Part I
A bell rang over the dresser promptly at seven the next morning. Victoria Barkley Wardell stirred from sleep and peered at the bed next to hers, where two bright sea-foam green eyes were staring back at her from under a mound of covers. She smiled. �Good morning, Kate darling.�
�Good morning, Mother,� replied a voice from inside the blankets.
�Did you sleep well?�
�It got hot in here in the middle of the night!�
�What were you doing awake in the middle of the night?�
�I don�t know.� The covers were kicked away revealing the pink flannel-clad form of the seven-year-old. �Will Papa be here in a little while?�
�Papa is on a train this very minute, getting closer and closer! However, there is plenty of time for us to be washed and brushed and dressed and to go downstairs for breakfast.�
�What dress shall I wear to meet Papa?�
�Why don�t you wear your blue Audra dress?�
Kate squirmed happily. Her Audra dress was one of her favorites. The dressmaker in Stockton had adapted one of Audra�s patterns into a suitable dress for a little girl and made both dresses from the same sky-blue satin.
The pair arrived at Grand Central Station at 9:45 and made their way to the platform. Kate tried to be still but she was practically quivering with excitement, standing directly in front of her mother. Victoria patted her and said that Papa would be along very shortly.
When Royce got off the train, Kate bolted towards him. He whisked her up into the air and gave her a tremendous squeeze, then held out an arm for Victoria, who needed no further urging. Kate was squashed between them during the frantic but rather brief collision of lips that ensued.
�Royce,� Victoria said a little breathlessly.
�We missed you, Papa!�
�I missed you more, Precious. Has Mother had to use her spoon?�
A flicker of worry crossed Kate�s face until Victoria�s laughter made her understand that she was being teased. She lifted her chin. �I�ve been a very well-brought-up little girl.�
�I�m sure you have. What�s on the agenda for us this morning, Mrs. Wardell?�
~
After they had taken in Grant�s Tomb and lunched in Chinatown, the family strolled through Central Park and paused by a bandstand where other spectators were listening to the strains of Sweet Violets. Royce took Victoria�s arm and intoned, �There once was a farmer who took a young miss in back of the barn where he gave her a..."
�Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs and told her that she had such beautiful�� returned Victoria without batting an eye.
�Manners that suited the girl of his charms, a girl that he wanted to take in his��
�Washing and ironing and then if she did, they would get married and raise lots of��
�Sweet violets, sweeter than all the roses�� chuckled Royce.
Kate, who had been watching this exchange, suddenly piped up at the chorus. ��Covered all over from head to toe, covered all over with sweet vi-o-lets.�
Dark clouds were forming in the sky at the beginning of Oh, my darling Clementine, and by the time the band finished Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie, fat drops of rain were dampening the clothes of the onlookers. When lightening forked the sky, Royce and Victoria each grabbed one of Kate�s hands and ran across the manicured lawn to a gazebo, where they watched the other onlookers scatter to nearby buildings. The storm was fierce but very short-lived, leaving in its wake a muggy mist and the pleasant sound of water dripping from the trees. In the distance, there was a tinkling of a bell, and Royce could just barely make out the shape of an ice cream cart. Reaching into his pocket for some change, he asked, �Would Papa�s Princess like some ice cream?�
�You�ll spoil her dinner.�
�If you please, Papa,� Kate replied in her most angelic voice.
�Papa�s Princess is developing quite a sweet tooth of late,� observed Victoria as Royce handed the child a nickel and she scampered away. �You spoil her.�
Royce turned to face his wife and placed his hands on the sides of her waist, glancing around quickly to make sure there was nobody in the vicinity. �You can look at it that way, I suppose, but really it was worth the nickel for a few moments alone with my favorite wife.�
�Your favorite�so that�s what you were doing in Boston, is it? A girl in every port, honestly, you men are�� His lips on hers made further conversation unnecessary. Her hands, which had been previously resting on his lapels, clasped together behind his neck and she responded to him ravenously before remembering herself and pulling back.
�There�s no one around, my darling,� he assured her, lowering his face to hers again. �I have missed you, Victoria,� he murmured against her skin, traveling to her throat.
She found herself tilting her head to the side accommodatingly, lost in a fog until his hand moved and she felt a definite, deliberate squeeze on her posterior. She jumped away. �ROYCE!� Her expression was surprised, but not entirely angry.
�Yes, my love?�
She thought he looked rather pleased with himself. �You�you cad!�
�Cad? Come now, Mrs. Wardell, grand and glorious lady, surely you will not stoop so low as to commence name-calling! I may be scarred for life by the hostility of your sentiments!�
. She was smiling exasperatedly now. �Oh, stop it.� He could have sworn that she giggled as she accused him of being very bad.
He pulled her back into his arms. �I love you.�
She laid her cheek against his shoulder and sighed. �I love you too�cad.�
�Perhaps we should locate the little one.�
�Perhaps we should. No doubt she�s merrily stuffing herself amongst any number of new-found friends.� She took his proffered arm and they started in the direction of the ice cream cart.
It had taken Kate several minutes of standing in line to actually get her ice cream, but she amused herself by pulling handfuls of grass and feeding them to the team of Percherons pulling the cart. Their velvety muzzles tickled her hands and she giggled. When it was her turn, she ordered a double chocolate cone, handed over her nickel and set about finding her way back to the gazebo, licking contentedly.
Several minutes had passed and her ice cream was nearly gone before Katie realized that nothing looked familiar. All the gazebos were painted the same color and all of them were empty. Where were Mother and Papa? Surely they wouldn�t let her be lost! As the seconds ticked by, though, and there was no sign of them, Kate began to feel that she was lost. Not knowing where to turn for help, and having no interest in becoming more lost, she sat pitifully on an abandoned stoop and started to cry.
Part II
�Well, clearly she didn�t come back this way, because we would have seen her,� said Victoria, trying to maintain a sense of calm to balance out her panicked husband, �So let�s keep going down here, we�re bound to find her.�
�I should never have let her out of my sight for an instant,� moaned Royce despairingly. �Where would she have gone?�
�She probably just lost her sense of direction and thought she was coming back to us when really she was going the opposite direction. I can�t even count the number of times Nick did that---Audra too.�
�She�s been kidnapped! Someone saw my beautiful Kate all alone and---�
�We�ll find her, Royce.�
�I want to inform the police. I want the whole city combed. If anyone lays a finger on that child, I�ll-�
�I�ll have to ask you to compose yourself, darling. You�re of no help to me or to Kate if you don�t calm down.�
He looked at her, letting his breath out slowly. �All right.�
~
�Why, what�s the matter, dollface?� asked a woman with a sugary voice.
Kate looked up tearfully. �I�m lost.�
The woman sat down on the stoop beside the disconsolate child. �Lost? That�s no good. What�s your name, honey?�
Kate thought before she answered. She�d been cautioned not to talk to strangers---and certainly not to tell them her name or where she lived, but this lady had a kind face. She was wearing a rustley dress of deep purple, with shoes to match, and lots of jewelry. Her hair was shockingly red and her skin powdered very pale with pink cheeks, deep-blue eyelids and cherry lips. Mother would have said she looked painted. She was sitting close enough for Kate to catch a whiff of her perfume�it was the same as Mother�s! Comforted by this, she lifted her chin slightly and said, �My name is Kate.�
�Pleased to meet you, Kate. I�m Flossie. Now that we�re friends, suppose you tell me where you came from.�
�Nashville.�
�Oh, I meant�well, are you visiting the city with your parents?�
�Yes.�
�Where were they the last time you saw them?�
�In a �zeebo. Papa gave me a nickel for ice cream, and I got some�chocolate�and now I�m lost. Except maybe they�re lost and I�m not. I don�t know.�
�Do you think you could show me which gazebo if we walked back to the ice cream cart?�
�They all look the same. And I didn�t see Mother and Papa in any of them.�
�What color dress is your mother wearing, dollface?�
�Green. I picked it for her this morning, with her white lace parasol. Mother is beautiful,� she informed Flossie.
�Maybe we�ll see her. In the meantime, I have to go to work, and I can�t leave you here all by your lonesome, so how about you coming along with me? I�ll park you in the parlor and you can watch for your parents from there.�
�All right,� said Kate quietly. She wasn�t sure that this was a good idea, but she already trusted her new friend and it seemed that Mother and Papa wouldn�t be along for her any time soon, so she stood and dusted off her dress.
�That�s a mighty pretty dress, Miss Kate,� Flossie said companionably as they walked.
�Thank you�my big sister Audra has one just like it.�
~
�We�ve been all over this street!� Royce was beside himself. �She�s not here! She�s been kidnapped!�
Victoria squeezed his arm. �Now Royce, really. If you were a seven-year-old, where would you go?�
He thought for a moment. �She doesn�t have any money, so she wouldn�t go to a store�or would she?�
�You know she loves doll displays. We might try the toy store.�
�You were with her yesterday�did she see anything that she might come back to?�
�The candy store, but that�s clear across town. She�d have no idea how to get there. I think we just need to re-trace our steps again.�
�She�s probably scared to death, wherever she is,� murmured Royce.
~
�That soothin� harmony, it makes an awful, awful, AWFUL hit with me! Play that strain, just to please me again...� sang Kate from atop the piano. She was wearing Miss Roxie�s blue feather boa and alternately singing The Barbershop Chord and swigging sarsaparilla with the piano player, Miss Roxie and Miss Belle. Miss Flossie had left Kate in their company while she ran upstairs to see Miss Kitty about something, and the Misses Lillie and Dixie were late for work.
Kate surveyed her surroundings over the top of her glass. This �work� was far more interesting than Papa�s �work�! Papa had a rather boring office, but these ladies had a whole building decorated with beautiful things like red satin cushions and ornate lamps with tassels on the shades and plush carpets everywhere. There was a long rope of beautiful silver bells winding up the staircase and out of sight down the hall�it looked almost like Christmas! All of the ladies wore beautiful, brightly colored dresses, smelled sweet and had painted faces. A few of them carried fans, one carried a large ostrich plume, and several wore feather boas. She thought they were beautiful.
�And I mean, dressed like that, she has to belong to someone,� Kate overheard Miss Flossie telling Miss Kitty as they came down the stairs. �She's not a street kid.�
�No. Are you sure it was wise to bring her here?�
�I told her she could stay in the front parlor and watch out the window to see if her parents walked past.�
�Would they�past here?�
�They might.�
�Probably wouldn�t even think to look in here for her. Likely she has no idea what this is�she�s class,� Miss Kitty observed.
�Yes she is. So polite�very sweet girl.�
Kate beamed. She always enjoyed hearing positive remarks about her manners.
�So shouldn�t you be watching the street instead of livin� it up with Sam and the girls?� Miss Kitty asked Kate.
�Well�yes, ma�am. I�m sorry.�
�Aw, nothin� to be sorry about, baby doll! We just want to make sure you find your folks, they must be heartsick!�
Kate frowned, feeling quite guilty for having fun while her parents were worrying about her. Subdued, she slid down off the piano, placed her glass daintily on the shiny black surface, and retreated to the red cushioned window seat.
Part III
Royce and Victoria walked along in tight-lipped silence. Victoria, who had been the voice of calm reason throughout this ordeal, was on the verge of tears, and Royce, she was certain, was on the brink of a breakdown of some sort. It was past suppertime and there was still no sign of Kate. They had taken to aimlessly walking down one street after another, having given up looking for her in any specific pattern.
At long last, a sky blue bundle in the window of a brick building caught Victoria�s eye. That�s the same shade of blue as the Audra dress, she thought sadly, turning her eyes back to the sidewalk in front of her. Royce suddenly grabbed her wrist and stopped her short in front of the window. �Look!� he exclaimed, �There she is! It�s Kate!!�
Sure enough, the object in the window was lying on its side, auburn curls framed by a blue feather boa, sound asleep.
�What on earth is she doing with a�dear God,� said Royce as he realized just what he was seeing. �Victoria�I�ll go and fetch her from this�establishment. You stay here, if you please.�
Smiling inwardly at her husband�s sensitivity on her behalf, she nodded and gazed at the adorable form of her little girl. Through the window, she could see Royce walking tentatively into the front room, looking around for someone to whom he could state his business. When a young woman wearing a canary yellow dress and a tacky tiara pranced into the room and stuck a purple feather into Royce�s breast pocket, Victoria bristled. �None of that,� she said to no one in particular as she marched through the door and took Royce�s other arm, neatly removing the plume in one swift motion. �Our daughter is asleep in your front window,� Victoria said crisply. �She�s been lost all day and we�ve come to collect her.�
�Hey girls, we got a WIFE!� hollered the girl in the yellow dress.
�Lillie! Quiet!� admonished Flossie as she swept into he room. �Are you Kate�s parents?�
�Yes,� they chorused.
�I found her crying on a stoop on my way here earlier. She said she was lost and she looked so frightened�I just couldn�t leave her there! So I brought her here with me, and told her she could watch for you out the window�and that she was safe in here. I hope I did the right thing.�
�Yes, how can we ever thank you?� asked Victoria.
�Oh, no thanks are necessary ma�am, I was glad to do it. She�s a doll.�
�We think so,� said Royce softly. He took out his wallet and slipped a one hundred dollar bill into Flossie�s hand. �Do yourself a favor and get out of this line of work, young lady.�
�I want to,� she answered. �I�d like to go home.�
�Where is your home?�
�Nashville.�
�Why, that�s where we��
�I know, Kate told me.�
�You must come home at once! That money should cover your train ticket and any additional expenses, and here is my card. We�d like to hear from you when you come to Nashville, I may arrange to have a secretarial opening in my business.�
�You�re very kind, sir.�
�You have done us a great favor today. We�d be hard put to repay you. We�ll hear from you in Nashville?�
�Yes sir.�
�Excellent.� He turned to the window seat. Victoria was already sitting on the edge, stroking Kate�s hair.
Slowly she stirred, her eyes fluttering open. �Mother!� she exclaimed sleepily.
�Yes, darling?�
�You found me!�
�Of course we did, Precious,� answered Royce, joining them.
Kate�s chin quivered. �I�m sorry for being lost!�
Royce lifted her onto his lap and hugged her. �And we�re very, very sorry for losing you,� he murmured. Lifting his eyes to meet Victoria�s, he continued, �Your mother was distracting me from my Kate-watching!�
�I wasn�t! I was merely�well, no matter. Shall we get a hansom cab back to the hotel?�
�And fast.�
Kate squirmed out of his lap. �Miss Flossie! Have you met my Mother and Papa?�
�Yes, dollface, we met when they came in.�
�Miss Flossie is one of my very best good friends,� Kate informed her parents. �And there�s Miss Lillie over with Sam at the pie-anny, and Miss Belle and Miss Roxie and Miss Dixie are all upstairs on business and Miss Kitty went to a fancy party and she looked beautiful! Oh, and this is Miss Roxie�s feather boa, she let me borrow it so I could be a fancy lady too!�
�Very generous of her,� said Victoria graciously. Royce was standing silently with his eyes closed, as if he was begging to be removed from the earth as quickly as possible.
�And we sat around the pie-anny and sang and drank, and I�ve had so much fun I didn�t even mind being lost!� Her face clouded slightly and she said in a softer tone, �I missed you and Papa, though. If you had been here, Mother, you could have been a fancy lady too!!�
�That�s enough, Kate Precious!� exclaimed Royce. �Say goodbye to your�erm�friends.�
Kate removed the boa from her neck and passed it off to Flossie. �Thank you very much for a most enjoyable afternoon,� she said formally, imitating her mother�s entertaining company voice.
�Bye, sugar pie!� said Flossie, looking momentarily shocked when Kate ran to her and gave her a hug.
Epilogue
Victoria was still chuckling to herself as she slipped into bed with Royce. In the next bed over, Kate was asleep, having nearly toppled over at dinner. She settled down next to her husband, pillowing her head on his shoulder and working herself between Royce and the newspaper he was perusing.
He settled one arm around her and pecked her forehead. �I do wish you�d stop laughing!� he said indignantly. �This is no laughing matter. My daughter spent the afternoon in a house of ill repute!�
�And loved every second of it, as she is only too glad to inform everyone who will stand still long enough.� She paused, then swatted his arm lightly. �And she�s mine too, by the way.�
Royce sighed. �She grows more like you by the minute!�
�And what�s that supposed to mean?�
He pulled her closer and rested his chin on the top of her head, casting the paper aside. �You figure it out.�
�I can�t, I�m exhausted.�
�As am I. Almost too exhausted to be disappointed.�
�Disappointed?�
�That we aren�t alone.�
�Oh.� She leaned over and turned down the lamp, then was back in his arms. �Perhaps the little Fancy Lady should have the adjoining room tomorrow?�
�Perhaps.� He kissed her. �I do hope you�re not planning to make a habit of that pet name.�
�I�m not, but I bet Nick will!�
�You�ll tell him, naturally.� He sounded resigned to this fact.
�Would you expect any less of me?�
�Never, my love.�
From the journal of Dr. Katherine Barkley Wardell:
Flossie did indeed return to Nashville, where Papa helped her to get a fresh start at a local bank. We stayed in touch through the years, and since she no longer had any family here when she married Edward, she asked me to be her flower girl! They had a quiet, lovely wedding and proceeded to have seven children in the space of ten years.
Mother did, of course, regale Nick with the story of what he afterward referred to as �The Bawdy House Adventure�, and he laughed fit to kill. I told Mrs. Bonds�who was not amused in the slightest�and Uncle Rand, who was. Mother tried �badly- to conceal the fact that she thought the whole incident was mildly hysterical, and I think she convinced Papa to see the humor also�though every time the subject came up, his eyes went heavenward and tried to involve us all in a lively discussion of the price of eggs.
That was the last time I got lost for quite some time. Even in my teenage years, whenever we�d take a trip and I wanted to go somewhere by myself, I was always cautioned by Papa to come straight back, and Mother would add that it was only because Papa didn�t want to retrieve me from another bawdy house. When I really learned what went on in those places, I felt ashamed�and sorry for the girls who had been so kind to me. Upon a return trip to New York, I tried to locate the establishment to no avail. I can only hope that they, like my dear Flossie, found different lines of work. They were attractive, intelligent women who were compelled by unfortunate circumstances�or desperation�to sell themselves for a living. When I understood that, I understood how very fortunate I was, and also that if they could live the way they did and still have kindness, compassion and good humor, none of us has any excuse.