Part IV: Crazy In Love
"...I look and stare so deep in your eyes,
I touch on you more and more every time,
When you leave, I'm begging you not to go
Call your name two, three times in a row,
Such a funny thing for me to try to explain..."
"Crazy In Love" - Emeli Sande
Tuesday
July 15, 1922
When the Taxi dropped Nick off he was still in shock. The whole day had been a shock in many ways. Going to lunch with Gatsby had been a whole new experience.
The Speak Easy was one of the finest in New York and it had been obvious that only those with money could gain entrance. Tom had been there and the introduction between Tom and Gatsby had been uncomfortable. It had been obvious to Nick that Tom was already on his way to being very drunk. Gatsby had left him at the Speak Easy to find his way to tea with Jordan.
Gatsby's popularity wasn't a surprise either. All he had to do was mention Gatsby's name to the waiter and he had anything and everything he could possible need or want at his fingertips. He'd finished his lunch and had wondered around New York. As the hours passed, he'd become frustrated at both Gatsby and Jordan from keeping secrets from him.
When it had come time to have tea with Jordan, Nick would admit he'd been a little rude but Jordan's story about how Daisy knew Gatsby shocked him into silence. Jordan had explained how she'd met Gatsby once during the war. She'd seen Daisy a car with a strange gentleman, but only now did she realize it had been Gatsby. She told him how Gatsby had gone off to war and when the war ended he hadn't been able to return for some reason.
A year after the war had ended Tom Buchanan of Chicago had swept in and stolen Daisy away from Gatsby. Tom had given her a string of pearls worth three hundred and fifty thousand dollars as a gift and Daisy had agreed to marry him.
On the day of the wedding, Daisy had received a letter from Gatsby. Jordan didn't know what was in the contents of the letter, but at five o'clock that horrible day Daisy had married Tom Buchanan.
Jordan had gone on to tell him about seeing Daisy and Tom in Santa Barbra. A scandal had occurred in the papers not soon after and Tom's cheating spree had only been revealed to the world. He hadn't stopped since. His compulsion to cheat had been the reason why the Buchanan family had to remove themselves from Chicago and relocate to New York. Nick had felt horrible for Daisy, but he'd been unsure if he could do the favor Gatsby and Jordan wanted him to do.
He wasn't sure that he could invite his cousin, a married woman, over to tea. The whole drive back to his little cottage from the city felt like it took years, not minutes. Nick exited the taxi and was surprised to see Gatsby standing outside looking at the house. The manor was lit up like the world fair. Jordan's words about Gatsby throwing all the parties and buying the house so that he could be close to Daisy came flooding back. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but something convinced him to agree to Gatsby's request.
"Your place is lit up like the World's fair or Coney Island," he finally said as Gatsby turned to look at him.
"Does it?" Gatsby smiled.
"Yes."
"Well, I've just been glancing into some of the rooms. What do you say we go to Coney Island? We could take my car."
"Oh, it's late tonight," Nick said trying to turn down Gatsby.
"We could take a plunge in the pool. I haven't used it all summer," Gatsby suggested as he walked towards the small cottage.
"I must get to bed."
"Alright…"
Gatsby looked nervous and Nick knew why, but seeing someone like Gatsby be nervous was strange. It was then and there that he knew he would help Gatsby.
Gatsby turned away to walk back towards his house but Nick stopped him, "Happy to do it Jay! I'm going to call Daisy and invite her to tea."
Gatsby turned around and looked shocked. "That's all right…"
"What day would suit you?"
"What day would suit you?" Gatsby echoed looking even more shocked that everything had been agreed to. "I don't want to put any trouble on you."
"Day after tomorrow?" Nick asked.
"Day after tomorrow?" Gatsby echoed again looking nervous again, "Well…I'd-I'd...see, I'd like to get the grass cut."
Gatsby turned around and looked around him. Nick tried not to smile as he looked around at the none existent grass.
"Well look here, old sport," Gatsby said as he looked back at him. "You don't make much money, do you?"
"Not really."
"If you'll forgive me," Gatsby continued. "I happen to run a business on the side. A sort of side line. You understand what I'm saying, right? You do sell bonds, don't you, old sport?"
"I'm trying to."
"Right. Well, happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing but you might make a nice bit of money."
"No, thank you. I've got my hands full."
"You wouldn't have to do any business with Wolfsheim. I assure you."
"It's a favor, Jay. Just a favor," Nick said quietly and from the look on Gatsby face, he wondered if Gatsby knew what a favor was. "Yes. Happy to do it."
"A favor?"
"Yes," Nick said again."A favor."
A smile crossed Gatsby lip and a far off look came over his face, "Well, good night."
"Good night," Nick smiled.
Gatsby nodded and started walking back towards his house. He passed through the archway that was built into the brick wall that divided Nick's cottage and Gatsby Manor. Nick watched him disappeared and just as he was about to walk into his cottage he spotted something.
A figure appeared in the window and Nick's heart nearly stopped. Rebecca's form was easily seen as she spoke quickly to someone in the room. The phone was pressed to her ear and Nick nearly called Gatsby back to withdraw his agreement. He considered Rebecca a friend and he didn't want to see her hurt.
He knew that she'd never show him her feelings directly, but her soft blue eyes rarely hid her pain from the world. Nick didn't want to see her eyes become any sadder and yet he knew that he was about to play a part in them become sadder. Affairs rarely stayed quiet for long and Nick was sure that's what was bound to happen between Gatsby and Daisy.
Thursday
July 17, 1922
Rebecca watched Gatsby nervously pace the foray as she descended down the grand staircase with her maid following her.
"Is everything alright?"
Gatsby nearly jumped hearing her. He quickly turned around and watched her with a critical eye.
"Everything is fine. You're still going shopping with Miss Baker?" he asked as Crawley appeared at his side.
"Of course," she told him as she walked across the large marble floor. She came to stop in front of him and raised an eyebrow. Looking at him, Rebecca wondered if he was going somewhere. His suit was nicer than usual and something was different.
Rebecca couldn't explain it but something about Gatsby was different. It was like he was an electric cord that had been pulled tightly and had 50,000 volts passing through his body. Whatever had him so tense must have been important.
"Miss Baker's car just pulled up," Crawley announced as Tilly came forward with her gloves and beaded clutch.
"Wonderful," Gatsby boomed and startled poor Tilly. "I'm sure you and Miss Baker will have a wonderful afternoon together."
Rebecca resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. 'Wonderful' was not how she'd describe the coming afternoon. She barely knew Jordan Baker. They'd grown up in different circles and it had been a shock when Jordan had called asking her to go to shopping together. What had shocked Rebecca even more was how much Gatsby wanted her to go.
The moment she'd gotten a call from Jordan, Gatsby had encouraged her to go and accept the dinner that followed. He'd told her that it would be go to get out and have fun with another friend.
Rebecca had been quick to point out that she wasn't friends with Jordan, but Gatsby had waved her off saying that she needed more friends. It was now that she'd found herself in an impossible situation.
"Brighton will be going with you for safety reasons as always," Gatsby said quickly. "Enjoy your shopping trip."
Crawley opened the front doors and Brighton appeared from the outside holding an umbrella up to shelter them both from the rain. Rebecca turned back from where Tilly had finished adjusting her gloves to find that Jay had disappeared again as usual.
He hadn't even said he was going to leave, but Rebecca took the fact that he wished her a good trip as a positive. A rare sign of progress from Gatsby on his part and she wasn't likely to see again for a long time. Walking towards the front doors, Rebecca stared out at the bleak day and the pounding rain that was nearly coming down sideways. Taking hold of Brighton's strong arm so she wouldn't slip, Rebecca descended the steps to Jordan's car where a rug had been laid out for her to walk on.
Quickly getting into the car, Rebecca swallowed back her urge to run back inside to her bed. As the car pulled away, Rebecca couldn't help but have the feeling that the day would be very long one.
"I just want to go in to this shop," Jordan said. "Will you be alright out here?"
"I'll be fine," Rebecca smiled. "Brighton is with us. It's not a big deal. I just want some fresh air."
"Suit yourself," Jordan shrugged.
Rebecca watched with a sigh of relief as Jordan went into the shop. Shopping with Miss Baker was exhausting. The woman wanted to know everything about her and interrogated her for details on how every single article of clothing looked on and off her. Jordan had been so picky about the colors, sizes and shapes for the both of them. Never had shopping been so laborious and all Rebecca wanted to do was go home. Turning to Brighton, Rebecca looked up at him and shook her head.
"If I'm bored, you're twice as bored, I imagine," she told him as traffic passed by them. Brighton said nothing, but only cracked a smile as a car that had passed them stopped down the street a little ways. Rebecca watched as a familiar face appeared.
Dressed in blue pinstriped suit, Meyer Wolfsheim exited the back of the car and walked towards her. His smile didn't put her off as much as it had before. In fact, Rebecca was sure that his smile was almost gleeful, like he was excited about something. He carried an envelope in his hand and it made Rebecca curious to know what was in it.
"I hope you're enjoying the many stores," Wolfsheim said as he stopped in front of her.
"I dearly love to shop," she replied. "Don't you?"
Wolfsheim smiled and ignored her question, "I thought you might like this little bit of information."
He held out the envelope to her. She took it and quickly opened the back. Slipping the thick paper out, Rebecca stared down at detailed notes about Tom Buchanan's personal life. Some things on the list were so personal that Rebecca felt uncomfortable reading them.
"It appears that Mr. Buchanan isn't much of a saint," Wolfsheim continued. "The current woman he's having an affair with is named Myrtle Wilson. Apparently, her husband owns a car garage in the valley of ashes."
"I'm familiar with the place," Rebecca said reading over the notes that had been made about Buchanan. "I pass it when I'm going to or coming from the city. It says here they also have a secret apartment. Is it safe to assume that neither Mrs. Buchanan nor Mr. Wilson knows about the affair?"
"Mrs. Buchanan? I don't know. Mr. Wilson? He thinks his wife can do no wrong," Wolfsheim smiled. "Why do you want to know?"
"You never know when a visit is in order," Rebecca replied as she returned his smile. "I do like to have all the information before crushing a man's heart."
"I will see you soon, Mrs. Gatsby," he said tipping his hat at her. "Enjoy your shopping trip."
Before Rebecca could reply, Wolfsheim was stepping back into his car. The door was barely shut before the car was driving off. Rebecca watched the car turn the corner and clutched the envelope close to her chest. She knew that when Wolfsheim did a job, he did it right.
Gatsby and Wolfsheim had the same work ethic in the end and it shouldn't have surprised her. Opening her clutch and slipping the letter inside, Rebecca nearly jumped when she looked up to see Jordan.
"Oh," she said covering her heart. "You scared me!"
"What's that?" Jordan asked as she looked down at Rebecca's clutch.
"A letter from a friend," Rebecca lied. "He asked me to give it to my husband."
Jordan believed her lie and nodded, "Shall we get going to dinner? We'll be late."
Just as Rebecca was about to agree, another familiar car pulled up. The driver quickly exited and raced around to open the back door. Blond hair was the first thing she saw followed by broad shoulders and a narrow waist with long legs.
"Matthew!" she called loudly and waved a hand.
The blond head turned to them and Rebecca found herself seeing the light blue eyes of Matthew Spring. A smile came over his face as he quickly walked towards them after having a quick word with his driver.
"Ah! My darling," he said as he bent down and kissed Rebecca's cheek. "How lovely to see you! This is a friend of yours?"
Rebecca turned to look at Jordan with a smile, "Jordan Baker, this is one of my oldest friends. Lord Matthew Spring, Earl of Kettlemore. Matthew, this is Jordan Baker."
"Lovely to meet you, Miss Baker," Matthew said as he took Jordan's hand and kissed the back of it. "Lord Kettlemore at your service, ma'am."
Jordan smiled and returned his pleasantry with a blush.
"What are you ladies doing today?" Matthew asked as he offered each of them an arm.
"We were just heading off to dinner," Jordan smiled. "You're welcome to join us if you want. Any friend of dear Rebecca is always welcomed."
Matthew stole a glance at Rebecca before he nodded in agreement. "Of course, I'd be delighted to."
It was nearly midnight when Crawley opened the front door of Gatsby manor. Rebecca walked up the steps with the lights shining the way.
"Good evening. Crawley," she smiled.
"Good evening, ma'am," he replied as she handed him her gloves.
"Is Mr. Gatsby still awake?"
"In the library ma'am…"
"Good. I'm off to bed as you should be too, Crawley. You need sleep just like the rest of us."
"Of course, ma'am. Goodnight," Crawley said dutifully.
"Goodnight, Crawley," Rebecca replied with a smile as she moved off towards the stairs. She knew Crawley wasn't going to bed yet. In the back of her mind, she was aware that she should care, but she didn't.
She was far too deliriously happy to care about anything thing else. The evening had been wonderful. Matthew had been such a joy to see and spend time with. He was ever the gentleman and even left the hard to impress Miss Jordan Baker with a crush. He spoke about his time in London and answered all their questions about his estate, family and even told them about his hobbies.
Jordan had been thoroughly shocked when she found out that Matthew was an avid golfer. While he wasn't pro like she was, Matthew and Jordan spent nearly forty-five minutes speaking about golfing. He even delighted in telling them stories about the war and his part in it.
The night could not have been more splendid. The smile that Rebecca wore on her face never left as she opened the door to her rooms to see Tilly standing and waiting for her.
"Your bath is ready, ma'am," the maid said quietly. "Would you like some tea before bed?"
"No," Rebecca answered. "Just a bath."
Tilly nodded and quickly came over to help Rebecca out of her clothing.
"Did you have a good day?" Tilly finally asked after Rebecca had slipped into the warm vanilla scented water.
"The best," Rebecca said with a smile as she rested the back of her head on the large, white porcelain tub. "It was so wonderful. How was yours?"
"I saw the most interesting lady today," Tilly smiled as she prepared Rebecca's soaps.
"Really? Who?"
"She was here at the manor. She was tall and blonde with one of those flapper haircuts and she had the prettiest lavender dress on. She showed up with Mr. Carraway and Mr. Gatsby for a tour of the house. Mr. Gatsby looked like he had a jolly time showing her around the manor and all the new things he likes, you know. He even showed her that orange juice maker he has. They seemed like a very merry trio."
"And who was this mystery girl? Mr. Carraway's secret lover?" Rebecca giggled happily.
"No," Tilly gasped as her cheeks blushed. "Nothing so scandalous! She was his cousin. Her name was Daisy. Like the flower! I just can't remember her last name."
"Daisy?" Rebecca said sitting up quickly in the water and causing it splashed over the sides. Her heart was racing as she looked at Tilly anxiously for more information.
She hoped to God that it wasn't the same Daisy she was thinking of. There was only one woman that she knew was named Daisy and it was the last woman she wanted in her home.
"Buchanan!" Tilly exclaimed in triumph. "That's what her name was! Daisy Buchanan!"
Rebecca lay back in the water as a sinking feeling consumed her. The seemingly perfect day was shattered by the knowledge that Daisy Buchanan had been in her house along with Nick and Jay.
Something inside didn't feel right.
Was that why Gatsby had gotten so dressed up?
Had he known all along that Daisy Buchanan and Nick were going to be in the house?
Monday
July 21, 1922
"You invited Daisy to this weekend's party?" Nick hissed as he sat in the gardens with Gatsby having tea. Rebecca had been called away by the housekeeper who needed help with something leaving the two men alone.
"Yes," Gatsby replied calmly. "I did, old sport."
"Are you insane? Does your wife know that the Buchanan's are coming?"
"No, and she's not going to know. I don't want to raise any suspicions with her. You can't tell her!"
Nick leaned back in his white iron chair and sighed. Seeing Rebecca was much harder than he thought it would be. She was so kind to him and he genuinely liked her. She was a sweet woman who was always more than willing to go out of her way to make him more than comfortable. He'd lost track of how many times she'd come over for tea and to chat or sent over flowers from her gardens to brighten up his house.
She was so generous that he felt guilty. Nick felt like he was taking advantage of her kindness while he was helping Gatsby see Daisy behind her back. Rebecca was giving him flowers, all while he helped her husband have an affair. It made him wonder how Tom lived with himself. How was his cousin's husband able to have affair after affair and still lie to Daisy that everything was fine and that he loved her?
"Are you sure about this Jay?" Nick asked finally. "Are you sure you're doing the right thing?"
"I'm sure I know what I'm doing with Daisy," Gatsby answered. "I…I love her, Nick. She's all I've ever wanted. I won't apologize for that. I do apologize if I am making this difficult for you. I just…I just want to…I'm sorry, Nick."
Nick stared at Gatsby for a long, hard minute before he spoke again.
"What will you do when Rebecca finds out? Affairs are never kept quiet for long. You and I both know that. This is going to crush her."
Gatsby was silent and Nick looked at him for a few minutes before it all clicked in his mind.
"You want her to know about the affairs," he whispered. "It gives her a reason to leave so…so Daisy can come here. You want Rebecca to leave. You want her to leave. Jay, if…Daisy doesn't leave Tom-"
"Daisy will leave Tom," Gatsby said passionately. "She has to. She will! I know she will!"
"If she doesn't you've just effectively ruined any trust between you and Rebecca. You'll have ruined your marriage Jay. That can't be-"
"What marriage?" Gatsby snapped. "Do you see any kind of happy marriage between Rebecca and me? Any? This wasn't a marriage based on affection or love or anything. This marriage was based solely on the interest of two very desperate people, Nick. Does that sound like love to you?"
Before Nick could reply, Rebecca joined them at the table with a cheerful look on her face.
"Did I miss something?" she asked."You both look like you've been fighting."
"Nothing is wrong, dear," Gatsby said with a wave of his hand. "We were talking about baseball."
"Ah, baseball," Rebecca smiled. "Everyone loves baseball."
"Nick and I were just discussing the next game and if we would go."
"We?" Rebecca asked and Nick was sure he saw some excitement in her eyes. "We've never gone to a game before."
"Nick and I were thinking that we'd go. I figured that you'd be busy with some charity thing during the day or something. I'll get us a box," Gatsby smiled. "What do you say, Carraway?"
Nick didn't miss the way Rebecca's eyes dulled or her smile fell a little. She tried to recover quickly, but she wasn't quick enough. He could tell that Gatsby's exclusion hurt. He wondered if Rebecca had ever gone to a baseball game.
She'd probably like it. He knew plenty of women that liked baseball. Rebecca quickly covered her face with a fake smile that Nick could see through. He'd been around Rebecca long enough that he could see when she was faking happiness. He rarely saw her happy and he'd gotten good at differing between everything. For the most part, Nick always could recognize the sadness in her eyes.
"I'm sure you two will have a lovely time," Rebecca said as Crawley appeared behind Gatsby.
"Mr. Gatsby, sir," the butler murmured. "Chicago on the wire."
There was a tense moment as Rebecca stared at Gatsby as if daring him to leave her table, but it passed. Gatsby didn't hesitate to toss his linen napkin away. He stood up and nodded at Nick.
"Excuse me. I'll be back soon."
Gatsby walked off with Crawley trailing behind. Nick watched as Rebecca gently put down her tea cup and saucer. She reached for a chocolate treat of some kind and smiled at him.
"I swear to you, Nick," she said with a chuckle. "I'm sure if Jay could divorce me and marry the wire, he would!"
He could tell her poor attempt at humor was a way to hide her hurt at once again being abandoned for the phone. Nick didn't care if Gatsby left to take a phone call, but he was sure that Gatsby abandoning a meal or a guest or a simple conversation with Rebecca was a normal occurrence in their house.
It was no wonder that Rebecca always stiffened when the word 'wire' was mentioned. Gatsby was always leaving for a call. It only took him a second to realize that Jay and Tom weren't so different. They both ignored their wives for the most part and did nothing to try and make them happy. The only true difference between Tom and Jay was that Tom slept with anything that had breasts and two legs. Jay had so far, to Nick's limited knowledge, been faithful in his marriage to Rebecca.
That last difference, however, was about to end and Nick was playing a vital role in the affair. It all made him wonder if Rebecca would forgive him and still be his friend when the horrible truth came out.
"Do you love Gatsby?" Nick asked out of the blue.
The words had come forth from his lips and he hadn't even thought twice. He needed to know the truth about Rebecca's feelings for Gatsby if he was going to continue covering for Gatsby and Daisy. It was rude, but he had to know.
"That's such a personal question," Rebecca said looking down at the napkin in her lap. "Why do you want to know?"
"I'm sorry," Nick smiled after a few second. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
She looked up at him with a smile at didn't quite reach her eyes, "Maybe someday I'll tell you everything, but not today."
Gatsby returned a few minutes later with a smile, "Feel like a walk, old sport?"
Friday
July 25, 1922
"Promise me you'll keep Rebecca occupied," Gatsby said quietly as he and Nick walked down the grand staircase of Gatsby Manor. "I need to speak with Daisy tonight and I don't want Rebecca to become suspicious."
Nick felt torn.
Ever since Gatsby had revealed his true life story to him, Nick felt pity for him that he'd lost Daisy to Tom. It wasn't fair, but rarely was life ever fair. Gatsby had been ripped away from Daisy, who had decided to marry Tom. It made Nick wonder if Daisy had truly loved Gatsby, why she hadn't waited longer for him? If she loved him unconditionally like Gatsby loved her, Daisy would have waited till the end of time for Jay.
She hadn't and while Gatsby couldn't quite see his cousin's flaws, Nick could. Daisy was selfish and love would never be enough for her. Just loving Gatsby wouldn't be enough to keep her happy. She needed someone like Tom who would give her lavish gifts and expensive trips. She needed material things to prove that someone loved her and Nick knew that the affair would only end in disaster for everyone involved.
He was torn between letting the train wreck that was bound to happen come to life and stopping the affair in its tracks. All he had to do was go to Tom and tell him how Daisy was going to cheat on him with Jay Gatsby. Being the hypocrite that he was, Nick had no doubt that Tom would grovel and promise to remain faithful and so on until Daisy once again became entranced by her husband.
It was a difficult decision and he wondered again what Rebecca would do if she knew.
"Alright," Nick agreed quietly. "I'll keep Rebecca occupied, but tonight is the only night Jay. I won't aid you in hurting her."
Gatsby didn't say anything else as a footman stopped at the base of the steps and told them that the Buchanan's had arrived. Gatsby told him to wait and so Nick waited on the steps as a server walked over with a glass of champagne and offered it to him. Taking a sip, Nick watched the crowd looking for one familiar face that was missing from the night so far.
Rebecca.
Just as he was about to move and give up hope of Gatsby ever returning, Nick paused when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.
"I thought I saw you!"
Nick turned around and smiled. Rebecca looked stunning in an ivory beaded silk dress as she stood a few steps away from him. Thick straps went over her thin shoulders and the top of the dress molded to her body. Near her waist line a thick band of beading gave way to pleated skirt that fell just below her knees. Her hair was done in an elegant twist of some kind and a sparkling clip of sapphires and pearls accented her ivory. Pearls and diamonds studs were attached to her ear lobes and a necklace rested against her breast bone. Her heels clicked on the marble steps as she walked down to him.
"You look beautiful," Nick smiled as he took her hand and kissed it when she was close enough.
"You look very handsome yourself," Rebecca smiled back.
Before Nick could tease back that she was the prettiest between the pair of them, Gatsby returned with both Daisy and Tom following him.
"Ah, Nick!" Gatsby smiled. "I see you've found Rebecca."
"I see you've found Tom and Daisy," Nick said as he let go of Rebecca's hand. He quickly exchanged greetings with Tom and Daisy. Gatsby looked at Rebecca with a bare smile as he picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter.
"You've met Mr. Buchanan and his wife before, haven't you?" Gatsby said as he looked at Rebecca expectantly. "I'm sure you've seen them at other parties around New York. Mrs. Buchanan is practically the crown jewel of New York society."
It was like Rebecca skin lost all traces of color. She looked like she was in shock as Gatsby introduced her to Tom and Daisy Buchanan. For a moment, Nick thought that she would faint dead at his feet.
They both recognized each other it seemed like it was possible to cut the tension in the air with a knife. Nick didn't know what had happened between Tom and Rebecca, but it couldn't have been good.
"We have indeed met before! How's your sister?" Tom asked as he smiled like a cat that had gotten into the creamer.
Rebecca's spine stiffened at his words, "Which one? I'm not sure which sister you're talking about."
Tom only gave her a smile that was chilly. Rebecca managed to yank her hand away from Tom's tight grasp. Remembering Gatsby's words about keeping Rebecca occupied, Nick offered Rebecca his arm.
"Shall we?" he smiled trying to lighten the mood. Rebecca stared at Tom for a moment longer before taking his arm. She looked pale and uneasy. The grip on his arm was tight like she was holding on for dear life. It made Nick wonder again if Rebecca was going to faint. He covered his hand with hers trying to soothe her and calm her down from whatever she was feeling. Walking at a slower pace behind Tom, Daisy and Gatsby, Nick brushed his thumb back and forth over the soft skin of her hand and the pearl bracelet she wore. It was a simple little thing with a diamond encrusted clasp. He'd seen her wear on more than one occasion. Rebecca had told him once when they were dancing that it had belonged to her sister, Mary, before she'd died. It was one of her most prized possessions.
They suddenly stopped walking and it drew Nick out of his thoughts. He turned to look down at Rebecca who was staring back at him with an almost blank expression.
"Were you with Daisy and Gatsby when she was in the house?" she asked him. "Were you here?"
The air left Nick's lungs. How could she possibly have known that? A small voice in Nick's head urged him to tell the truth. Rebecca would only be angry at him if he lied but he'd promised Gatsby that he'd protect his affair with Daisy. The look on Rebecca's face, however, made him want to spare her as much pain as possible. Gatsby's affair would inflict quite a bit pain to her. Nick couldn't imagine Rebecca not being in pain once she found out about Daisy and Jay. As much as she tried to portray herself as an icy woman who could ignore every slight, hurt and exclusion from her husband, Nick knew Gatsby caused her pain.
"Daisy is my cousin, as you know," Nick said finally. "Gatsby gave us a tour when she came over for tea. He showed us all the new inventions he likes."
