The Vaudeville Star

Lourdes smiled. The deed had always been in his name. He was being generous.

“Any jewels, furs, and such you can keep as well. It will be a clean break,” King said, picking up his gloves and hat.

Lourdes clutched the side of the table as she heard the cold words. “What? King, what are you saying?”

“Caroline is dead. So much the better.”

“Yes, but how does that affect us? We can go on as before.”

“Not as before, my dear. As I said, it must be a clean break.” He chuckled. “I sincerely doubt my new bride would like a mistress between us. Besides, I doubt I will want one for some months to come. She’s young and beautiful.”

Lourdes felt a chill creep down her spine. The young singer. The blond. He was speaking of her.

“You plan to marry already? Your wife is not yet cold in her grave,” Lourdes said hoarsely.

King turned and advanced upon her. “You keep the town house, the furs, the jewels.”

Lourdes nodded. She would say nothing more. She knew to argue with him now would be futile. He had a mean streak and could be violent. She had been bruised more than once by his hands.

His fingers traced her lips, and then he pinched them shut. “And you keep that pretty little mouth shut. Understood?”

Lourdes nodded as King smiled.

“Good girl.”

13

Ruby surveyed the borrowed trunk that lay on the floor of her room. She had brought a small suitcase with her from school, but this trunk was larger and more suitable for ship traveling, and Bessie had graciously lent it to her. Ruby didn’t have that many clothes to choose from, but she was pleased to see her newly purchased clothes among the faded older ones. She had thought it odd to purchase the ready-made garments from the department store, but they were just as good.

She was sure her mother and Pernetta would disagree, but she had enjoyed the entire shopping experience at Bloomingdale’s. Her clothes, gl

oves, and coat all lay in the steamer trunk as she looked about the room to see if anything else remained. They were leaving in two days.

She had a few books that she had brought with her from Connecticut and her toiletries, but that was pretty much it. She was a little disheartened to realize that her whole life could be packed away into a single trunk.

Meanwhile, down the hallway, she heard the Vadas sisters arguing over what they would take and what they should leave behind. Between the three sisters, they had enough garments to fill ten trunks, possibly more.

Bessie knocked and entered the room. “You should hear the sisters fighting over their clothes. They are hilarious!”

“I did hear them. Fighting over a dress or a garter. Ridiculous.” Ruby laughed.

“You never had to fight over clothes?” Bessie asked.

“I did. I had my older sister, Pernetta. Since she was older and my mother’s favorite, she got whatever she wanted. If she wanted a new dress, she only had to say so,” Ruby recalled.

“And you?”

“I wasn’t into dresses then. I only ever wanted one thing,” she said wistfully, thinking of Ford. “But my Daddy was generous with me. I never wanted for anything.”

Bessie cast a glance at the trunk, which looked half-empty. “Are you missing something? Your trunk looks bare.”

“I don’t have that much to pack. Besides, onstage I’ll be in costume. That reminds me. We need to stop at the theater to get the costumes to pack.”

Bessie nodded. “We’ll do that after lunch. I’m starved.”

After lunch, Ruby and Bessie stopped by the theater to pick up their costumes. Ruby had three costumes, including the orange and cream gown and a new red one with a plunging neckline that Bessie had handpicked for her. King had not seen the gown, but Vernon had whistled lowly when she modeled it for him.

The third gown she had chosen was a striped gown of green and black that showed off her figure and had feathers along the bodice. It was pretty yet elegant, and she placed them together in her dressing room to pack them in the trunk.