Page 51
You are too kind to say it outright in your letters, but I know that you fret about whether I am truly happy here in Pasadena. It took me some time to find my place in this strange new country, but I wish to reassure you that there are beauty and elegance here if only you know how to find them—or to create them yourself. I should love nothing more than the opportunity to show you my life here.
Please say you will come.
Yours faithfully,
Adele
June 1, 1906
Cranley Gardens, London
Dearest Adele,
Goodness, what a stir your letter has caused! At first, I wondered how it could be possible with James’s responsibilities in Parliament and with Charles being so young, yet James tells me he believes that a trip to Pasadena would be just the thing. Mama, too, has offered to take little Charles in along with Nanny. As you can see, my concerns and objections have well and truly been answered.
Given the length of the journey, I hope you will not think me impertinent for proposing that we stay for six weeks. I should like nothing more than to be able to meet all the people who have made you feel so welcome in Pasadena.
You will have to tell me what exactly to pack and what you wish for me to bring from England.
Yours faithfully,
Margot
July 13, 1906
The Gables, Pasadena
Dearest Margot,
I never would have guessed how greatly this ball has already come to occupy my time! Sometimes I feel as though it will never be done—particularly if Guy does not stop adding to the list of guests.
You will not be surprised to hear that preparations for the opening of the Colorado Grand occupies a great deal of his time, although he is still very involved in the running of the Andalusian as well. Even more incredible, he has found a site for a third hotel in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pasadena, where he intends to break ground next year if he can find the right investors who can share his vision for the project. It is an exciting time, although it keeps both of us very busy. When we are not out, we are entertaining at home, although there are some nights where Guy ventures out on his own to meet with businessmen who might invest in his hotels in smoky rooms where women are not welcome. (Not that I have any real interest in crossing those thresholds!)
I have written a list of what you might wish to bring. It might seem strange seeing all that linen and cotton, but after the chill of the English autumn, you will find the mild temperatures of Pasadena quite a shock. It took me until this year to truly adjust, and there will no doubt be days when you will wonder why I am donning a wrap when you are so very warm!
I look forward to your visit every day. Kiss Charles for me.
Yours faithfully,
Adele
chapter nineteen ADELE
October 1906
Ladies did not wait on train platforms looking like children eager for Christmas morning, so the day Margot and her husband, James, were due to arrive, Adele had Flitch drive her the short distance to the Pasadena railway station, where she waited in the open-topped carriage, her ivory-handled parasol shielding her from the morning sun. She had one hundred and one things to do back at the house in preparation for the ball at the Colorado Grand Hotel in five days’ time, but this reunion was what had been occupying her thoughts for days.
At the distant sound of a whistle, she sat up a little straighter, her eyes fixed on the bit of track where she would first see the huge black train rolling into the station in a cloud of steam and smoke.
She was, therefore, unaware of Mrs. Barnes’s presence until she heard the woman call out, “Good morning, Mrs. Whitley.”
Twisting, Adele found that Mrs. Barnes had drawn up a mere three feet from her in her own carriage. “Good morning, Mrs. Barnes. Who are you meeting at the station?”
“My daughter, Elizabeth, arrives from New York this morning,” said Mrs. Barnes, the long ostrich plumes that arched off her hat bowing as the lady spoke.
“How charming,” she said, thinking of how her own parents hadn’t condescended to do the same when she had arrived in Pasadena for the first time.
“You might find it charming; I think it is a necessity,” said Mrs. Barnes in her arch tone. “My mother writes that Elizabeth is eighteen and willful as an unbroken colt. Although I am not inclined to believe my mother’s assessment of any young woman’s behavior, the headmistress at Elizabeth’s old school also warned me as such. I would not wish her upon the good citizens of Pasadena alone and unescorted.”
