I listened quietly, having heard a little bit about how the Metropolitan Opera House had been built. But the lives of these people did not affect my day-to-day living, and though I had been taught how to read by mission workers in Five Points, I had no access to newspapers. Mrs. Hill’s existence was as foreign tome as mine would be to her. I thought about all the people I knew, those who fought every day just to survive, and could not fathom what he was telling me.
“The only way tobecomesomeone,” Mrs. Hill interrupted, fire in her eyes, “is to rise in the ranks among them.”
I stared at her, wondering if she was teasing me. Did she really think this was a problem?
“Nine years ago,” Mrs. Hill continued, “Miss Jennie Jerome went to England and married Lord Randolph Churchill, the third son of the Duke of Marlborough, andbecamesomeone. Then others followed, including Consuelo Yznaga, who married Viscount Mandeville. She’ll be a duchess one day. And do you know what all of them have in common?”
I was still staring at her. I had no idea.
“They were welcomed into Mrs. Astor’s society after their marriages. More importantly, their families were welcomed into society, as well.”
Mr. Paxton-Hill watched me intently—yet I couldn’t quite grasp how this had anything to do with me—or why he seemed so upset that I was here.
“My aunt has been fighting to gain entrance into society for the past decade,” Mr. Paxton-Hill said to me. “But she does not want to go to England and remarry herself.”
“Heavens no,” Mrs. Hill said. “I was married once and once is enough for me. Besides, I have no wish to live in Europe.”
“And,” Mr. Paxton-Hill continued, “because she has no daughter to sell for a title—”
“Sell?” Mrs. Hill gave him a look. “Really, Alec.”
“What?” he asked her. “That’s what these families are doing. Giving their daughters away in marriage, with large dowries, to gain a titled son-in-law, so they can come home and be the parents of the next duchess of something or other.”
“It’s much more civilized than all that. People have been marrying for wealth and position for centuries.” She wrinkled her nose and turned back to me. “But Alec is right. I have no children and no wish to remarry or start a family. Even if I did, I’m much too old for all that. And I’m not just doing this for my own social gain—I’m also doing it for the business that pays for this home and our very existence.” She looked at her nephew. “Alec inherited the hotel business from my husband when he passed away last year and he’s struggling to keep up with all the other rival hotels and resorts going up in Newport and Coney Island. He needs this as much as I do—everyone who works for us needs this.”
Mr. Paxton-Hill looked down at the crackling fire. There was a look in his blue eyes that I knew—a look that transcended status or wealth.
He was unhappy.
I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around Mrs. Hill’s first statement, about what she wanted to do with me—and I was almost too afraid to ask—but I had learned that if I didn’t speak up for myself, no one else would.
“What exactly would you like from me, ma’am?” I asked her.
Mrs. Hill glanced at Mr. Paxton-Hill for a moment—as if making a final decision—and then said to me, “I want to make you my daughter, Miss O’Day—legally. I want to adopt you, train you, and take you to Europe, where I hope you will make a fine match. In exchange for your agreement, you will have all the finest things money can buy. A home, good food, a whole new wardrobe of clothing, and security. You will never want for anything a day in your life.”
My lips parted—this time I had heard and understood her completely—yet I was still confused. “Why me?”
“You’re stunning, Miss O’Day,” she said, almost in disbelief. “Has no one ever told you how beautiful you are?”
I put my hand to my cheek. Aunt Orla said I looked just like my mother, but she had made my mother sound cheap and ugly. Men often propositioned me, and one had offered me a spot in his Mulberry Street brothel, saying my looks would draw in the men. But I hadn’t felt uncommonly beautiful. Instead, I felt dirty and without any real value.
“You haven’t been told,” Mr. Paxton-Hill said, quietly, almost surprised.
“Your beauty is rare,” Mrs. Hill said to me. “And, beyond that, you have a kind soul, Miss O’Day, I can see it in your eyes and your behavior. When I first started to think of this plan, I told Alec I needed to adopt a young lady from a good background. But I soon realized that no one with a pedigree would be amenable to that plan. I needed to find someone who could be completely pliable. Someone fresh, with no prior history in society. I decided to start looking high and low for just the right person—and the moment I saw you last night, I knew you were the one.”
I wrapped my shawl closer to my body, trying to comprehend everything she was saying. “You don’t need a chamber maid?”
Mrs. Hill’s laughter echoed through her sitting room. “Heavens, no. Those are easy enough to come by. What I need, Miss O’Day, is something much more difficult to find. I need someone I can turn into a lady. I need a beautiful face, a kind heart, and a willing spirit.”
My tattered gown hadn’t been washed in months. I ran my callused fingers over the rough material, wondering what it would feel like to wear a fine gown, take a hot bath, and eat more than cabbage, potatoes, and ham. But even as I wondered, I knew it was a foolish dream. How could I ever pass for high society? How wouldIattract the attention of a duke?
“I’d only let you down,” I said quietly to Mrs. Hill. “I don’t know how to dance or speak or sit at a fancy dinner table.”
“All of that can be learned,” Mrs. Hill assured me.
“Even if I learn it,” I said, unable to look her or Mr. Paxton-Hill in the eyes, “I’ll still be me.”
There was a pause, and I glanced up in time to see Mr. Paxton-Hill and his aunt share a look—one I couldn’t read. But when she rested her gaze on me, she said, “That’s precisely why I’ve asked you, Miss O’Day. You’re humble and unassuming. If I asked a young lady who thought too highly of herself, I would have nothing but trouble. If you are willing, I can turn you into exactly what I need you to be.”
