Miss Almay opened her mouth to reply, but all that came out was a croak. She lifted her hand to her throat, eyes bulging in surprise. “I can’t talk!” she whispered.
Eliza gaped at Theresa, who kept on walking as if nothing had happened. The other girls all looked around, stunned, unable to believe Theresa’s daring. Alice glanced at Eliza uncertainly.
“It’s all right,” Eliza whispered to her as Mrs. Hodge attempted to look down Miss Almay’s throat, holding a lantern over the headmistress’s open mouth. The girls kept walking, putting more distance between themselves and their chaperones. “Just carry on.”
“Okay . . . well . . . what about you, Eliza?” Alice asked, glancing over her shoulder at the older women. “Did you fall in love tonight?”
Eliza’s skin tingled even as her chest went hollow. Catherine’s gri
p on her arm tightened, and she cleared her throat. Eliza automatically touched her locket, remembering how Harrison had complimented it.
“No, Alice, I can’t say that I did,” she answered.
I believe I fell in love the day we arrived at Billings.
“What were you and Harrison talking about?” Theresa interjected, her voice a bit louder than necessary.
Eliza’s heart thumped. She exchanged a glance with Catherine. “We didn’t actually talk much,” she replied. “It was just one dance, after all.”
“Yes, but we all saw you talking. You must have been discussing something,” Theresa said. “What was it?”
Eliza’s tongue felt like a brick in her suddenly dry mouth. Theresa had just rendered Miss Almay speechless in front of everyone, simply for insulting Alice. Imagine what she might do if she discovered Eliza’s true feelings for Harrison?
“The weather,” Catherine replied suddenly. “They talked about the weather.”
Eliza’s eyebrows came together in confusion as she looked at her friend.
“You told me after the two of you danced, remember?” Catherine laughed lightly. “You see? The conversation was so dull, she doesn’t even recall.”
“He kept saying how fine the day was,” Eliza lied, casting a glance at Theresa’s narrowed eyes. “How perfectly fine the weather had been ever since we’d arrived. I could scarcely get him to say anything else.” She tilted her head to better see Theresa past Catherine’s frame. “You must have used up all his good conversation, Theresa.”
For a long moment, Theresa said nothing. But then her mouth curved into a wry grin. “Perhaps.”
As the group grew closer to Crenshaw House, Bia and Viola raced ahead, their laughter wafting back to the other girls through the balmy air. Theresa and Alice exchanged a mischievous look, then suddenly both gave chase, holding their skirts up away from their ankles. The other girls all shouted encouragement while Miss Almay grabbed Mrs. Hodge.
“Girls! Girls!” Mrs. Hodge shouted on Miss Almay’s behalf, speed-walking past Eliza and Catherine. “That is no way for young ladies to behave!” She huffed over to the door where the four offenders now waited.
“Thank you for that, Catherine,” Eliza said quietly once the two girls were alone. “I don’t know what happened. I must be overtired. I couldn’t even form a thought, which must have made me look very . . . and I didn’t mean—”
“Anytime, Eliza,” Catherine replied with a warm smile, stopping Eliza’s rambling excuses. “Anytime.”
Best Friends
All throughout services at Billings Chapel on Sunday morning, Eliza felt the pull of the temple beneath her feet. She could tell that the other girls did, too. Giggles were hidden behind hands, whispers abounded, knees jiggled impatiently, and Miss Almay grew more and more tense as the minutes ticked on. By the time the final prayers were said, Eliza felt as though she were practically suffocating.
“Oh, my!” she exclaimed as she stepped outside, unbuttoning her lace-trimmed jacket to let the air in. “I thought I was going to expire in there.”
“What a gorgeous day,” Catherine said, tilting her head back to look up at the sun. “Let’s all go for a bike ride.” She looked at Theresa and Alice. “We could even ride over to the Easton campus if you like.”
“I can imagine how you might think that would appeal to me, Cat, but I already have plans,” Alice said blithely, swinging her satin bag by her side. “I’m going into town with Jeff Whittaker!”
“You are?” Eliza asked, her eyes wide. “How ever did you get permission?”
“I telephoned my mother last night, and she spoke to Miss Almay,” Alice said, lifting one shoulder. “My parents did send me here to meet my future husband, after all. And once they heard what the Whittaker family is worth, they gave their approval posthaste!” Then her face screwed up in consternation. “Although we’re to be escorted by Mrs. Hodge, of course.”
“Well, then, what about you, Theresa? A bicycle ride?” Catherine asked.
“I am going to go back to my room to catch up on my correspondence,” Theresa replied. “Why don’t you come with me, Catherine?”