The Dollhouse(40)

Charlotte laughed. “Mrs. Plowright is an old family friend. It’s all who you know. At the moment, my job consists of making Mrs. Plowright tea and shuffling papers about, but she lets me read every manuscript that comes across her desk and offer up my thoughts. It’s a hoot.”

“Maybe once my course is done at Gibbs, I’ll apply for a secretarial position at your firm.”

“You? In the secretary pool? Don’t be silly. As I said, it’s all who you know, and now you know me. Aim high.”

More girls gathered around, chattering and laughing, Charlotte always the center of attention. Darby studied her closely, the way she held herself, the way the side of her lip curled up when she was about to laugh.

But she’d ignored her homework for too long, and once her hat was packed, she said her good-byes and received three cheek kisses from Charlotte—right, left, right—and a quick squeeze of the arm from Stella, who offered to walk her to the elevator.

“You forgive me for that evening, don’t you? For what that nasty boy did? Your poor dress.” Stella sounded truly contrite.

“I do. Thank you for introducing me to Charlotte.”

“Isn’t she a gem? You never know who you’re going to meet here. Now that you’re living in the greatest city in the world, anything is possible.”

Of course that was Stella’s perspective. With her beauty and steady work, she had an independence Darby envied. “If you’re a model, maybe.”

Stella swung to a stop. “It’s not easy for any of us girls, no matter what we look like or where we’re from. That’s why you absolutely must take advantage of your time here, where you can observe the big bad world from the safety of the Barbizon, and plan your attack accordingly. It’s up to you to pick and choose who you want around you.” She paused. “It’s too bad Charlotte’s off to England, but I’ll make sure we all go out for lunch together the moment she’s back. It’s the least I can do.”

“I look forward to that very much.”

“In the meantime, remember what I said about picking and choosing carefully.” Her lips pursed. “The maid you like, for example.”

“Esme?”

“Yes. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Darby blanched. “Because she’s a maid? She’s much more than that; you’d see that if you knew her.”

The elevator arrived and Stella touched her cheek gently before turning back to the gaggle of girls.

Esme was on duty. She yanked open the gate and gave Darby a sharp look before letting her in. Darby said a cheery hello and stood at the back, tucking the hatbox behind her.

“You were with the giraffes?” Esme pulled the lever, and the elevator descended, slower than normal.

“Only Stella. She invited me to the fashion show. She said she’s sorry for what happened that night.”

“I bet.” Esme chewed on the inside of her mouth and stared forward. “I’m surprised you want to spend time with her, after what she did to you.”

“It wasn’t really Stella’s fault.”

“So she says.”

“Esme. What’s wrong?”

The elevator came to an abrupt stop between floors. Darby placed one palm on the wall to steady herself.

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. The girls make fun of you and treat you like a monstrua, a freak, and then you’re off drinking tea with them? Doesn’t make sense.”

Darby’s heart began to pound. “These were mostly career girls.”

“Career girls. Huh.”

“I don’t understand why you’re angry with me.”

“Don’t you?” Esme hissed. “Maureen, Stella, Candy. They’re all the same. Living here makes girls mean. They start thinking they’re better than everyone else. Don’t let that happen to you, too.”

“Of course not.” To her relief, the elevator began moving once again, but something still unsettled her. “Was it you in the hallway when I visited Maureen? I could have sworn I saw you there.”

Esme looked away. “You were making such a racket, laughing and enjoying yourselves. I would’ve stopped to say hello, but I had to get back to work.”

Esme felt left out, and Darby didn’t blame her. Here she was trapped in a metal box for hours, wearing a drab maid’s uniform, while Darby could come and go as she pleased and had a brand-new hat. No wonder she was upset.

They finally reached the fifteenth floor, but Darby didn’t walk away, unwilling to leave Esme when she was so obviously distressed. “Thank you for worrying about me. I promise I won’t turn mean. And let me know when we can go to the Flatted Fifth together again.”

“Yeah.” Esme’s mouth stayed in a tight line, but her eyes gave away her pleasure.

Darby nodded and stepped off the elevator. She gave a little wave and watched as Esme’s face, framed by the glass oval in the door, disappeared from view.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN



New York City, 2016


Six out of ten interviews booked.

“Not bad for a hard day’s work.” Rose smiled down at Bird, who gave her the evil eye.

She refilled his water bowl and he slurped it down messily, then slunk off to his usual place on the couch.