Comfort and Mirth

12. Pleasantries

>12. Pleasantries Camille stood in her muslin corset and petticoat, eyeing herself critically in the wardrobe mirror. She had lost the extra weight from her pregnancy, but her normal body weight had redistributed itself, and none of her clothes fit as they had before. She frantically pulled off a claret one-piece gown and threw it over the pile on the bed. Brooks came from the bathroom in his undershirt and drawers with his hair combed back,smelling of witch hazel.He charged to the wardrobe and pulled out a black flannel suit. “Aren’t you dressed yet?” he scolded.“We should be there now.” Camille paced back to the wardrobe and rifled through the hangers again.“I’ve never been to a cocktail party before,” she wailed.“What do women wear to cocktail parties?” He shook his head as he moved the clothes on the bed to make a place to sit and pull on his stockings.“I don’t know, I never thought about it.Why didn’t you ask Eveline?” “I would have, had I had a day or two notice,” she cried. “Calm down, I’ll help.” He sorted through the stack of silks, cottons, and laces on the bed. “Here, wear this green one. I’ve always liked it on you.” She shot him a desperate look. “I’ve already tried it. It’s horrible. I’m different now; my hips are larger.” She saw him looking her over in the mirror. “And your bust as well,” he teased as he pulled on his silk shirt and looked through the bureau for the gold cuff links she had given him for Christmas. 79 “Stop it!” She held a golden-yellow blouse up to herself and watched her complexion turn a sour green before she threw it on the heap. It was the first university social gathering she would attend.They had been invited to two events earlier in the year—the first when she was eight months pregnant and too uncomfortable to enjoy an evening out. She sent Brooks along withThomas and Eveline and went to bed early. She also missed the faculty Christmas party, as Andrew had a sniffle and she couldn’t be cajoled into leaving him with a sitter.The affair of this evening, though arranged on short notice, could not be missed by either of them. Thomas had been promoted to Assistant Dean of the Science Department, and Dean Merriweather was throwing an impromptu cocktail party at the Driskill Bar to celebrate him. Fortunately, Coral was able to stay late with Andrew, and Camille had him well fed and down for the evening. “Put something on now or we’ll miss the whole affair,” Brooks barked as he folded over his ascot and tucked it into his vest. He looked long into the mirror, cocked his head to the right and the left, and set his bowler on at his preferred angle. Camille watched with a twinge of admiration mixed with envy as she pulled on the pima white blouse with Baby Irish embroidered edging she wore almost everywhere, and a charcoal serge hobble skirt and bolero vest with Frenchy strips of velvet and black soutache trim. She pinched her cheeks, brushed her hair up into a French chignon, and pinned on a Tyrolese hat with a tightly curled ostrich plume over the side brim. As she worked to fix a cameo on her blouse at her throat, she looked around the room. Brooks turned.“You look lovely.” She clasped the cameo hasp on straight enough to suit her and took one last look into the glass. “I look like a schoolmarm. Have you seen my black cordelière?” 80 Comfort and Mirth “No,” he answered as he took her by the arm and led her out of the room.“And you don’t need it.” She sighed and stopped for a second to kiss Andrew goodnight and give Coral a couple of last minute instructions before they pulled on their coats and Brooks hurried her out the door. + Camille had walked into the great main corridor of the Driskill Hotel once before while on a shopping trip with Eveline. The grand hotel had been built twenty-five years earlier by a wealthy cattle baron and had hosted U.S. presidents , famous actors, opera singers, and a couple of gubernatorial inaugurations. The four-story exterior covered half a city...