The Quintland Sisters(41)
She sat down on the bed beside me. “But Dr. Dafoe says there’s nothing we can do, nothing we should do. He doesn’t want the newspapers to learn of it.” She glanced up at my face. “You can’t breathe a word of it, Em. He can’t know that I told you. It’s not my secret to share.”
I reached over, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “Of course,” I said.
“This place is getting to me.” Ivy waved her free hand, gesturing at nothing in particular. “The strict schedules, the rules, all the things we can and cannot do, when we can cuddle the girls and when we can’t. Everything done for the sake of appearances. For Pete’s sake, we curl the girls’ hair every morning, yet their hair is perfectly beautiful straight. Why are we curling their hair, Em?”
She closed her eyes and put her head on my shoulder.
“You need a break yourself, Ivy. You’ve taken on so much here.”
What I was thinking was that Ivy now wouldn’t be able to take a break, not until we found Nurse Nicolette’s replacement.
As if reading my mind, Ivy murmured, “We’re starting interviews tomorrow. There are several local women who trained as teachers. French, of course. I hope we can find someone who’s a good fit.”
“As good a fit as Nurse Nicolette?” I said, then bit my lip.
Ivy’s head was still on my shoulder so I couldn’t see her smile, but I could feel a muscle moving ever so slightly in her temple.
“It would be hard to find a worse fit than Nurse Nicolette,” she agreed, and we both had a quiet laugh.
November 20, 1936
I’D BE FINE if I never heard the words corn syrup ever again, let alone tasted the wicked stuff. It is all anyone can talk about. The Dionnes have now come out and said point-blank that they only ever buy Crown brand and that this must have been the corn syrup given to the quintuplets when they were born. Dr. Dafoe, meanwhile, is adamant that the girls were fed Bee Hive brand. Ivy says it’s all ludicrous because if anyone should remember what blooming brand of syrup she bloody well gave to the babies, it would be her, and yet she herself can’t recall. Fred has told us that it all boils down to money. Doesn’t it always? The Crown brand company delivered a crate of corn syrup a few days after the babies were born and paid M. Dionne five hundred dollars in exchange for exclusive advertising rights. The other company, St. Lawrence Starch, sent a hundred-dollar donation to Dr. Dafoe right after the babies were born, then delivered a whole case of Bee Hive brand corn syrup to the farmhouse a week later. It’s a wonder we weren’t all bathing in it! Later that summer, after the government took custody of the babies, the Bee Hive company paid one thousand dollars to the guardians for exclusive rights to call themselves the official corn syrup of the Dionne quintuplets, and they’ve held sway ever since. And I suppose, as a result, M. Dionne lost the chance of making a lot of money, along with the Crown brand syrup people, who are now suing. I really don’t understand business or law one bit, but it is plain as day that this lawsuit isn’t merely about money and syrup, it’s about the Dionnes and Dr. Dafoe. The ridiculous thing is, we don’t even feed the babies corn syrup. Dr. Blatz believes sugar in any form is bad for children. I should tell that to the newspapers.
November 30, 1936
IVY HAS CONVINCED me to join the staff outing to North Bay to see Reunion. The newspapers say the quintuplets appear in the movie for only a few minutes, which means hours’ worth of film must have been cut! A shame given the hassles of shooting in the middle of a hot summer. Everyone from the nursery received a special invitation from the theater, and so we are all going, including Fred, Dr. Dafoe, and the quintuplets’ newest minder, Miss Stephanie Beaulieu—everyone is going to go except for the guards and Nurse No?l, who says she doesn’t like films anyhow. Miss Beaulieu is fully bilingual, comes recommended by Dr. Blatz, and has trained in his program at St. George’s. She strikes me as a very serious woman, her brow constantly furrowed, her close-set eyes blinking behind tiny wire-framed glasses. She has clearly read a book about the importance of smiling, however, because several moments after the girls have done something silly, her cheeks will jolt upward, yanking her thin lips into a smile as if someone has pulled a cord.
Ivy says she wants to talk to me tonight, when we’re in the city. We will try to slip away from the others for a cup of tea or something so as to snatch a bit of time to ourselves.
December 2, 1936 (Toronto Star)
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QUINTUPLETS’ NURSE IS OFF FOR HOLIDAY
Miss Yvonne Leroux Is Granted Leave of Absence
NORTH BAY, Ontario—Nurse to the Dionne quintuplets since the day of their birth, Yvonne Leroux is taking a holiday, Dr. A. R. Dafoe announced today. Miss Leroux will take a leave of absence for an indefinite period, Dr. Dafoe confirmed.
Miss Leroux arrived at the Dionne home about five o’clock on the afternoon the world-famous sisters were born, and except for an occasional brief holiday has attended them ever since. The case was her first after graduation from St. Joseph’s General Hospital here.
Dr. Dafoe has decided not to see the latest Quints picture, “Reunion,” now showing here. The hospital staff were guests of the theatre Monday night, but Dr. Dafoe was taken ill and did not join his hardworking team.
Used with permission.