- Chapter 6 -
Candy had bid Archie, Annie and Patty farewell, promising to keep their lunch appointment next week. She then joined Terry and Eleanor on their way to the Congress Hotel. She told Eleanor what exactly had happened to Terry, the operation required and the care he needed for the following few weeks.
"It is such a relief that you are a nurse, Candy..." Eleanor said.
The presidential suite in the Congress Hotel that Eleanor was staying in was nothing short of splendid. There were two bedrooms with full bathrooms, a formal parlor with a chimney, a music room with a piano, a formal dining room and a library. The salon had large windows with French doors that led to a garden area with a balcony. A marvelous view of Lake Michigan could be seen from there. The suite itself had several vases with fresh flowers and had its own private butler. He was at the ready when Eleanor, Terry and Candy arrived.
"Good afternoon, Madame Baker…" he greeted them.
"Good afternoon...this is my son, Terrence Grandchester and Miss Candice White Andley, a personal friend…" she told the butler, giving him several of Terry's items. "Miss Andley is going to ask you to source some items that we need here for my son's recuperation…please do everything you can to help her." Eleanor indicated.
"At once, Madame…" he replied, "Miss Andley, may I see you now?"
Candy nodded and went with him. She wanted to make sure Terry was going to be as comfortable as possible with the necessary accoutrements.
"Come, son…" Eleanor said, taking Terry to the master bedroom.
"Mother, I…" he started, "I can stay in the second bedroom…"
"Don't think of it, Terry…this one is much more comfortable. Do not worry, I will do everything to make you feel at home…"
"But what about your season?"
"You are my priority now, Terrence…I have worked hard for so many years, I can now have the luxury of working where and when I want to…"
Candy came into the room. "You should lay down, Terry…" she said, "we have had an odd day today." She started helping him get comfortable with such natural ease and he responded in kind that Eleanor was quite pleased to see the level of intimacy they had. She now knew for certain that this was the true love of her son's heart. "By the way, I've asked the butler to send up a tea service, complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones and clotted cream…" Candy said with a small wink to Terry.
"Did you order for me, or for you, Lady Freckles?" Terry teased, knowing Candy's fondness for sweets.
She didn't reply…she just gave him a special look.
"That was a wonderful idea, Candy…I am going to leave you for a bit, so that I can get comfortable…" Eleanor excused, and she left the room.
Candy looked at Terry and was a bit disconcerted at the expression on his face. "Why are you so glum, Terry?" she asked, perplexed. Terry's mood had changed once his mother left the room.
"Why shouldn't I be? I was quite happy sleeping in the bottom bunk…" he retorted.
"Terry…I don't want to argue about this now…" she said.
"Neither do I…I realize that it is the best decision but that doesn't mean I am happy with it…Can't you see how content I am living with you?"
Candy felt the same way. She took his hand. They just looked at each other with earnestness, nothing needed to be said. It seemed just a few seconds, when in fact it had been a few minutes.
"Candy…Terry…the tea is served!" Eleanor announced. She was wearing the most beautiful, exquisite tea gown Candy had ever seen. It was dark blue heavy silk, Asian style with kimono sleeves and woven peacock feather motif. It was loose fitting and went all the way to the floor, very fashion forward. It was from the house of Lanvin in Paris.
"Oh…Eleanor…how beautiful!" Candy exclaimed, unable to contain her admiration. Terry got up.
"Do you like it, child? I can get one for you as soon as I get to New York…" she offered. There was nothing Eleanor was going to deny Candy.
"Candy makes everything so exciting…she is never jaded…" Terry added, putting his hand on her shoulder. He had always admired that quality in her.
"I do like it…but I don't know if I even would look good wearing something like that…" It was bolder than anything she was used to wearing. "Archie would certainly approve, come to think of it…" she mused in her head. Suddenly, she had the desire to upgrade her wardrobe to something a bit more sophisticated.
"Nonsense, child…it would suit you very well….we will need to go out shopping soon…" Eleanor replied and they went to the salon to take their tea.
They sat down and enjoyed the service, talking about this and that for a while. Candy could not resist having two scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves; Terry fixed both of them for her. Again, Eleanor noticed her son's devoted manner with the young woman. When they were about done, Candy was about to say that she was going to go back to her apartment to wait for Albert, when the Butler announced, "Sir William Albert Andley is here, Madame."
"Albert…he's here!" murmured Candy. She was not expecting this.
He came in and greeted everyone. "I hope I have not interrupted anything…" he apologized.
"Not at all, my dear Monsieur Andley." Eleanor said.
"Albert, Madame Baker…" he said, kissing her hand in greeting.
"Eleanor, Albert…." she insisted, pleased.
They both smiled.
"Well, Candy, I got your note as soon as I returned to our apartment, so I decided to meet you here instead…I might as well inspect the property." he said, jovially.
"Inspect the property?" Candy asked.
"Why yes…we own this hotel…" Albert smiled. "Although, I wanted to propose to Eleanor and Terry to come stay at the Andley mansion…I think the cooks are a bit better over there…"
"Oh, that is very kind, but isn't that too much of an imposition?" Eleanor said. Secretly, she knew Terry was going to prefer to stay wherever Candy was staying, but she had to be polite.
"Not at all…I would be most honored…besides, Terry was our houseguest up until the last few hours…" Albert said, with a twinkle in his eye.
"The Andley mansion…" Candy murmured. Things were becoming more real to her. "But what about our apartment?"
"Candy…I…" Albert started. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but he did not want to burden Eleanor and Terry with them.
"Candy, perhaps you and Albert should go talk elsewhere and just advise us later…Terrence, what do you think of Albert's kind invitation?" Eleanor asked.
Terry's brow was a bit furrowed. If Candy wasn't going to be in the mansion, he might as well stay put. Then, again, he didn't want to appear rude. "Why don't we plan on spending at least tonight here, mother, then we can decide tomorrow?" he suggested.
"That sounds very sensible…Candy, shall we go now?" Albert asked.
Candy nodded. Even though she was talking to Mr. Albert, now he was William Albert Andley and she wasn't quite sure now who he was.
"I promise I will come back soon…" Candy said. Suddenly, she felt odd leaving Terry behind.
"Please…" he replied.
George Johnson noticed that Miss Candy was a lot quieter than usual. She was riding with Albert in the back seat of Albert's Cadillac automobile. She had only said hello to him when they got into the car at the Congress Hotel.
Albert sensed the girl's apprehension and confusion, but did not want to trouble her further. He knew she had to come around to the idea that he was William Albert Andley. She did not want to have dinner yet, she said. So they had entered the car and headed off without a destination.
After a few minutes of silent driving, she finally spoke up. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"I was taking you to our apartment…" Albert gently replied.
"I suppose you cannot live there anymore…" she said. Her voice sounded depressed. The weight of the revelation was starting to settle on her, and it was not comfortable.
"I wish the opposite were true…that is one reason I did not reveal who I was for such a long time…now that it is out in the open, I have to assume all my responsibilities now…but Candy, please let me tell you, the time I spent with you there was the happiest in my life…" Albert looked at her, full of fraternal love.
"Where am I going to live now?" she asked, anxious.
"Anywhere you wish, little one. Although, it really isn't safe for you to live alone…"
"I'm sure Great Aunt Elroy wouldn't approve anyway…" she muttered, a bit acerbically.
"Great Aunt Elroy is not going to pester you anymore. You are free and old enough to decide what you want to do. I am just here to help you along…" he declared.
"I wish…I wish…" Candy said, starting to cry. She felt physically sick now.
"George, please stop the car…" Albert asked, worried.
Candy got out of the car. They had stopped on Lake Shore drive, right near the park where she had had the most wonderful outing with Terry the day before. The cool, early evening air felt good and her nausea subsided.
"Do you want to sit by the lake?" Albert asked.
"Yes, please…if that is alright…I hope I am not taking up your time…" she replied, gravelly.
"Candy…" Albert said. He took her in his arms and stroked her hair. "Little one, I am sorry about all of this…I've made a fine mess, haven't I? Please forgive me…"
"No, Albert…it isn't that…it is just that…I don't know what to do now. What are you expecting of me? Am I going to have to be some society heiress debutante now? Like Eliza?" Her stomach turned at the thought.
"I don't expect you to conduct yourself any different that you are doing so now. I am proud of you…you are a breath of fresh air, Candy…please don't ever change..."
Candy felt better. The man was William Albert Andley, but everything he was saying and doing was the Mr. Albert she knew. Maybe she was worrying over nothing.
She sat down on the bench and Albert did likewise.
"Terry and I had a nice talk here yesterday…" she said, missing him.
"I see…have you two sorted things out?" He was curious, but tried not to sound too eager.
"Yes…he wants to go back to New York, help Suzanne and get his career back in order…and then…he wants to come back for me so that we can marry…" she said, a bit shy.
Albert beamed. So Terry was able to help Candy overcome the Suzanne dilemma!
"He told me so, himself…I gave him my blessing…" he said, "that young man is quite besotted with you…he's certainly recuperated faster than I thought, and I am sure it is because you are near him…he's a fine young man, Candy…I appreciate him and his friendship very much."
"Terry knew?" she asked in disbelief.
"He found out yesterday because I told him…don't hold it against him, I made him swear and he swore on what he hold most dear and holy…and that is you, little one…"
They fell silent again, looking over at the expansiveness of Lake Michigan.
"Albert…can you tell me a story?" she asked after a while.
"Of course…"
"How did you become Mr. Albert?"
"Well, once upon a time…" he started, trying not to make the tale too heavy. He told the story he had passed on to the Leegan siblings, with a few exceptions. "When my sister passed away, I was devastated…she and Elroy had raised me, but up until then Rosemary had been the guiding hand…I loved her so much. Oh, Elroy took good care of me, but it does not compare to the love of a sibling…I continued under Elroy's tutelage until I was old enough to go to College….for a time I went to Harvard to pursue some studies, but I found that too stifling for me. When I saved you from drowning, when you were at the Leegans, I had just returned from Harvard. Even then, Elroy was adamant that I assume my responsibilities then, but I quite wasn't ready to give my self imposed sabbatical up yet. I just wanted to be left alone for a while, so that I could do whatever I pleased before I was to settle in to becoming the head of the Andley family. She was exasperated, I think, because my father and I are very alike….although I never met Father…from what other people have told me, he and I are very alike in temperament… I was living in the hunting lodge, in disguise, because I wanted to be just Albert, not William Albert Andley…can you believe our own keepers threw me out…anyway when the Mexico incident happened, George told me that the boys all appealed to me in letters to stop that insanity from happening and I immediately knew what I had to do. Actually, I had considered the idea of adopting you before the incident…you know, like my father, I feel the need to incorporate into my family people we cherish and appreciate…much the same way he did with George Johnson…"
"Really?" Candy said. This was news to her. Much more surprising was the revelation about the Cornwell's mother and Eliza's mother.
"Yes, my father took him in as a young man after he met him in France. Seems that George, who was an orphan, was a bit of a street urchin, but Father saw something more in him. So he brought him back to the States and became his guardian. For me, I saw your wonderful goodness and independence, and you reminded me so much of my beloved Rosemary, whom I missed so much and had been so lonely without after she unexpectedly passed away…you have made me very proud Candy, and I owe you my very life…" he looked at her very earnestly with his blue eyes.
"Please, Mr. Albert…it has been you who saved me more than once…and I owe you so much, your generosity has had no limits with me…" she thanked him.
"Perhaps, but to save one's mind and one's soul is a far greater feat. Your love, compassion and tenderness allowed me to regain my mind and my identity after I had lost it…and it has allowed Terry to regain the hope and drive in his life…"
"Albert…did you ever get the letter were I renounced being an Andley?" she asked, curious.
"Yes, of course…but I knew that with time and in knowing who I really was, perhaps you would desist…although with how all of this came to light, I would not be at all surprised if you told me that you don't want to be an Andley anymore…"
"Well…now that I know who you really are…you are my family Albert…how could I not want to be a part of it…" she said. Albert took her in his arms protectively.
"I will always support your wishes, Candice…I may not agree with them all the time, but I will always support you, because I love you for all that you are…" he gently stroked her beautiful hair.
Candy felt that the bond between them strengthened at that very moment. Now, they truly were brother and sister.
After a silent moment like that, she asked, "Are you going to live in the Mansion?"
"I have to, now, little one…but I can spend one last night in our apartment…there, with you…I can cook us some dinner, what do you think…plus I want to go pick up Poupee…I think he will enjoy the woods on the grounds of the Mansion very well…as to what you want, again, I support whatever decision you want to make in regards to where you are going to live..."
Candy said, "I think I will go to the Mansion with you tomorrow...I also think Terry will be more than happy to go there too, once he finds out…he's so funny sometimes…he tries to hide behind his masks but I can usually read him like a book now…well…most of the times I can…" she smiled. "He was very hard to figure out at the beginning when we first met!"
Albert smiled too. He recalled the day at the Blue River Zoo when they had quarreled. Neither of them knew, but he had watched them from afar the moment he had left his park keeper's cottage. It was there when he knew they had fallen in love with each other, even if they themselves weren't aware of it.
"But there are some things I want to do…" she continued.
"Of course…whatever you want…" he offered.
"I really feel bad about going back and telling Dr. Martin that I won't be working with him anymore."
"Are you sure you want stop working, Candy?" Albert had not anticipated this.
"Yes…I want to take care of Terry until he's fully well…and after he leaves….I want to have the chance of helping out at Pony's Home, for the last time…my nursing skills will come in very handy…"
"I see…" Albert said, understanding.
"But Albert…isn't there a way we can help Dr. Martin out?"
"What do you propose, little one?" he asked.
"He should have a nice new building, fully equipped and a staff to help him…then it can really be the Happy Clinic."
"Aha…go on…"
"I can set something up with Ms Mary Jane…she can send graduates over to work with him…the clinic shall be for the poor and the needy so that they can get the best possible care…that will make him feel really needed again and maybe he won't tipple so much…" she said.
"You are quite the philanthropist, Miss Andley…I couldn't have asked for anything more!" Albert exclaimed, quite thrilled.
Candy and Albert spent one last night in their apartment. It was a bittersweet ending to that chapter in their life. She decided to leave the apartment prepaid for one year for Dr. Martin to move into. The good Doctor didn't know what was going on when she and Albert showed up at the Happy Clinic the following morning.
"Who died?" he asked, puzzled at seeing Albert all dressed up in his tailored suit. He looked very sharp. "Goodness, don't tell me that Terry…"
"Oh no! Not at all!" Candy assured him, "I have some good news and some bad news…"
"It figures! Do I need to pour myself a whisky?" he complained.
"Please, Dr. Martin…" Candy sounded a bit distressed. She worried about people's vices and tried her best to get them to quit.
"I was just joking, Candy…I haven't hit the bottle since I saw Terry…to see how he hit rock bottom really shook me up…I don't want to end up like that…with my luck, someone will knife me, and knife me good…so what's the bad news?"
"The bad news is that I have to quit, as of today…" she said, matter of factly.
"Quit? Why?" Dr. Martin was surprised.
"Well that is the good news…" and then they told him the whole story.
"Jiminy Crickets! This sounds more like a serial in Tribune1 than a real story!" he said, in disbelief, "…and you want to fund a private clinic for me, to top it off?"
"Yes! Do you think it is a good idea?" Candy was enthusiastic.
"Good idea? It is a great idea! But I just want you to make sure of something"
"Of course…"
"When you marry that English bloke, you have to invite me to the wedding!" Dr. Martin winked.
1 The Chicago Tribune, the local newspaper
