Marrying Up (Part 9) — Nicole Jeffords

“Marrying Up” is a fictional story set in 1950s Manhattan revolving around Frances Riley, a difficult and ruthlessly ambitious young woman who moved from one social class to another—Irish immigrant off the boat to high WASP— when she married into the aristocratic Woolsey family.

THIS IS PART 9 of a FOURTEEN-PART STORY

After dinner she had no one to speak to either. Helen patted the couch beside her for Nancy to come and sit; she had already directed the young vet to take Jack and several others out to the barn to have a look at the swollen hock of one of the horses; and Daisy, who needed to tend to her daughters, had thrown on her coat and beat a hasty departure. The air traveling down the hall from the front door seemed very cold. Frances shivered and found a spot by the fire. "Are you feeling better?" Dewitt inquired and Frances felt as if the three strands of pearls at her neck would strangle her as she answered yes, in fact she was. He didn't say anything more, so she decided to go to the kitchen to check on the children. In there it was swelteringly hot because the ovens were still on. The cook, a fat Irish woman in a hairnet and apron, handed her a glass of water, which she gulped down thankfully. Caroline had already been sent up to bed and the boys were playing some kind of scary game in the cellar. Frances could hear their shrieks of laughter. The cook cleared her throat. "I've been meaning to ask you," she said.

Frances's mind was on her sons. She didn't want to have to go down to the dirty cellar and get them in her nice dress.

"I've been meaning to ask you," the cook said again. She had the remnants of an Irish accent.

Frances forced her attention on the woman, whose sweaty skin was coarse-grained and red. "Yes?"

"Your maiden name was Riley, was it not?"

"Yes."

"And your father's called Kip?"

"That's right. Why?"

"My name was Riley, too."

"Really?" Frances put her glass down on the table. Her skin felt clammy in the blue wool dress.

"My grandfather's brother was Kip Riley. There's a good chance we're related."

"I doubt it. Riley's not an unusual name."

The cook took her empty glass and put it in the sink. "Yes, but you and I have the same eyes now, don't we?"

Frances looked in the cook's face and saw that, though her eyes were ringed with fat, they were the same shape, the same pale powder blue as her own. She ran from the kitchen.

Cover Image: Blitz and Pieces Kitchen

Marrying Up - Part IX

“Marrying Up” is a fictional story set in 1950s Manhattan revolving around Frances Riley, a difficult and ruthlessly ambitious young woman who moved from one social class to another—Irish immigrant off the boat to high WASP— when she married into the aristocratic Woolsey family.

Frances looked in the cook's face and saw that, though her eyes were ringed with fat, they were the same shape, the same pale powder blue as her own. She ran from the kitchen.

Next: Read Marrying Up Part 10 >>