“Northeast Regional, please proceed immediately to the platform for boarding. Northeast Regional,” said a loudspeaker overhead.
Glancing up the stairs to Eighth, Evelyn pressed the number now at the top of her favorites list and willed the other end to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Char?”
“Ev? You sound like you’re in a cavern.”
“Close. I’m in Penn Station.”
“You made it to New York?”
“I did—I was going to—but then I realized—I’m going to Boston. The train’s about to leave. I’m going to go see Pres and drag him out of his solitude and try to be a friend. You can’t do it, but I’ve got the time. Of course I should be the one to go.”
“Northeast Regional,” the loudspeaker said again, and Evelyn jiggled one foot.
“Charlotte?” she said.
“I think I’m about to cry, and I’m standing in the middle of a textile factory. Of course you should be the one to go,” Charlotte said.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Go. Good luck. I’ll call you tonight.”
Evelyn sprinted to the gate, flapped her ticket at the attendant, and bounded down the escalator to the platform, her bag clanging over the escalator steps and into her calves. As she darted into a car and settled into a seat, breathing hard, she looked down to see she had a text from Charlotte.
“Nice to have you back,” it read.
Evelyn typed out her reply: “Not totally back, but working on it.” The train lurched, and when it pulled out into the harsh New York sunlight, she pressed send, and was on her way.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have loved books for as long as I can remember. To be writing one is a dream.
Elisabeth Weed, hereafter to be known as the dealmaking WASP, took this book and sprinted with it. She is a skilled editor, a tough negotiator, and a funny, frank, and delightful person. I lucked out with her. Dana Murphy at The Book Group is a smart, careful reader. I am glad to have the hardworking Jenny Meyer and Howie Sanders on my side.
Everyone I’ve dealt with at St. Martin’s Press has been warm and wonderful. Charlie Spicer is witty, lively, and wise. Sally Richardson is a fierce—and glamorous—advocate for the book. Olga Grlic, Michael Storrings, and the art department created a stunning cover. Lisa Senz, Jeff Dodes, Laura Clark, Angelique Giammarino, and the marketing team have been innovative, and the salespeople are go-getters whose love for books is obvious. Dori Weintraub and Tracey Guest are total pros on the PR front. I am excited for this book to go into paperback because I’ll get to work more closely with Jennifer Enderlin. April Osborn patiently answered my many irritating questions. Elizabeth Catalano, Dave Cole, and the copyediting staff saved me from multiple errors.
The writing of this book was informed by dozens of authors and musicians. House of Mirth was the first adult book I fell hard for, and Edith Wharton’s astute view of society and women’s roles in it never ceases to impress and unnerve. I first read Booth Tarkington’s The Magnificent Ambersons in my teens, and his tale of a family scraping to retain its status has been on my mind since. Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy showed how toxic social ambition can become. Louis Auchincloss’s books provide an acerbic take from a Manhattan society insider; he should be more widely read. I have borrowed Camilla’s Racquet Club bracelet from him; I like to think she could be the descendant of some of the women he wrote about.
From Stephen Sondheim, I borrowed not only this book’s title but a particular view of lonely New York from Company and of dreamily ambitious New York from Merrily We Roll Along. Meryle Secrest’s Stephen Sondheim: A Life and Sondheim’s own Finishing the Hat were great reads and helped put his work in context.
Leonard Bernstein composed moving New York soundtracks that enriched my understanding of the city, and I refer to his and Sondheim’s West Side Story and his (along with Betty Comden and Adolph Green) Wonderful Town and On the Town throughout. I have also used lyrics from Annie, Bells Are Ringing, Evita, Cabaret, and Pippin.
Lots of people helped me understand Evelyn’s world—or, really, Camilla’s world—from insight into the New York debutante season to old-money mores. They were generous with their time and I thank them soundly. Errors in how I portrayed their world are mine alone.