PLEASE do not read this chapter before reading Chapter 17, which I posted a couple of days ago.
I think you are going to enjoy the party as much as I did, especially the fireworks at the end (not literal).
If you have enjoyed reading this chapter or the one before it, please leave a word or two.
It makes a difference when you are putting so much effort into a story.
Thank you.
msmenna:
XX
As if she could feel Matthew's gaze, Mary turned her head in his direction and smiled at him.
"Oh, Matthew. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you look at me that way after all these years," Mary said.
Matthew grinned back at her. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that the beautiful woman I am looking at is still mine after all these years."
She came to him, then, sat beside him on the bed and leaned in close before raising her head with an invitation on her lips.
He happily accepted it and planted a kiss on her mouth while his hand moved to the knot that held her towel in place.
Mary broke the kiss and slapped his hand away.
"We don't have time, darling. It is going to take me an hour to get into that wretched costume I must wear and I still have no idea what I am going to do with my hair. Anna said she would stop by after she managed getting into her get-up."
Matthew took her hands in his said, "I'm nearly dressed. What if I help you get into your costume? That would free up some time, wouldn't it? "
Mary stared into his eyes for a long moment and then pulled her hands from his grasp and clasped them behind his neck.
"I think it just might, she said a bit breathlessly. You do have nimble fingers,"
Passage - Chapter XVIII
The future Earl and Countess of Grantham joined the reception line in the ballroom in the nick of time with a smile on their faces and what Martha proclaimed to be an unmistakable glow about them. She winked at Mary as she moved into position beside her husband and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow before the first guest moved on from Harold and stood before her.
"Gee!" I'm thrilled you could make it," Martha said, and then introduced the woman to Mary and Matthew as Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, affectionately known as "Gee Whitney" to her friends and in the Society columns.
Matthew smiled as he took Mrs. Whitney's hand and quirked an eyebrow as he took in her costume, perplexed as to who she could be. His eyes settled then on the tiny microscope strapped to her wrist and his mind worked furiously to come up with the names of famous female scientists.
He was about to spout off those he had come up with when Mrs. Whitney beat him to the punch, announcing she was Madame Curie and moved on to Mary.
"Brilliant woman…won one Nobel prize in physics and another in chemistry for her research on radioactivity. Not too shabby, heh?" she said.
Mary nodded her head, "Not at all," she replied and complimented Mrs. Whitney on her choice of costume.
That led to the two women exchanging the social pleasantries one did on occasions such as this, and Matthew caught bits and pieces of their conversation before Martha presented him with Gee's husband, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, dressed in Safari garb.
He and Mr. Whitney complimented each other on their costumes and agreed that the weather was perfect for a party. Then, once the man was out of earshot, Mary's grandmother whispered in his ear that he was third generation, a business tycoon, film producer, philanthropist and the owner of a significant stable of thoroughbred racehorses,
Matthew had assumed he and Mary would be introduced to a slew of wealthy and influential Americans that evening, and as the reception line moved along, his assumption proved correct. Most of the men and women who were presented to them were descendants of one of the great pioneers in American industry and members of the famous 400 Club, socialites who had amassed massive wealth, power and prestige due to their lineage.
The receiving line was filled with celebrities, too, actors and actresses who Matthew presumed were at the party because they had worked for or wanted to work with Harold and Merian Cooper in the future.
That hadn't surprised him, but the high-ranking Naval officers sandwiched between the socialites and movie stars did.
"Matthew, I am pleased to introduce you to two dear friends of the family, Rear Admiral Adolphous Andrews, Chief of Staff of the Naval War College and Admiral Edward Kalbfus, President of that esteemed institution."
As he shook hands with the two officers dressed in crisp, white uniforms he recalled what his son had shared with him regarding the history of the Navy in Newport, beginning with the Revolutionary War, where they fought alongside the French against the British. During the Civil War, the Naval Academy was moved from Annapolis to Newport for its safety and in 1883 a Naval Training Station for recruits was built The facility was put to good use during the Great War, too, providing training to 65,000 sailors at Coddington Point. There was also a Naval Torpedo Station built on Goat Island in 1889 that produced 50 torpedoes for tactical use.
The Atlantic fleet frequently utilized the harbor and at present, there were six naval vessels in port, three of them battleships which the mayor had arranged to remain while the American Cup races were in progress, beginning September 15th.
It appeared that no matter a socialite, entertainer, naval officer or the mayor, himself, Martha's guests all had one thing in common – the desire to attend one of Elsa Maxwell's parties, as they were touted as the "cat's pajamas", definitely not something you would want to miss.
A vision of his daughter Victoria asking him if cats in America wore pajamas popped into his head and he could not help but smile.
The image was so vivid that he was still grinning when Fay Wray, the actress who played the giant gorilla's love interest, Ann Darrow, in "King Kong" was presented to him. She flashed him a brilliant smile, which he assumed was because she believed he was beaming at her, and held his hand much longer than one would customarily do when dispensing with such a social amenity. Then she batted her long eyelashes at him while telling him how dashing he looked.
Thankfully Mary was engaged in conversation with Robert Armstrong, the actor who played Carl Denham in the movie, and hadn't noticed the exchange. Taking note that their conversation had come to an end, he nudged Miss Wray along, citing the long line behind her as the reason they must cut their conversation short.
Matthew was grateful when she was out of sight as he was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes off her scanty costume. It was one thing to see the woman nearly naked on a movie screen and quite another to have her standing before him in the flesh.
Bruce Cabot, who played Jack Driscoll, Ann Darrow's love interest, followed, and Matthew bristled as the man stared at Mary's cleavage. She diplomatically cleared her throat to get the insolent actor's attention and made it a point of taking his arm before introducing him as her husband. Showing no interest in him, Mr. Cabot moved on quickly to join his leading lady, and Matthew's attention was drawn to Harold, who let out such a loud whoop that everyone in the room turned their head in his direction.
"If Elsa had implemented a competition for best costume, you would win hands down, Jean, although you don't resemble any mummy I have ever seen. Way too many curves," he said, before bursting out into laughter.
Matthew took one look at Jean Harlow wrapped in nothing but layers of white linen bandages and swallowed hard.
"If your eyes pop out any further, you are going to lose your monocle, Doctor Livingstone," Mary whispered in his ear.
That set him straight.
He immediately shifted his gaze to the members of the band, who were removing their instruments from their cases, to ensure that neither his monocle or anything else would pop.
The line continued with William Powell, who starred in "The Thin Man," a movie that Mary and he had recently seen about upper class married sleuths that solve murders for fun.
Matthew saw that the actor was not in costume and wondered how he had managed to get by Elsa Maxell in a stylish three-piece suit while he suffered the indignity and discomfort (the boots he wore cramped his toes) of his Stanley Livingstone costume.
His inner voice reminded him it could be worse. He could have been dressed as Howard Carter. Livingstone was no doubt the lesser of two evils.
.
"Will Miss Loy be attending the party, too, Mr. Powell?" Mary asked, appearing a bit star struck. "My husband and I found "The Thin Man" to be delightful and applaud you and Miss Loy for your outstanding performances as Nick and Nora Charles."
The actor smiled broadly at Mary and thanked her before addressing his co-star's absence.
"Unfortunately, Myrna will not be able to join us tonight since she is working on a new movie, Lady Mary. She deeply regrets that she cannot be here, especially knowing Jack is coming. They became great friends when they worked on "The Lady and the Boxer" together and haven't seen each other since.
Matthew's ears perked up at that, deducing that the "Jack" in question was the former heavyweight champion of the world.
"Jack, as in Jack Dempsey?" he asked, his eyes alight with excitement.
"That would be him," Powell replied. "I am certain he will be coming tonight as he is a close friend of the family. He would never miss Martha's birthday."
At that, the actor waved to Jean Harlow, who had bypassed the rest of the receiving line, and was conversing with Bruce Cabot across the room. He then wished him and Mary a lovely evening and headed off to join them.
Matthew's inner voice took center stage, reducing the sound of chatter in the ballroom to background noise as boxing statistics filled his head.
Jack Dempsey…85 fights, 68 wins…53 by knockout…the greatest fighter that ever lived… and I am actually going to shake his hand…the same hand used to pummel that pompous Frenchman, Georges Carpentier so badly in'21 that the match was stopped in the fourth round.
"Where are you, darling? You appear as though you are in a trance." broke him out of his musings and he turned toward the sound of his wife's voice.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "It is just the thought of meeting Mr. Dempsey has me a bit flustered."
"Well, you had better pull yourself together," Mary said. "I think that tall, well-built man chatting with Uncle Harold is Mr. Dempsey and he will be here in a second or two."
"Jack, you are a sight for sore eyes," Martha declared, rising on her toes and throwing he arms around his thick neck. "I am so glad you could make it."
"I wouldn't miss your birthday for all the tea in China," the boxer replied with a broad smile on is face. "Now let me get a good look at you."
Martha took a few steps back and slowly turned, giving her guest a full view of her costume, complete with the black braid that hung down her back.
"Hmm…you look like an Indian to me . Well, I guess Indians explore, right? Elsa told me the get-ups must have something to do with exploration…Someone who is searching for something or something they find. Isn't that right, Hal?"
Harold nodded. "Sounds right to me."
"I am not just any Indian, Jack," Martha exclaimed. "I am Sacagawea, a member of the Shoshone tribe who aided Lewis and Clark in their exploration of the Louisiana territory. "
"Sacajawhowa?" the boxer cried out, appearing thoroughly perplexed.
Then he shook his head and told Martha it didn't matter who she was supposed to be.
'You look great for an old broad," he bellowed.
Matthew and Mary's eyebrows rose in unison at his remark while Harold and Martha broke out into raucous laughter.
XX
Moving into the ballroom with Mary on his arm, Matthew saw that café tables lined two walls while the corner near the open French doors which had been roped off was now filled with musical equipment and a few musicians.
"I must say that I am impressed that Harold has managed to engage Benny Goodman and his orchestra to play tonight," Matthew said, his eyes fixed on the band members as they began to tune their instruments.
Mary nodded her head in agreement. "It appears my uncle is revered highly on both the east and west coast," Mary replied.
Matthew nodded while focusing his attention on the band leader. Eyeing him over discreetly, he found he was quite tall with an average build and dark hair parted to the right and plastered in place with a pomade. He also wore metal spectacles
Not exactly what he expected the man who boasted the number one single on the record charts to look like.
Harold came up behind him and Mary then and dubbed the band leader The King of Swing,
"I hope he plays "Moonglow", Mary said. "You know how much I love that song."
"Considering it is the top-rated song in America and back home at the moment, you are not alone. You do know that you often sing it when you are showering, don't you? Fortunately for me, you have a lovely voice,"
Mary smiled at that and then suggested they move outdoors as she spotted Mr. Cooper chatting with Anna on the terrace.
Stepping through the threshold and getting his first glimpse of the sparkling lights that weaved throughout the trees and shrubs, a huge grin spread across Matthew's face.
"Oh, my…this is lovely," Mary said. "I feel as though a cluster of stars has dropped from the heavens onto the branches."
Matthew stood transfixed by the sight before him. "Yes, it does feel that way, doesn't it? Nicely done, Harold, although I think divine providence has outdone him. Have you ever seen such a beautiful moon? It feels like it is close enough to touch."
Mary nodded her head in agreement and drew his arm around her shoulder, leaning into him as they shared the enchanting sight in silence.
The moment was broken quickly, though, by Mr. Cooper, who addressed Matthew with the question he suspected he would hear throughout the evening.
"Doctor Livingstone, I presume," the movie producer said with dramatic flair, eliciting a guffaw from Anna at his side.
Matthew did his best to hide his displeasure, his costume still a sore point, but could not help but smile as he took in Anna's costume.
"You do Amelia Earhart credit, Anna," he said.
After giving Mr. Cooper a perfunctory greeting, Mary rushed to her side and complimented her. "The costume is a perfect fit in more ways than one. I think you have her spirit."
Anna thanked her and Matthew for their compliments before exclaiming, "Can you imagine what Mr. Bates would say if he saw me dressed this way?"
Mary replied quickly that she would not have to imagine as she was going to have the photographer Martha hired put to good use.
"I am sure Mr. Bates will be brimming with pride," Mary said.
"I would be if she were my wife," Harold interjected, joining the group. "You make a lovely aviator, Mrs. Bates."
Then he turned to Matthew and said, "Doctor Livingstone, I presume."
XX
It is a comedy, Mr. Cooper explained to Matthew and Anna starring Irene Dunne, Constance Cummings and Ralph Bellamy. I think we are going to title it, "This Man is Mine" as the character Miss Dunne is portraying is in danger of losing her husband to Miss Cummings.
He then went on to give details of the plot, which Matthew found quite amusing, although his attention was diverted by the conversation taking place between Mary and her uncle, who stood a few feet away.
"How is Lady Madeline these days? " Harold asked in a nonchalant manner.
Mary's eyebrows rose and she flashed him a smile before she replied to his question.
"Since you have referred to her as Lady Madeline and not Madeline Allsopp, you clearly are aware that she garnered that title by marrying someone above her father's rank in the English peerage. You likely also know that she was widowed recently. Otherwise, I doubt you would have such an avid interest in her welfare."
Harold let out a loud guffaw and declared, "I always considered you the pick of the litter when it came to my sister's offspring. Matthew did choose wisely. You have beauty, brains and grit. What man could ask for more?"
"Why thank you, Uncle Harold," Mary replied. "…Although I'm sure Mama would be aghast if she ever got wind of your referring to her offspring as a litter."
"As long as you aren't, Mary. I meant no offense. "You know we Americans can be quite crass at times."
"I've noticed" she replied, and smiled. "No offense taken, Uncle Harold. I just couldn't help but tease you a bit…and getting back to Lady Madeleine, I think you should write to her and ask how she is fairing, yourself. I'm sure she would be happy to hear from you after all these years."
The look on his face made it clear he did not agree and he told her as much, but eventually was persuaded by Mary to at least consider corresponding with the woman who had touched his heart more than a decade ago.
"I doubt there is a shortage of Hollywood starlets to keep you company…yet here you are enquiring after a woman that you haven't seen since 1923, who lives in another country. If that doesn't tell you something, I am going to have to conclude that the women in the Levinson line got all the brains." Mary said.
Harold laughed, again, and promised Mary that he would take what she said under advisement.
"Oh…and as my granny, the Dowager Countess would say, 'Don't let the grass grow under your feet' as it is my understanding that Lady Madeline has come out of mourning and is back on the market, so to speak."
Both conversations came to an end, then, as a shapely woman dressed in mid-eastern garb with her head and half her face covered in a veil held out a tray of assorted canapes for their consideration.
"Could that have been Claire?" Matthew whispered in Mary's ear and then took a bite of the savory in his hand. ,
Focusing on the woman's rear view as she moved onto the next guest, Mary shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Could be, but I can't be entirely sure from this angle."
She then took a glass of champagne from the tray held by a waiter dressed as Charles Lindbergh and asked him if he would mind taking a photograph with Anna, which he readily agreed to.
"We must get a shot of him alone for, George, too." Matthew interjected. "I think he will be highly amused by it, considering his fascination with the famous aviator
He took a good look around him then and saw that everyone at the party appeared to be having a marvelous time That came as no surprise to him as there was a variety of delicious foods to choose from, liquor flowing freely and lively entertainment, which would include the Treasure Hunt that had proven a great hit at Miss Maxwell's parties
It was definitely going to be a night to remember, Matthew thought, and he was glad of it for Martha's sake.
XX
After spending a moment speaking with the birthday girl, Mr. Goodman came to the microphone and said, "Mrs. Levinson has requested that her granddaughter, who traveled across the Atlantic to be here with her on this very special occasion…and who I have been assured can carry a tune …join us in our next number, "Moonglow".
Mary's jaw dropped and her eyes widened before turning to Mathew and croaking, "But I couldn't possibly….,"
"Yes, you can, darling. You know the song by heart and you can carry a tune. Besides, you've indulged Martha this far. I don't think you can stop now."
He took her hand then and led her through the crowd to the band leader, who smiled broadly at Mary before he positioned her behind the microphone stand and adjusted it to suit her height.
"I will give you a cue when the instrumentals cut in. Just keep an eye on me and I think you will be just fine. Are you ready?"
"No, Mr. Goodman," Mary replied, but I promise you that I will do my best not to butcher your lovely song. B Flat, right?
Goodman nodded his head and grinned. "Now, I know you are going to be just fine."
At that, Mary cleared her throat and hummed a bit before signaling the band leader to start the song.
Matthew loved the warm, melodic sound of the clarinet, and in the hands of an artist as talented as Benny Goodman, the instrument came alive, each note reverberating throughout his body. He found it impossible to keep still and swayed in place to the music.
Mary smiled and swung her arms from side to side until the instrumental opening ended and she was prompted to begin singing. Then, she brought her mouth close to the microphone and crooned,
"It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue
It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you
I still hear you saying', "Dear one, hold me fast"
And I keep on prayin, "Oh Lord, please let this last"
We seemed to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you
It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue
It must have been moonglow, that led me straight to you
I still hear you sayin', "Sweet child, hold me fast"
And I keep on prayin', "Oh, Lord, please make this last"
We seemed to float right through the air
Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue
I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you"
The audience broke out into applause, even the band members placing their instruments down and joining in, giving homage to the novice who delivered a perfect rendition of the song without any rehearsal, and Matthew's heart filled with pride.
"Hot damn, that English broad can sing. Who woulda thunk it? " rang out from behind him in Mr. Dempsey's inimitable voice
Matthew turned around until he was face to face with the former heavyweight champion of the world and retorted, "Lady Mary is woman of many talents."
XX
After having downed three glasses of very fine champagne and sampling a dozen, if not more, savories, Matthew needed to get out on the dance floor in order to keep from yawning.
Fortunately Mary was happy to oblige him in his effort to revive himself, and by the time they were dancing the fox trot to a lively number titled, "Sweet Sue", Matthew was invigorated.
The orchestra took a break once the song ended and Elsa Maxwell came to the microphone and announced it was time for the treasure hunt to begin. She then went on to explain how it was played. The guests would be paired by her and given their first clue in order to find the treasure. Each clue would lead to another until the hidden treasure was found.
"The hunt will last one hour, and if none of you has found the treasure by then, the pair that has collected the most clues will be the winner," Miss Maxwell said and then proceeded to announce the pairings.
Harold tapped Matthew on the shoulder and said, "Elsa can be quite mischievous in her pairings and some have resulted in scandal….married banker found in compromising position with starlet in closet type of thing. Hopefully, we will have none of that tonight."
Matthew looked at Mary with trepidation in his eyes, which he found mirrored in hers, and after clearing his throat, he made it clear to Harold that neither he or his wife welcomed that type of publicity, especially as it might reach Robert's and, heaven forbid, Violet's ears.
Mary's uncle instantly dismissed the possibility. "Scandal? You and Mary? Come now, Matthew. You must be pulling my leg."
"Matthew Crawley will be paired with Jean Harlow," Miss Maxwell called out, and Lady Mary Crawley with Merian Cooper."
He didn't have to look at Mary to know that she was not pleased.
Mischievous, indeed, he told himself, and his eyes shot daggers at the party planner. Then he turned them on Harold .
"You were saying?"
XX
The actress was thrilled to learn she would be paired with him and bounced in place with excitement, causing the crease between Mary's brow to further deepen.
"We are gonna make a great team," she gushed before taking hold of his arm and dragging him toward the party hostess to retrieve their first clue.
As he was being pulled along by the starlet, he turned and saw Mary giving Harold a dressing-down and was happy that she was unleashing her displeasure on her uncle and not him.
The night is young rang out in his head and he grimaced.
He concluded that his only hope of staying in Mary's good graces was to solve the mystery quickly so that the time he spent with Miss Harlot was minimal, and toward that end, he gave his undivided attention to the first clue.
"Explore the room
with the backless chair
Turn it upside down
a clue lies there"
"I didn't see any chair without a back," the actress said, leaning over his shoulder.
He could feel her breasts pressing against his back and took a few steps forward.
"I think this clue is referring to a stool. Let's start with the parlor. There is a piano there," Matthew said and took off at a fast clip.
"Hey! Wait for me," Miss Harlot called out. "Where's the fire?"
He replied over his shoulder that they only had an hour to solve the mystery and if she wanted to win, she had to keep up with him.
"Okay…just hold your horses a minute. I have to fix one of these bandages that is getting loose."
Picturing his partner's costume unraveling before his eyes, Matthew swallowed hard before coming to a dead halt.
"Please do whatever is necessary to keep your costume in-tact, Miss Harlow."
At that she broke out into laughter and told him he talked funny.
Then, wardrobe crisis averted, the two of them headed for the parlor.
Turning the stool over, he found the second clue.
Please let the rest of the clues be this easy, he said silently before reading it out loud.
"Explore the place
where works the cook
Your next clue lies
inside a book"
Concluding the clues were written for those with a limited mental capacity, Matthew was grateful as it would enable him to solve the mystery quickly and told the actress that their next stop would be the kitchen.
"Jeepers, you are a regular Sherlock Holmes," the actress proclaimed, with a look of admiration in her eyes.
"Not quite," Mathew responded dryly, keeping his line of vision above her shoulders.
They passed other guests in the hallway, the pairs speaking in muted tones as to not give away any information they had gleaned from their clues.
Passing through the archway into the kitchen, Matthew was pleased to find that they were not alone as empty trays were being brought in to be replenished and pots and pans being washed.
"Sorry for the interruption," Matthew said to the person who appeared to be in charge of the kitchen Then he eyed the room in search of the cookbooks.
"Aha! There they are," he said, pointing to a row of books on a long shelf across the room. "I'll flip through the first half of them and you search for the clue in the rest. Alright, Miss Harlow."
"Only if you stop calling me Miss Harlow," she replied. "I think since we are working together, I should call you Matthew….or Matt if you like that better …and you call me Jean. What do ya say?"
"Miss Har….," Matthew began and seeing the look of determination on the actress's face, gave in and said, "That is fine, Jean. Now let's get to work, shall we?"
She nodded her head and took off to collect her share of the books.
Rifling through the pages of the cookbooks, Matthew became frustrated when nothing was found.
"No…No….No….Come on, I know the next clue has to be in one of these blasted books."
"I found it," she squealed, waving the clue in the air over her head.
He rushed to join her and his frustration increased as she playfully taunted him to get it.
"Jean, if you want to win this thing, hand me the clue." he demanded.
She frowned and told him he was much too serious before placing the tiny piece of paper in his hand.
"Explore the chamber
where your head rests
Within the case
your next clue nests"
The bedroom? That rogue…that Machiavellian….
" Where are we headed now, Mathew?" cut off his inner dialogue.
He took comfort in the knowledge that there weren't many clues or a great deal of time left and braced himself before responding that he believed they would find the next clue in his and his wife's bedroom suite.
Her eyes widened at that and her lips curved upward into a mischievous smile..
"Well, we better get going then. You said we had to work fast if we wanted to win this thing."
He nodded and headed for the stairs with her in tow, dreading being alone with the woman in the room he shared with Mary. She was becoming more flirtatious by the minute and this was the worst possible scenario he could imagine.
Entering the room, he moved quickly to the bed and pulled the coverlet off the pillows Then he rummaged through the casing on the closest to see if a clue lie there. Finding it empty, he bent over to grab the second pillow and was pushed from behind onto the bed
Immediately, he rolled onto his back and found the actress standing over him, the moonlight flooding through the window making her intentions clear.
Feeling outrage, Matthew spat, "What the devil do you think you're doing?"
"I didn't see anyone in the hallway but we'll have to be quick," she said in a hushed tone before propelling herself on top
of him and pressing her lips against his.
Intent on getting her off of him without causing her physical harm or damaging her flimsy costume, Matthew didn't hear the door opening or the sound of heels clacking on the floor.
However, even in the midst of his struggle, the next sound he heard was perfectly clear.
"I assure you that you won't find any hidden treasure in my husband's mouth, Miss Harlow….Not even a gold tooth."
XX