Capp put the note in his shirt pocket. Finally, someone was paying him a little attention.
“You know where she is right now?” Capp asked the messenger.
“No, but I can find her. She’s the kind of gal you notice.”
“Give her a message. Tell her to come to the ranch house this evening and ask for me. Tell her we are having a party and she’s invited.”
Chapter 45
Kick-off Dinner Party
Evening August 8, 1931
As the backside returned to the business of cooling, grooming, and feeding horses, the ranch house was actively preparing for the arrival of guests. The guests, mostly old friends of the Glidewells, hot and tired from the day at the track, found their way up the limestone steps to the front door. Leon greeted them, offering glasses of iced water, and suggested that those not spending the night use the servants’ quarters to freshen up.
The overnight guests were in their assigned rooms getting ready for the evening. Mary, exhausted, went to her room to take a brief break before she began her hosting duties. Just as she lay down, there was a knock on her door.
“Excuse me Mary, should I wear the blue party dress you bought for me?” Mary smiled and sat up on her bed.
“Come in, Maizie. Why yes, of course, I think you should wear it. It is a beautiful dress, very chic. I also think we should put your hair up, find some earrings that look just right.”
“I’m always getting something on my clothes in the kitchen. I’d hate to ruin my new dress.”
Mary laughed. “You won’t be serving tonight. I want you at the dinner, hosting with me. I want you sitting at our table. Will you join us?”
“I’ll be needed. We have a lot of guests.”
“I know. I talked with Philippe and Leon. They have asked Ruby and Claire to help. There won’t be a problem. It’s important to me that you are at the head table.”
“Really? The head table?”
“I insist. It’s a reward for your hard work today.”
“But Mrs. Glidewell, others will think…”
“No matter, Maizie. We won’t worry what others think. We are having cocktails and a little music on the veranda around six p.m. I don’t want my office assistant late,” declared Mary. “Now run along.”
Maizie left the Glidewell bedroom stunned. The idea of sitting at the family table made her uncomfortable. She’d rather be working, serving the guests. Making conversation with adults put her ill at ease. But, as was her practice, she would comply. Walking down the hall, she was drawn into Mary’s office. Opening the door, she walked to her desk and noticed there did not appear to be anything new or urgent. She was just about to leave when she saw a stack of open mail on Mary’s side table. It wasn’t her habit to snoop, but the temptation was too great. Placed on the top was a neatly scripted letter to James. Maizie picked it up and read it. It was an invitation for Capp to come to Louisville, Kentucky. The letter mentioned that apprenticeships would be available to qualified horsemen at the barns of Churchill Downs. Maizie placed the letter back on Mary’s desk, wondering if Capp knew.
As the evening drew nigh and the air began to cool, the sky above Glidewell Ranch was dressed in a display of yellow, violet, and blue. Maizie, saddened by the fact that Capp might be leaving, didn’t notice the beauty around her.
The ranch-house guests began to gather on the back veranda. Ruby and Claire served trays of canapés, fresh garden vegetables, and offerings of French blue cheese, crostini, and poached figs. Partygoers were offered a summer drink made with white port, sparkling water, a twist of lemon, and a watermelon spear. The veranda was festively dressed with bouquets of purple amaranth, cherry-colored zinnia, candy tuft, and brown-eyed Susans from Ol’ Jon’s flower garden. A table was set up with a large spray of flowers and individual tiny corsages of fragrant lavender and white candy tuft for the ladies’ hair.
Mary and James met in James’s office to discuss a few details concerning the evening’s dinner. They covered a variety of subjects, including the letter from Churchill Downs, but before they left to join the others, James pulled Mary towards him. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“For being you, for being at my side, for putting up with all this, for working so hard.”
Mary looked up at her husband as he held her. “You know, James, the ranch really isn’t what I would have chosen. Guess I’m more of a city girl. But I love you, and I’m happy because you’re happy. The way I see it, what we have here is a huge family of dependents. We’re responsible. I feel that every day. In some ways, it’s a wonderful feeling; in other ways, it’s terrifying.”
“I know, Mary, I know. Where would these people go, if not for the ranch?”
“I don’t know,” said Mary quietly.
Chapter 46
The Dinner Guest
Men and women gathered in small circles on the veranda following the exciting first day of match races. The evening was warm bathed in beautiful summer evening light. Mary and James walked among the crowd offering greetings and small talk. Wearing her blue party dress, Mary’s pearl-drop earrings, and her hair in a loose knot, Maizie appeared older than her sixteen years. Introducing herself, she offered to help pin one of Ol’ Jon’s hair corsages on each female guest. Most women accepted and felt calmed by the soothing fragrance of lavender.
A photographer, Rye Fulton from Ranch Styles magazine, was snapping photographs of anyone willing to pose for him. He had been at the backside all morning and afternoon taking pictures during the event. Good at not drawing attention to himself, the man approached Maizie quietly.
“A beautiful girl like you needs her picture taken.” Maizie looked his way with her striking cobalt-blue
