Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Gray by Dorothy Love Read Free Book Online Page A

stirred the lace curtains at the open window. Vases of lilacs perfumed the air.
    Robert scooped me up and carried me into the room. “There,” he said softly. “We are safely over the threshold. No evil can come to us now, Mary.”
    It was nothing more than a lovely old superstition, but that night, safe in my new husband’s arms, I believed it was true.
    Each night was filled with an abundance of food and drink, dancing, and good-natured teasing. The men played card games and billiards, raising such a commotion that at times our quiet home seemed more like a barracks. My bridesmaids danced and flirted with Robert’s groomsmen, and everyone admired our wedding gifts displayed on a table in the parlor. The frolicking reached all the way to the servants’ quarters, where Papa had seen to it that our servants had plenty to eat and drink.
    On Sunday night, tired and overwrought from the constant press of warm bodies and the smells of powder, wine, and lavender wafting through the rooms, I retreated to the back hallway for a breath of air and a moment of solitude.
    “There you are, my dear.” Papa came down the stairs and kissed my cheek. “I’ve been waiting for a moment to get you alone so I could give you this.” From his pocket he took a small box carved of ivory and set with emeralds and rubies. “I saw this in New York and wanted you to have it as a remembrance of your wedding.”
    “It’s exquisite, Papa, and I’ll cherish it forever. But you have done so much for us already, I—”
    “Mr. Custis?” Smith Lee came into the hallway holding a glass of punch. “Mrs. Custis is looking for you.”
    Papa excused himself. Smith bowed to me and followed him.
    Before I could reach the back door, Mrs. Pinckney, a large woman with a florid complexion and a mass of jet-black curls, wandered in from the conservatory. She was related to one of Robert’s groomsmen—I wasn’t certain exactly how. Her eyes went immediately to the ivory box in my hand.
    “Oh, what a dear little thing! And so unusual. I have never seen anything like it.” Mrs. Pinckney held out her hand. “May I hold it?”
    Reluctantly I handed it to her.
    She said, “I don’t suppose you’d consider selling it.”
    I gaped at her. “Of course not. It’s a wedding gift from my father.”
    She handed it back, then opened her reticule and pressed a calling card into my hand. “If you should ever change your mind—”
    “I can’t imagine I ever will.”
    She went back to join the ladies, and I escaped into the cool June evening.
    By Tuesday most of our guests had left. Mother went with Robert and me to visit kin at Ravensworth, where she and I fell ill with fever and ague. I was mortified, but Robert was an attentive husband, forever asking how I was feeling, always ready to bring a glass of water or an extra blanket whenever I needed it.
    After I had been abed for several days, he came into the room and laid half a dozen white rosebuds on my counterpane. “Dear Mrs. Lee,” he said gravely, “I do hope you are feeling better today.”
    Who could not feel cheered by such charming gallantry? I smiled up at him. “I am much improved, thank you. Have you seen Mother yet this morning?”
    “I have, and she seems better as well. She is having tea and toast as we speak. Shall I bring you some?”
    “I don’t think so. I’m well enough to get dressed and go down.” I threw back the covers and got to my feet, feeling weaker than I was willing to admit.
    Robert came up behind me and kissed the back of my neck. “I’ll leave you to your ablutions then, dear wife, and wait breakfast for you downstairs.”
    I took fresh underthings from my trunk and poured water into the washbasin. “I won’t be long.”
    At the door he paused, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Are you certain I can’t help you dress? Although I would much rather help you out of those lacy fripperies than into them.”
    The next morning we left Ravensworth for visits with