A Lady Never Tells

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

1922, New York

It has been two years since Lillian and Joseph had gotten married. She was happy with her life. Lillian loved Joseph, but she still compared her love for her husband to her mother’s love to her father.

One sunny afternoon in the springtime, a maid in the Clark household came up to Lillian as she was watering the flowers in the parlor. The maid, Margret had a piece of paper in her hands. Once Lillian had the paper in her hands, she noticed that it was a telegram.

Lillian opened the telegram and read it. Apparently her grandmother had a stroke. The doctor said that it didn’t look very good. After reading it, Lillian couldn’t stand, so she sat on the couch.

Grandmother had a stroke? This is not good, at all, Lillian thought. She put her face in her hands and felt a tear or two fall down her cheek. Lillian then heard someone walk into the parlor, but she didn’t look up. Suddenly there was an arm that was wrapped around her shoulders.

“What is it, Lily?” Joseph asked and Lillian stood up just to get away from him.

“Don’t call me that Joseph,” she snapped suddenly.

“Alright, what’s wrong Lillian?”

“I just got a telegram from the Hamptons. Grandmother just had a stroke.”

“Oh, my, this isn’t good.”

“I need to see her as soon as possible. I need to go now,” she said hastily.

“Not tonight, you can’t, nor tomorrow.”

“What do you mean I can’t go tonight or tomorrow? My grandmother just had a stroke!”

“We have the Humphrey and Son Spring Gala tomorrow. You have to be there. Wehave to be there, together! I can’t just show up without my wife on my arm!”

How dare he think that a gala is more important than my grandmother! “Well, I’m sorry but something more important has come up. I’m going to the Hamptons tomorrow morning, with or without you.” With that Lillian stalked out of the parlor and away from her husband who had a look of complete and utter shock on his face.

That night, Lillian as Lillian was pulling the sheets away from where her pillow was Joseph came into the room. He came up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist and started kissing her neck, the argument from this afternoon forgotten, for the time being. Suddenly, he moved one of his arms and started inching Lillian’s nightgown up so it was closer to her thigh.

“Joseph,” she muttered softly.

“Shh, don’t speak. We need to continue this if we want children.”

It seemed like ever since Joseph and Lillian spent their wedding night together that Joseph was intent of producing an heir. Unfortunately, Lillian seemed to be unable to become pregnant. She was pregnant once, but she has a miscarriage when she was six weeks along.

Lillian always wanted children. She wanted a big family, full of little feet pitter-pattering throughout her home. She wanted to hear the cries and laughs that children so often sound like. When she had her miscarriage, Lillian was distraught. She felt like she was so much less of a woman since she was having problems carrying a child.

So, since Lillian wanted children she let Joseph continue that night. But, her mind wasn’t exactly into the motions and pleasantries she and Joseph were sharing.

The next morning, Lillian was putting a few remaining items in her luggage bags. Her car would be leaving in a few minutes. Her mind was constantly racing. She was thinking about her and Joseph’s unique relationship. She was also thinking about her grandmother.

Grandmother Mary was the only family member that she truly loved. Sure, as Lillian grew up Grandmother tended to be very harsh. Lillian was forced to sit through etiquette lessons afternoon. She was mandated to create two tapestries per month. Lillian was also forced to complete her school assignments not only on time, but she must also ace them. Grandmother also controlled who Lillian was allowed to socialize with. Meaning, she limited the time that she could see William.

A car beeped outside her bedroom window. Lillian quickly gathered her belongings and left her house without saying anything to Joseph. About two hours later, Lillian arrived at Grandmother’s estate. Lillian rapidly got out of the car and went inside. There, she met her grandmother’s doctor who directed her to Grandmother’s room.

Lillian held her breath as she walked over to see Grandmother lying very still in her bed. As Lillian got closer, Grandmother seemed to sense her presence and looked at her.

“Lily,” she said.

“I’m here Grandmother,” Lillian whispered.

“I’m glad to see you. I wanted to make sure that I saw you before I pass.”

“Oh, no Grandmother, you’re not going to die,” Lillian begged.

“Nonsense, I am an elderly woman who just had a stroke. There is little that the doctor can do. Now, I must tell you something significant. I was hoping to tell you when you had children of your own, but I see that there is little time.”

“Grandmother, please stop talking like this!”

“Shh child, let me speak. Your parents were lovely people. They loved each other very much. But your mother was a very scandalous woman. She seemed to have lovers who weren’t your father.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Lily, your mother cheated on your father. He never knew this of course.”

“I don’t believe you. But even if I did, how do you know this?”

“I caught your mother in the act. While you and your father were away in Chicago one time, I went over to check on her. Inside, she was loving another man.”

Lillian fell back on her heels. She didn’t want to consider this true, but somehow she accepted it.

“I’m sorry child. I know that you love your mother very much, but you had to know,” Grandmother said wisely.

Soon after, Lillian excused herself from the house. She went outside to get some fresh air and to process everything. She caught the eye of a familiar blond man, but neither party made any initiative to contact one another, so Lillian just walked away from her old friend.

Lillian spent the night in her old bedroom. The next morning she seemed so refreshed. That was until her Grandmother’s maid came bursting into her room and announced, “The mistress is dead!”