Read Online Lost Among the Angels (A Mercy Allcutt Book) by Alice Duncan - Free Book Online
Authors: Alice Duncan
Ads: Link
being yellow, orange, and brown, but they didn’t scream at one, if you know what I mean. An orange velvet sash was threaded through lappets at the low waist, and the dress had a gold-colored, satin under-bodice and skirt with a scalloped hemline. It was lovely, but not exactly me, at least not the me I knew. I looked at the garment askance.
Chloe didn’t give me an opportunity to object. She said, “You wear this, or you don’t go. I can pick up that telephone and call Boston, you know.”
“Chloe! You wouldn’t! Anyhow, you can’t. It takes hours to make a long-distance trunk call.”
She stuck her face in mine, until we were nose to nose. “You’re going to wear this, and you’re going to be a credit to Harvey. Do you understand me, Mercedes Louise Allcutt? My husband is an important man in the motion-picture industry, and I’ll not have people laughing at him behind his back because his sister-in-law is a dowdy prude!”
“I’m not a dowdy prude,” I cried, stung.
“You are, too. And come Saturday, we’re going to fix that. I don’t mind all that much that you insist on working, but I’ll be darned if I’ll let you look like a frump. And we’re going to get your hair bobbed, too. God alone knows how I’ll fix it for tonight.”
Humbled—or perhaps humiliated was a better word for it—I decided to bow to my fate. After all, Chloe was really being splendid, letting me come out here and live with her and get a job and all. “Yes, Chloe. Thank you, Chloe. You’re very kind to me, Chloe.”
She slapped my arm lightly. “Don’t be stupid. You’ve got to wear a pair of my shoes, too. I have some that I had made for the dress.
“You had shoes made to match the dress?”
“Well, I had them dyed to match it.”
Good Lord. “Don’t you want to save the outfit for yourself? It must have cost a fortune.”
“It did, but it didn’t become me because I’m too blond for the colors. But I loved the fabric so much, I had it made anyway. It’ll go much better with your dark hair.”
Boy, I wonder what Lulu LaBelle would think if she could hear my sister talk about expensive clothes as if they were something you could just toss aside if you made a mistake and ordered the wrong color. Anyhow, I’d venture to bet that Lulu bought her clothes off the rack.
If I were to guess, I’d say this entire outfit Chloe was allowing me to borrow probably cost close to a hundred dollars. Maybe more. Some people didn’t make that much money in a month. A year even, maybe.
I did look mighty spiffy when Chloe and I walked down the main staircase in her house and Francis and Harvey met us at the foot of the stairs. Chloe had twisted my hair up and stuck some jewelry in it, and it looked good even if it wasn’t bobbed. I felt a trifle self-conscious in Chloe’s flesh-colored silk stockings, but Chloe told me I’d get used to them. I had flatly refused to roll them down and rouge my knees.
Harvey grinned and whistled.
Mr. Easthope bowed like the gentleman he was. “You look perfectly charming, Miss Allcutt. It will be an honor to accompany you out this evening.”
Chloe had touched up my face with powder and my eyes with mascara, and had dabbed a touch of rouge on my cheeks and lips, and I smiled at Mr. Easthope, feeling shy all of a sudden. “Thank you very much.”
And, after Mr. Easthope had led me to his automobile, an absolutely gorgeous Duesenberg that looked large enough for a family of ten to live in, opened the door for me, got in on the other side, and started the engine, and I realized I was being swept away to a real, honest-to-goodness nightclub, I began to understand the lure of the pictures. There was such glamour in them. I mean, who else could afford to live like this? My
Chloe didn’t give me an opportunity to object. She said, “You wear this, or you don’t go. I can pick up that telephone and call Boston, you know.”
“Chloe! You wouldn’t! Anyhow, you can’t. It takes hours to make a long-distance trunk call.”
She stuck her face in mine, until we were nose to nose. “You’re going to wear this, and you’re going to be a credit to Harvey. Do you understand me, Mercedes Louise Allcutt? My husband is an important man in the motion-picture industry, and I’ll not have people laughing at him behind his back because his sister-in-law is a dowdy prude!”
“I’m not a dowdy prude,” I cried, stung.
“You are, too. And come Saturday, we’re going to fix that. I don’t mind all that much that you insist on working, but I’ll be darned if I’ll let you look like a frump. And we’re going to get your hair bobbed, too. God alone knows how I’ll fix it for tonight.”
Humbled—or perhaps humiliated was a better word for it—I decided to bow to my fate. After all, Chloe was really being splendid, letting me come out here and live with her and get a job and all. “Yes, Chloe. Thank you, Chloe. You’re very kind to me, Chloe.”
She slapped my arm lightly. “Don’t be stupid. You’ve got to wear a pair of my shoes, too. I have some that I had made for the dress.
“You had shoes made to match the dress?”
“Well, I had them dyed to match it.”
Good Lord. “Don’t you want to save the outfit for yourself? It must have cost a fortune.”
“It did, but it didn’t become me because I’m too blond for the colors. But I loved the fabric so much, I had it made anyway. It’ll go much better with your dark hair.”
Boy, I wonder what Lulu LaBelle would think if she could hear my sister talk about expensive clothes as if they were something you could just toss aside if you made a mistake and ordered the wrong color. Anyhow, I’d venture to bet that Lulu bought her clothes off the rack.
If I were to guess, I’d say this entire outfit Chloe was allowing me to borrow probably cost close to a hundred dollars. Maybe more. Some people didn’t make that much money in a month. A year even, maybe.
I did look mighty spiffy when Chloe and I walked down the main staircase in her house and Francis and Harvey met us at the foot of the stairs. Chloe had twisted my hair up and stuck some jewelry in it, and it looked good even if it wasn’t bobbed. I felt a trifle self-conscious in Chloe’s flesh-colored silk stockings, but Chloe told me I’d get used to them. I had flatly refused to roll them down and rouge my knees.
Harvey grinned and whistled.
Mr. Easthope bowed like the gentleman he was. “You look perfectly charming, Miss Allcutt. It will be an honor to accompany you out this evening.”
Chloe had touched up my face with powder and my eyes with mascara, and had dabbed a touch of rouge on my cheeks and lips, and I smiled at Mr. Easthope, feeling shy all of a sudden. “Thank you very much.”
And, after Mr. Easthope had led me to his automobile, an absolutely gorgeous Duesenberg that looked large enough for a family of ten to live in, opened the door for me, got in on the other side, and started the engine, and I realized I was being swept away to a real, honest-to-goodness nightclub, I began to understand the lure of the pictures. There was such glamour in them. I mean, who else could afford to live like this? My
Similar Books
