I'm going to tour around Manhattan today," she said with a smile.

"What?"

"There's this newsie I met last night, I really like him, his name's Kid Blink, I wanted to see him today, would he be at church?"

Loretta shook her head, "I don't think so,"

"So what do newsies do?"

"Deliver newspapers, check Central Park and then go to this place called Tibbys it's a restaurant where all the newsies go,"

"How do you know?"

"I've seen it,"

Emily nodded with a smile, "Thanks Etta, for everything,"

Loretta smiled, "I have one more thing for you," she said, and pulled out a white crotched shawl.

"Thanks," Emily said, and slid it over her shoulders, "Be back soon!" she said and hurried out of the house and then remembered something.

"Etta!" she said, walking back into the house.
Etta was ahead of her and held her Mary Jane's in her hand.

"Thank you," Emily said, sliding them on her feet, she smiled at Loretta and then hurried outside.

Her first day of being just Emily, began today.

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R&R! Lotsa love, degrassichick92