Diva (The Flappers) - By Jillian Larkin Page 0,88
twilight. Soft waves brushed by the hull of the ship, and the breeze lightly blew Gloria’s flame-red waves from her delicate face.
“Scared?” Gloria asked. “Anything but! I’m tired of everyone telling me who to be. I’m tired of my parents thinking they can dictate my life.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Paris will be a fresh start for us, Jerome. And it’s gotta work out … I mean, the French even have Josephine Baker!”
Jerome laughed. He never could decide whether Glo’s blind optimism made her sweetly naïve or one of the wisest people he’d ever met. Either way, it was highly infectious and was one of the things he loved most about her.
“You know that’s not what I meant,” he said. “I meant—”
“Fine,” Gloria said, and raised her head to look at him. “I’ll be serious.” She reached over to hold his hand tight. “I was so worried when Pembroke revealed that he was holding you hostage, Jerome. You were in that situation because of me, and I was there because of Hank.”
“Gloria, you shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“I don’t want to have to hide anymore or playact for the police. I don’t want to work for gangsters. I just want you, and me, together in a place where we might have a ghost of a chance.” She frowned and glanced at the retreating shore. “I can’t bear the thought of being like Ruby, finally getting the courage to be with the man she loves only to lose him.”
Jerome nodded and folded her into his arms. “If we have love, the rest of life will take care of itself. In Paris, no one will tell us that we can’t be together because of our skin color. No one will care. It’ll just be you and me. Forever.”
At that, Gloria tilted her head back and kissed him softly, right in front of everyone on deck.
“In Paris we’ll be able to follow our dreams,” Gloria said when she drew away from him. “Not just in our careers, but everything else, too. Maybe we’ll come back to New York someday … but for now, we’re making the right decision, Jerome. I can feel it in my bones.” She was silent for a moment. “I just hope you don’t mind following me across the ocean.”
Jerome tightened his arms around her. “Miss Gloria Carmody, I would follow you anywhere.”
They kissed again as the sun set and stars began to glint in the darkening sky. The golden-orange light gilded everything around them—the shrinking skyscrapers, the blue sea, and the gleaming floorboards of the deck. New York was giving them a truly golden send-off—that had to be good luck, right?
With Gloria in his arms as the ship steamed off into the fast-falling night, Jerome knew he already had all the good luck he would ever need.
CLARA KNOWLES GETS
HER HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER
By Parker Richards, for the Manhattanite
January 1, 1925
In a small but elegant ceremony this Saturday afternoon, Clara Knowles and Marcus Eastman said their vows at the Franklin Arms Hotel in Brooklyn.
Miss Knowles wore a beautifully beaded Lucien Lelong gown, while Mr. Eastman was dressed in a traditional Brooks Brothers tux. Miss Knowles’s maid of honor was Lorraine Dyer, and Mr. Eastman’s best man was his old prep school friend from Chicago, Charles Drakeman. Miss Dyer and the other bridesmaids wore sleeveless deep-burgundy dresses covered in floral-patterned beading.
The reception was a joyous affair, and Mr. and Mrs. Eastman seemed excited for all their future would bring. After a honeymoon to Paris, Mr. Eastman will continue his freshman year at Columbia University. Next fall, Mrs. Eastman will begin her freshman year at Sarah Lawrence College.
As our dear readers know, Mrs. Eastman has been with the Manhattanite since its very first issue, and her articles about her cousin, Gloria Johnson (now living in Paris and unable to attend the wedding), and her recent exposé on Deirdre Van Doren helped to make the magazine what it is today. We’ll be sad to lose her when she heads off to school. But I know she will go on to do great things, and wish her and Marcus a lifetime of happiness!
This beautiful wedding was the perfect way to kick off a brand-new year in the greatest city in the world—where love is hiding around every corner, music is thriving in every club, and, of course, anything goes.
Jillian Larkin’s fascination with flappers and the 1920s began during her childhood, which included frequent home screenings of the classic Julie Andrews/Carol Channing film Thoroughly Modern Millie. She lives in New York.
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Part One: Ain’t got Nothing Chapter 1: Jerome
Chapter 2: Gloria
Chapter 3: Clara
Chapter 4: Lorraine
Chapter 5: Gloria
Chapter 6: Clara
Chapter 7: Lorraine
Chapter 8: Gloria
Chapter 9: Clara
Chapter 10: Lorraine
Chapter 11: Gloria
Part Two: Nothing to Lose Chapter 12: Clara
Chapter 13: Lorraine
Chapter 14: Jerome
Chapter 15: Gloria
Chapter 16: Clara
Chapter 17: Lorraine
Chapter 18: Gloria
Chapter 19: Clara
Chapter 20: Lorraine
Chapter 21: Gloria
Chapter 22: Clara
Chapter 23: Lorraine
Chapter 24: Jerome
Epilogue
About the Author