Echoes of the Heart (47 page)

           
Jenny’s
ample smile flashed straight white teeth and Raeden knew the extra work worth
it just to see the delight sparkle in her friend’s sorrel eyes.
 
“It’s fabulous, Rae.
 
I will be the envy of every lady there.”

           
After
they visited for a few moments, they both left to dress for the evening out.

***

Dressed for the
theatre in a rust-colored gown with a train layered in alabaster voile she
noticed her breasts felt tender and looked fuller when she tied her
corset.
 
She hoped it the onset of her
cycle and the lateness due to stress and fatigue.

           
It
seemed all eyes turned as Raeden and Jenny entered the New Park Theatre clad in
their
Designs by Raeden.
 
They made a point to linger as long as
possible before taking their seats.

           
By
intermission, the performance had been more than she had hoped for and they
went together for refreshments to show off their gowns.
 
A young woman approached Raeden with her
escort.
 
“You’re wearing such a lovely
gown.
 
May I ask the name of the
designer?”

           
Raeden
casually reached into her bag and handed her a card.
 

           
“
Designs by Raeden,
I knew it had to be
French.
 
Is he out of Paris?”

           
Raeden
beamed.
 
“The line will be available in
New York at some upscale clothiers.
 
If
you are interested ask at Bird of Paradise or Collette’s.”

           
“Thank
you, I will check tomorrow.”
 
She
strolled back to a group.
 
All the other
ladies passed the card between them smiling and chattering while one man, she
guessed to be a husband, rolled his eyes toward the ceiling shaking his head.

           
A
good-looking man with dark hair and a mustache, debonair and dressed like a
dandy, strolled to Raeden.
 
“Excuse me
for being so bold.
 
I am Mitchell Maxwell
and I noticed you had no escort.
 
I
brought you refreshment.”
 
He handed her
some champagne.
 
Why am I so frightened?
 

           
Raeden
held the glass but did not drink, trying to remain relaxed and keeping silent
while he stared.
 
Just then, intermission
ended.
 
When she turned to leave, he
reached for her elbow to walk her inside.

           
As
the strange hand touched her, she jumped away nearly screaming.
 
“Don’t touch me, I’m a married woman.”
 
Dropping the glass, she bolted to her seat,
gasping for breath.
 
Dabbing her cold
damp brow, she collected herself so Jenny would not notice when she walked back
to her seat.
 
It disturbed her, she
became so alarmed at the slight touch of a stranger, realizing he meant her no
harm.
 
Would it always be like this?
 
How could she function and conduct business
in a man’s world if she could not bear the nearness of men she did not
know?
 
Once again remembering the
nightmare, she shuttered and attempted to regain control.

           
She
sat with Jenny in their box hardly remembering the rest of the performance,
thankful when they finally left the confines of the dark theatre and hailed a
carriage to Delmonico’s for dinner.
      

Jenny ordered
champagne cocktails then they sat down to enjoy their meal in the extravagant
dining room on the first floor of five, across from the fountain circled with
flowers, padded with thick carpet and mahogany furnishings.
 
The mirrored walls reflected the light from
silver chandeliers hanging from frescoed ceilings.

“We must do this
again.
 
How about the ballet?”

Raeden nodded her agreement.
 
“I will get the tickets next time.”

Jenny leaned
forward and lowered her voice.
 
“Two
women in the ladies lounge asked me about the gown.
 
I gave them cards like you said.”
 
She chuckled.
 
“And they thought it a man’s name.
 
I didn’t tell them any different.”

           
“They
will find out soon enough.”
 
Raeden took
one sip of her drink and left it then picked at her Maine lobster, still
unnerved by the sudden trepidation at the theatre but managed tea and ate iced
cream for dessert.

           
“Jen,
I need to go home now.
 
I have a headache
and I’m extremely tired.”
 
She found
herself looking in all directions, wishing she had carried her gun while her
nervous stomach churned in rebellion like a fire pit of smoldering embers.

           
Jenny
frowned with brows pulled inward.
 
“Do
you want me to see you home?”

           
“No,
I’ll be fine.
 
I’ve just been working too
hard.”
 
She didn’t want to tell Jenny the
truth about her apprehension.
 
She did
not know Jenny well enough to confide and even if she had, she didn’t know if
she would ever tell anyone about the brutal assault by the two men out on the
prairie of South Dakota.

           
She
came back to her apartment, barely undressing before she ran into the bathroom
and retched, now knowing the truth of her condition.
 
It appeared Cash had given her a Christmas
gift after all.

           
Sitting
in bed with her head in her hands, Raeden pondered her situation with no doubts
about wanting her baby.
 
But what about
Cash?
 
He hadn’t mailed back the
annulment documents so legally married, he could force her to stay with him or
claim the child and take it.
 
The notions
became too much to bear.

           
At
least for now, she could pretend to be a widow.
 
All these fabrications, they had come so easily one after another ever
since her involvement with the tall handsome man that twisted her heartstrings
and evoked the passions leaving her with his child.
 
All this could wait until tomorrow.
 
At this point, she needed sleep.

***

           
After
a bout of morning sickness, Raeden sat at her favorite café in the Village
reading the
Times
over tea and dry
toast.
 
The teacup clanked into the
saucer when she turned to the society page.
 
Staring up from the pages, a picture of Cash with his arm intimately
around a beautiful woman made her feel a pang of jealousy.

           
The
caption read,
Our newest Senator, Cash
Rydell, seen with
Senator Mead’s
daughter, Estelle.
 
She could read no
further before her eyes blurred.
 
How
could he do this?
 
He’s still
married.
 
He certainly did not seem
bothered about his reputation if he did not mind having his picture taken in
public with an obvious harlot.

           
Rage
held back tears while she hurried home, still clutching the newspaper.
 
She threw herself on the bed beating her
fists into the pillow and bawled until wholly spent.

***

Jenkins waited in
the office when she arrived at the warehouse, a roomy smile glued to his face
as he sat in the high back wooden chair by her desk and stood when she
entered.
 
“I have good news.”

           
She
sat behind her desk anxious to hear his report while he pulled out a small
stack of papers from his case.
 
“I have
contracts from Bird of Paradise and Collette’s.
 
Their agents came by this morning.
 
It seems they have ladies asking about your line.”
 
His eyes glittered with excitement as he
leafed through the sketches.

           
Raeden
could hardly sit still and keep a straight face.
 
“How nice.
 
Go on.”

           
“Bird
of Paradise arrived first and bought what you’ve completed so far then placed
an order for several more gowns when I showed him the illustrations.”
 
He spread out pictures across her desk.
 
“These are what they have requested so far.”
           
Bubbling with excitement,
Raeden picked them up.
 
“What about
Collette’s?”
 
Certainly more than she had
hoped for, her excitement mounted while scanning the requested original gowns.

           
He
spread out more designs.
 
“They ordered
all of these, at least a dozen and they want to schedule a fashion show as soon
as they are completed.
 
How do you
suppose this happened?”
 
His brows folded
together creasing his forehead.

           
She
leaned forward over her desk barely able to hide her elation.
 
“For now, it’s my little secret.
 
Where do I sign?
 
I will need to get started as soon as possible
and find more assistants if I am going to get these completed in a reasonable
amount of time.”

           
After
sending Sally on the errand to entice seamstresses away from their low paying
piecework positions at the local garment factories, she purchased materials to
complete the new contracts and arranged for delivery of six more machines the
following day.
 

Exhilarated and
grateful for the distraction, she fell asleep dreaming of the fashion show
sponsored by Collette’s.
 
It would bring
her name and designs public, increasing the chance to attain her goal.

***

The doctor only
confirmed what she already knew and morning sickness plagued her all hours,
making it difficult to eat.
 
More and
more she relied on Sally to manage the assembly while she concentrated on the
patterns.

           
At
home, she stayed up all hours to complete a few more sketches for Bird of
Paradise at Jenkins’s request and thought of the shock when they found the
artist a female before she tore into the bathroom to heave her last meal.
 
With a hand on her middle, she chortled and
spoke aloud.
 
“I guess you are going to
make this hard on your mother.”
 
She
wondered what Cash would think if he could see her now, retching in a basin
looking gaunt and thin.

           
With
not much time to herself, Raeden managed to ride on Sunday enjoying the cool
air and the feel of Arte’s energy as he cantered the paths in the park.
 
She made wide circles around men gazing her
way and always avoided eye contact.
 
The
ridiculous fear must leave sometime.
 
She
had connections to make in the world of business.
 
Just
pretend—you have become a master at deception.

***

Raeden stood before
her mirror the morning of the show applying face powder to the dark circles
under her eyes.
 
A bit of rouge detracted
from the wan appearance of her face.
 
She
had to alter her gown to allow for her weight loss, but the fullness of her
breasts might be a distraction to her shrinking frame.

           
The
overhead lamps lit the runway when Raeden peaked through the corner of the
curtains to scan the anxious faces of the audience seated in padded chairs in a
horseshoe configuration around the carpet-covered ramp.

           
She
had just come from the dressing room occupied by chattering models, after
examining the fit of each gown.
 
Sally,
still making adjustments, would be joining her soon and she hoped she could
manage to maintain her composure in her jubilated state.
 

           
The
manager of Collette’s stepped beside Raeden.
 
“You must be
Designs by Raeden
.
 
I must say it had been a shock.
 
I’m Mr. Davis.
 
It’s a pleasure to meet you at last.
 
I’m impressed with your creations and I’m
sure we will see a lot more of each other.”
 
She hoped fervently he would not touch her while she forced herself to
remain calm.

           
She
stretched a smile across her face, hoping the tension did not show.
 
Forcing a hand forward she let him grasp
it.
 
“Nice to make your acquaintance.
 
I hope you and Mr. Jenkins will keep me
busy.”
 
He smiled and nodded his
agreement.