CHAPTER SIX
Nellie wasn't the only one that didn't take a liking to Peyton. Grandmary had thought that he was rather argumentative, but like Samantha she was entranced by his handsome looks, glamour, and wealth. The Admiral downright detested Peyton with a passion. Since he did not pass muster with the Admiral, Samantha was no longer allowed to see Peyton. She did not take the news well.
""That's not fair!" Samantha had cried. "How could you not like him? He's a Denardo! Why having me marrying him would put our family up with the Rockefellers."
"I don't care," the Admiral replied. "He has no respect for his elders, you are not to see him anymore. I am sure you can another young gentleman to call on you."
"Not with you banning me from going to dances," Samantha quipped.
To try and brighten Samantha's spirits, Nellie hid the box of truffles on the piano the next day.
Dear Samantha
I wish I could see you again but you haven't been to any of the dances lately. I miss you. I would love to get to know you better.
Y.S.A.
"See Nellie!" Samantha roared. "It's just not fair. Grandmary is keeping us shut up in her house like we are two old nuns! I have had enough of it. I am going to this Saturday's dance."
"You can't go," Nellie replied. "It's been banned. You would have no way to get there, and Elsa would catch you again."
"Not if I go after I have already gone to bed for the night," Samantha went on. She began to speak in a whisper.
"If we snuck out after we had gone off to bed she wouldn't be keeping an ear out for us. We would just have to make sure that we came back in quietly. No one would know."
"What's this "we" stuff?" Nellie asked. "I am not sneaking out of here to go to some silly dance. I am content to stay here with my books."
"That's because you are just an old fuddy-duddy," Samantha snapped. "If you aren't going to go out with me you can at least help me not get caught. Sneaking out of the house I am fine on, but sneaking back in I will need your help. I will need you to creep downstairs and unlock the front door for me."
"I'm sorry Samantha but I am not going to help you deceive your grandmother," Nellie answered. "What if Elsa hears me creeping down the stairs?"
"You're not supposed to get caught by Elsa," Samantha said. "Please Nellie. I should be back by one o'clock at the latest. All you have to do is sneak downstairs and unlock the front door around let's say twelve-thirty. I have to see Peyton again! I must! If word gets out that Grandmary and the Admiral rejected a Denardo, I might be doomed for life."
"I'm sure there are other places to meet young men other than Mount Bedford, or else I am doomed with you," Nellie said evenly.
"No, you don't understand," Samantha sighed. "The Denardo's are a huge old American family. Even the Admiral had heard of their name. They are famous."
"Hardly," Nellie giggled.
"If you help me, I will let you borrow my diamond choker," Samantha bribed.
""You already owe me that," replied Nellie.
"Well then you can borrow anything else that you wish," Samantha offered desperately. "Like my garnets. You have always liked my garnets."
"I have my own set," Nellie responded.
"My Paris bonnet?" Samantha asked. "The one I bought in Paris last year."
"I don't want to borrow that old thing," Nellie exclaimed.
Samantha let out a sigh of frustration.
"Here I am at the prime of my life. Young, elegant, and beautiful. And I have to spend it being all shut up like an old maid. I will never get to see Peyton again, or try and find out who my secret admirer is."
Nellie thought for a moment. Not being able to see Peyton anymore would also mean no more Eugene. She remembered how mesmerized and adoringly Eugene had looked at Samantha while she played. She might not think that Peyton with Samantha was right, or sneaking around behind Grandmary's back was right, but helping a poetic soul desperately in love, was definitely the right thing to do.
It was a quarter after midnight on Saturday. Nellie was up in bed finally making some headway though Vanity Fair. Since she was going to have to get up and unlock the door at twelve-thirty, she had decided to just stay up and read until then. Samantha had crafted a brilliant plan. She had gotten Maude to wait until later to attend the evening's dance at the Royal Bedford, so Samantha could walk to Maude's house and then hitch a ride with her, and do the same coming home. Samantha had snuck out uneventfully. Nellie hoped that for Eugene's sake as well as Samantha's, that she made it back in as unnoticed. He had been by again today with another note and a small posy of tea roses.
At five minutes to the half of the hour, Nellie slipped out of bed and into her slippers and robe. She lit a candle to take with her, lest she fall and wake the whole house up, and began to carefully open her door. Her door had a creak in it, and in order to open it without the creak, she had to open it painstakingly slow. Then she carefully tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs. She unlocked the door, and began to creep back up the stairs but she moved to quickly and there were a few creaks.
"I've caught you!" A voice cackled behind her. Nellie's stomach dropped to her feet, as she whirled around to see Elsa standing at the foot of the stairs. That woman must have four sets of ears! Nellie had been a little creaky, but not that loud.
"What are you up prowling around at this hour for?" She demanded.
Nellie couldn't think of anything to say, she was speechless.
"I bet you were up trying to snatch some food," Elsa accused. Nellie nodded, sounded like a good excuse to her. "Well I am not going to have you handpicking through the leftovers," Elsa scolded. "Give whatever you took back to me."
Nellie wasn't sure what to do. She didn't have anything to give.
"I already ate it miss," she stammered.
"You eat faster and more junk than a goat," Elsa muttered. "Off to bed with you. I am tired of you girls waking an old woman out of her sleep!"
There was one young gentleman in Mount Bedford who couldn't be wooed over by Samantha's beauty and charm, Eddie Ryland.
Eddie Ryland had spent many happy childhood afternoons antagonizing Samantha, and no matter how lovely, elegant, or sophisticated she had become she would always be Samantha, the silly, bossy, girl-next-door who used to hang out with their old servant girl. Samantha had been a brat. One time she had pulled out a wad of his chewing gum, and stuck it into his hair, causing his mother to have to sheer off some of his adorable curls. He had seen her a few times during that summer coming and going out of her grandmother's, and he had heard other pals of his claim that Samantha was a goddess, and he did agree that she was quite beautiful, but still he wanted nothing to do with her. Eddie climbed inside the lilac bush that separated his house from Samantha's. There was a hole in the bush that led to a tunnel, a perfect hideout. Eddie had coveted that hideout spot as a boy, but Samantha always took it over all for herself and that servant girl.
Tonight however, it was Eddie's tunnel or so he thought. Mrs. Ryland was opposed to smoking, and violently opposed to smoking inside her house. Eddie found this incredibly annoying when he would come home on school vacations. Eddie and his room mate were used to smoking wherever they pleased, and now he had to always go outside.
Eddie's mother had never been quite right. She suffered from extreme mood swings that could take place in a mere second. One minute she would be impeccably sweet, and accommodating, the next minute she would lunge into a violent tantrum, throwing things and yelling obscenities. As time went on, Eddie's mother had gotten much worse. So worse that his father had been keeping her on opium so at least she would stay quiet in her room, instead of making a scene in front of businessmen, friends, and family that had come to call. With Eddie's mother so unpredictable, sometimes she allowed smoking as long as it was outside, other times not at all, so Eddie had taken over Samantha's old lilac bush, and made it into Eddie's smoke bush.
That particular evening Eddie's mother had had one of her worst tantrums yet, actually smashing a whole tea set in front of some fine lady friends, and with his father away, Eddie had had to deal with everything. To wind down he decided that a nightly smoke was what the doctor would have ordered.
Eddie got down on his hands and knees and began to crawl through the lilac hedge. He immediately heard some faint giggles and then a shush, and then another little giggle. He was not alone!
Eddie crawled in further to see who exactly was the uninvited guest to Eddie's smoke bush. There was Samantha Parkington with the front of her dress pulled down, her hair a mess, going hot and heavy with some goon. Most girls probably would think he was incredibly handsome with chiseled good looks, but Eddie thought that he was so chiseled he looked like he had been carved out of a block of cream cheese.
"Why Samantha Parkington!" He bellowed. "Kissing! Slobbering! Gross!"
Samantha shrieked, fortunately Peyton covered her mouth to dull the sound.
"Eddie you dog!" She gasped. "You're not supposed to be here!"
"I'm not?" Eddie said with amusement. "I'm not the one sitting here with my dress hanging open."
Samantha's dress was unbuttoned, and falling down in the front, her hair was a mess. Peyton's tie was undone, as well as the buttons on his shirt.
Samantha was fuming with rage!
"Eddie Ryland," she snapped. "If you don't get out of here I'm going to –"
"What?" Eddie asked. "Take my chewing gum and stuff it into my hair again? Too bad. I don't chew gum anymore." He opened his silver cigarette box, and popped a cigarette into his mouth.
"I will tell your mother you went out here for a smoke," Samantha spat.
"Go right ahead," Eddie replied. "You can go tell my wacko mother that her eighteen year old son is out smoking. It's not going to make my life anymore miserable. Hey Don Juan," he gestured to Peyton. "Can you light my smoke?"
Peyton fumbled for his Zippo.
"Eddie, you can't tell anyone about this," Samantha said.
"Why not?" Asked Eddie. "You don't think your old grandmother would approve?"
"That old nag gets upset if you even look at one of her granddaughters," Peyton laughed.
"Gee Samantha you've sure grown from the girl who used to use this lilac bush to play with dolls in. Now you play with men," Eddie and Peyton laughed.
"That is enough!" Samantha sprang up, pulling the front of her dress up. "Come on Peyton. I am so sorry that we can't seem to find any privacy anywhere."
"Privacy!" Eddie snapped. "You were kissing outside, in public!"
"Not one word about this Eddie," Samantha said one more time. "Please do not tell Grandmary or the Admiral."
"Yes you royal majesty," Eddie mocked. "But she should really know what a naughty girl you've become!"
"Eddie" Samantha mouthed and her and Peyton disappeared out of the hedge.
Eddie leaned back into the bush and took a long drag off his cigarette.
Samantha sure is dumb. He thought. Making out with some dandy in a bush like that. Her
grandmother really needs to know how dumb she is.