Forget Me Not, Books I, II and III

Brookhurst Revisited

June 1, 1940

UNLIKE HER DAYS AT MISS CARRINGTON'S, Teddi's time in Brookhurst was about as active as a corpse's in the grave. Living under her grandparents' roof again, though already eighteen, had cut her independence in two. Attempting to mask this stifling set of circumstances, Teddi and her friend, Harper, decided to throw a picnic in the Donovan's backyard. This meant a trip along Main Street's trendy new storefronts to get to the market. Her grandmother wanted to send their maid, but Teddi insisted on doing the whole thing herself. Elizabeth Donovan merely shook her head, stating she'd never understand children, and walked away. Teddi was grateful her grandmother somewhat approved of her guest list.

"So she's coming, too?" Harper asked as they walked toward Stanley's Country Market. "And she actually went to your school?"

"Well, not when I was there. I can't believe I haven't mentioned it before," said Teddi. Laura, Teddi's closest friend from Miss Carrington's, and her sister, Jeanne, were both coming from their family's summer house in East Hampton. Her grandmother didn't approve of Jeanne being an actress, but she did approve of the Norwick family, so it worked out. Besides, it was a young people only occasion.

"You're not exactly the star-struck type." Harper laughed.

"I guess not."

"For that matter," Harper went on, "neither am I, but I still think it'll be interesting to see what she's like off-screen. Too bad she's not bringing along one of her leading men."

"I know."

Harper laughed. "Don't tell me you'd stray from Ben."

Teddi shrugged. "I'm not married to him, Harper."

"He'd certainly like to fix that."

"Why? He hasn't said anything about it to you, has he?" The air suddenly thinned. He could not be thinking about marriage.

Before Harper could answer, Samantha Chatfield happened by laughing, arm-in-arm with a handsome dark-haired young man. "Well, if it isn't Theodora Donovan. You look like you swallowed an old cat tail."

"Thank you, Samantha, you're looking darling yourself."

"Forgive my manners, Harper, Teddi, this is my cousin, Hugh. He's visiting for the weekend. I've been trying to get him to stay out here the whole summer, but he thinks Brookhurst is—what did you call it?"

"Dripsville, but uh, now that I see the flora and fauna has more natural charm than I realized, I might have to admit that I was wrong."

Teddi cringed. "Are you sure you two aren't twins separated at birth?"

"We don't look anything alike, Teddi," said Samantha before turning to Hugh. "She's not the brightest lamp in the lampshade store."

"Wouldn't they only sell lampshades in a lampshade store?" asked Harper, her tone dry.

"Touché, beautiful lady," Hugh responded, looking directly at Teddi rather than Harper.

Samantha scowled then sighed her way back into a sterilized smile. "Hugh is quite the charmer," she said, then turned to her cousin. "This one's already managed to find herself a catch. Haven't you, Teddi?"

"If you mean Ben—"

"Well, we have places to go and people to see. Tah."

"I hope she gags to death from that noxious perfume she splashes all over herself," said Harper.

"At least, my grandmother didn't force us to invite her or that oily cousin of hers to the picnic," said Teddi with a shudder. "And did you hear that? Even she knows about Ben. Did he actually mention marriage to you?"