Free Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon Page B

the decorations, whether to serve coffee and bouillon at the door as guests waited for their cars, or just let them drive home drunk. Mr. Christie suggested champagne glasses with Annabee’s monogram for the guests to take home. Candace thought this, too, was a marvelous idea.
    Annabee was almost sick with anticipation the day of the party. She was terrified of not having fun, or of having fun and being punished for it. But Gladdy was full of happy confidence and Annabee tried to imitate her. At a lunch party, while Annabee could hear in her head what slightly malicious thing Candace would say afterward about the food, or the decorations, there before her was kind, wholehearted Gladdy saying, “How delicious ! Thank you so much, I never had a better time,” and meaning it. If Gladdy and Annabee stood at the top of a staircase, Gladdy was filled with anticipation of the pleasure awaiting below, while Annabee was filled with the knowledge that she would probably trip on the way down, and that Candace would not be a bit surprised.
    To the Talbot family’s dinner for the debutantes before the dance, Annabee wore a short dress and the sapphire dinner ring from Egypt, and Gladdy, dressed in the only evening dress she had, said she’d never seen a human being look prettier than Annabee. There were toasts and good cheer and even Annabee began to forget to be nervous. This wasn’t so bad. The moon was full, she was over her period and would not bleed on her clothes, and it seemed possible that nothing would go wrong after all. Toby Talbot and Tom McClintock were her escorts. Tom looked piercingly handsome, and even Homer Gantry was looking pretty good; he called her Sydney, he had a tall silk opera hat, and kept doing a rather funny imitation of Bertie Wooster.
    When the dinner was almost over, Ralph came to the door to drive Annabee to the club to change for the dance. At the last minute darling Gladdy went along to help.
    In the room Candace had taken for Anna to change in, Maudie had laid out everything she needed, before rushing off to dress Mrs. Brant. There were her new long gloves, her new ivory shoes, extra silk stockings, the long silk petticoat, and the ivory dress, the beautiful dress, with its deeply scooped neck and its shimmering skirt.
    They got her out of her dinner dress without getting any lipstick or powder on it. They got her into her shoes and petticoat. Annabee puffed herself with powder and flapped her arms to be sure she was dry in the armpits. Gladdy held up The Dress, and Annabee stepped into it. She watched herself in the mirror as Gladdy hooked her up and she and the dress became one.
    â€œAnnabee! Look at you!” Gladdy cried, straightening.
    Annabee smiled. Yes, indeed. Her hair, which had been done that afternoon, was swept up onto her head and gleaming. The dress made her neck look like a swan’s.
    Maudie hurried in.
    â€œI’m sorry, Miss Anna.” She was supposed to help Annabee dress, but Candace had suddenly needed her instead.
    â€œIt’s all right. Gladdy’s here.”
    â€œHey, that looks pretty good on you!”
    â€œPretty good! She’s a goddess!” said Gladdy.
    â€œCould you do this necklace for me, Maudie?” She was wearing her mother’s pearls. She had not made a peep about them. Let her mother wear Granabelle’s pearls; let her be buried in them. Annabee was young and looked wonderful. That was enough.
    They freshened their lipstick, they powdered their noses. They squirted their clouds of perfume and stepped into them.
    â€œReady?”
    â€œReady.”
    â€œShould we go down, is Mother ready?”
    â€œShe’s just getting her face on,” said Maudie. “Go ahead.”
    They could hear the orchestra as they descended the staircase. Tommy McClintock and Toby Talbot were waiting in the hall, and Annabee could see in their faces how pretty she looked. Herbie Calhoun was waiting for Gladdy, and