5 Months Later
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You are cordially invited to the wedding of Miss. Alice Howard and Mr. Henry Reyes on the third of March, the year of our Lord; 1899 A.D. Please arrive at Trinity Church no later than 3:20 P.M. since the ceremony will start promptly at 3:30. A ceremonial ball will be held after at Reyes Hall; 665 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
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"It's confounding that Alice is getting married isn't it?" Ms. Ruth Parker remarked as she finished reading the invitation. The card was printed on expensive paper with the trademark two roses intertwined. One stood for the Howards, the other stood for the Stewarts.
"Married? So soon?" Mr. George Parker glanced up from the newspaper he was reading. The pipe that was dangling out the side of his mouth wobbled as he spoke.
"Shocking isn't it?" Mrs. Parker replied. "Everybody will surely be conversing about this. Three months is most definitely not a long enough time for mourning. Even though the date was already set, they should at least postponed the wedding until next year."
"I'm never getting married," William, the Parker's youngest child pipped up. He was lying on his stomach on the Oriental rug Mr. Parker had bought on one of his travels to Asia. After months of deliberate planning, Mrs. Parker had decided on placing it in the library. The dyed woven strands contrasted greatly with the beige coloring of the walls, yet it still looked appealing in some peculiar way.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker laughed.
"Why is that Willie?" Elizabeth, his older and the Parker's eldest child, teased.
"Girls are annoying," Willie looked up from the colorful picture book he was reading. "Stevie's little sister always wants to play with us. But we don't let her."
"You're only five," Elizabeth said. "You will be changing your mind after some years."
Willie shrugged. "Stevie and I made a pact to never get married."
"Now, now, now, do not make promises that you know you cannot keep, Willie," Mrs. Parker warned. "I'm sure Mrs. Heywood would not like to hear that her son was thinking of such ridiculous notions."
Willie pouted. "They're not ridiculous!"
Mrs. Parker opened her mouth to further argue before being interrupted by her husband.
"Ruth, there's no point in talking to the boy about these things now. He's too young to understand," Mr. Parker cut in when he sensed his wife was about to reprimand his son. "Willie's mind is still that of a child. He'll change his views as he ages. In fact-" Mr. Parker gave Willie a knowing wink, "when I was his age, I made a vow to never marry too. But now look at me; happily joined to a beautiful woman who gave me two magnificent children."
"Humph," Mrs. Parker grumbled but smiled at the compliment.
Mr. Parker sobered suddenly. "Even though I do not know, nor understand all the rules of society, I do believe it is a tad too early for Alice to be having her wedding."
"I most definitely agree," Mrs. Parker piped up. "Especially after the tragic death of Lorena."
The Parkers lapsed into a sudden silence. The tension over the topic of Lorena's demise hung heavily in the air.
"I'm sure Lorena would love that her sister is marrying Henry," Elizabeth said quietly. "She always did have a soft spot for him."
Before Lorena had died, she and Elizabeth had been very close friends. In fact, when the news came that the drowned victim found in the Hudson River had been none other than Lorena Elise Howard, Elizabeth had refused to believe it. After all, it was only a fortnight ago that she had been at her house, sipping tea and gossiping about the dashing Frederich Griffin who was expected to return from college; unmarried and still as handsome as ever.
"Never mind the wedding, let's speak of something else equally as important," Mrs. Parker began dramatically.
"Yes?" Elizabeth replied tensely. She had an idea of what was coming.
"Frederich Griffin is back," Mrs. Parker said breathlessly. "And he's still a bachelor."
"I do not see how this effects me," Elizabeth sourly spoke.
"Elizabeth, don't be daft. You know how a marriage to Frederich will ensure your future."
"Ruth," Mr. Parker sounded tired; as if he had this conversation with his wife many times. "You don't even know if he will court her yet."
"Why wouldn't he?" Mrs. Parker retorted. "Elizabeth's beautiful, she comes from an upperclass family and marriage to her would be beneficial to his overall image. Lord knows he needs it if the rumors about his time at Penn are true."
"Mama, must I explain this to you again? I wish to marry for love, not for image."
"Don't you-"
"It's getting late. We should be going to bed. Another day Ruth, we'll have this conversation another day. But for now, let's retire." Mr. Parker stood up. "McKenna!"
A young serving maid walked in quickly. "Yes Sir?"
"Take Willie upstairs to his room."
"Yes Sir. Come with me Mr. Willie." McKenna quickly ushered the young Parker away.
"I believe it is time for bed," Mr. Parker hinted.
Elizabeth quickly stood up. "Yes it is. Goodnight Mama, good night Papa." She kissed them on their cheeks and left the room.
"We have to discuss it eventually..." Elizabeth heard her mother say as Elizabeth exited the room. "She's getting to that age..."
"Leave her be Ruth..." The rest of Mr. Parker's voice faded into a murmur.
Elizabeth walked slowly up the stairs of her family brownstone to her room. Although it was in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue, it was obvious that the Parker home did not compare to the opulent limestone mansions of Millionaire Row. The Parkers were considered a member of the old money elite, but they were a lesser class than the other families. Unlike the Griffins who had multigenerational wealth, Mr. Parker's father was a simple man who struck rich in the California Gold Rush.
"Your grandfather, he was a crafty fellow," Mr. Parker would tell Elizabeth and Willie during their post-dinner times in the family library. "He heard about the Gold Rush before there was talk of gold in California. He set out with nothing but the clothes on his back, a ticket, and three dollars in his pocket. After he mined his gold-" Mr. Parker paused to take a drag of his pipe "he realized that there was nothing there. The real money came from the merchants selling the gold seekers supplies. And that's what he did. He opened up shops and advertised about the amounts of gold you could get in the newspapers. Soon more and more people arrived and his business flourished. He took the money he earned and invested it in the railroads. Helped finance the first leg of the Transcontinental Railroad. Remarkable man, truly knew how to do business."
"A shame he never could join the echelons of society," Mrs. Parker would say nastily.
To Mrs. Parker, status meant everything. Ruth loved telling everyone she was the descendent of the Dutch royal family despite having no evidence to support her claim. "My great-great-great-great grandmother was a princess," she'd say haughtily. "They were one of the first settlers of New York City. My family founded this country. " Of course Ruth would fail to mention that by the time her grandfather inherited the family money, there was barely a nickel left. And they stayed broke until Ruth married George.
The Parker marriage was a troubled one. On the outside, they appeared to be a loving couple, but Elizabeth knew there was no affection between them. Ruth looked down upon George's family for not having titles and George hated Ruth's never-ending machinations to acquire wealth and status. However, divorce was not an option as it would ruin the family reputation and exile them from society. That was why Elizabeth had no interest in Frederich Griffin. She wanted a marriage based on love and trust, not money. But most importantly, Elizabeth was already in love with someone.
Dear sweet Lizzie,
Meet me by the back gate at midnight.
Yours truly,
Jacob
Elizabeth smiled as she reread the note. She had gotten it earlier today. She didn't know how Jacob managed to sneak it past Mrs. Parker, but she didn't care. She was finally going to see Jacob again. It had been six months since she last saw him and she missed him greatly. Her secret meetings with Jacob was the one thing that brought some excitement in her life. Plus she knew her mother would disapprove greatly and that appealed to Elizabeth's rebellious side.
Grabbing her cloak, Elizabeth crept down the stairs, out the back door and past the gate. Her parents slept on the third floor with a window facing the front door. This made it extremely easy for her to sneak out the back. Their back gate was also broken so there would be no evidence of leaving and entering through there.
"Hello my lovely Lizzie," Jacob said as soon as he saw Elizabeth. He cradled her face in his hands. "I've missed you so."
"Likewise Jacob," Elizabeth said breathlessly. She stared lovingly at his face, burning it into her memory. He had changed quite a bit. His normal clean-shaven face was prickly with hair. The thick brown hair had lightened to a soft caramel with blond streaks. There were dark circles underneath his eyes; no doubt from the exhaustion of the month at sea. "How was your time in Europe?"
"Quite splendid Lizzie. Come walk with me. I have much to discuss with you." Jacob grabbed Elizabeth's hand and strolled out onto the road.
The two chatted away as they walked down the smooth paved street. Jacob told her about his time in France, Spain and England. He beguiled her with stories about his dinners with his stuffy French relatives and the pranks he played on his Spanish cousins. "And the British, they really do love their tea," Jacob said heartily. "They always had to have scones at their teatime. And they had to have teatime too, no exceptions. Pricks, all of them!" Elizabeth would guffaw and respond back smartly and the two would tease each other. This is what I want Elizabeth thought to herself. A husband I can communicate with easily.
An hour and five laps around the block later, Jacob walked Elizabeth back to her home. He kissed her softly on the mouth. "Goodbye dear Lizzie. I hope I will see you soon."
"Me too Jacob. Are you going to Alice and Henry's wedding?"
Jacob looked surprised. "They are still carrying on with their wedding? Despite the tragedy?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"Mother will definitely force me to attend. I assume you are going as well?"
"I believe so. All of the city's elite will be there so you know my mother will want to make an appearance."
Jacob grinned. "Ms. Ruth does love her high society events."
Elizabeth grimaced in disgust. "I'll never understand it. Money and status means everything to her."
Jacob grabbed Elizabeth's hands. "Listen to me Lizzie. It is hard for us to understand since we grew up in wealth, but I've seen what it means to be poor. I've seen people who don't have money to afford clothes, starving children and disease. We are protected from all that but the majority of the population live like that. Sometimes I wonder if capitalism is worth it."
Elizabeth stared at Jacob quizzically. "What do you mean Jacob?"
Jacob flashed a smile. "Never mind Lizzie, do not worry about it. Goodnight and I will see you at the wedding. Goodbye."
Elizabeth watched as Jacob got into his Peugeot. With a wave, he drove off towards his home in Washington Square Park. After she could see him no more, Elizabeth hastened back into her home, making sure to be as discreet as possible.
See you soon Jacob Elizabeth thought to herself as she changed into her nightgown. I love you.