The Veil of Secrets
The wedding reception took place in the second-floor ballroom of the Colony Club on Park Avenue 62.
The Colony Club was an exclusive women-only social club that could only be joined through a recommendation from existing members.
Ever since Mabel’s grandmother had joined in the club’s early days, the Darlingtons had maintained their membership for generations.
Mildred frequently pointed out that the hotel where the new money families rented rooms was far inferior in elegance and refinement compared to this place.
Following the ceremony and cake cutting, which were known as the “wedding breakfast,” lunch was served.
Unable to stomach anything due to her nerves, Mabel barely touched the food.
Every time guests approached with the usual congratulations about how perfectly the couple matched, she offered an awkward smile in return.
By four o’clock, Mabel asked the guests’ pardon and, with Louise in tow, headed to the powder room.
She needed to change into her honeymoon attire.
Louise offered to help and followed along.
With the departure of the Paris ship at six o’clock, check-in had to be completed by five, leaving them with very little time.
Once Mabel had changed from her wedding dress into a velvet ensemble with a bolero, she draped a coat trimmed with fox fur over her shoulders and pressed the clutch shut.
After Louise finished her makeup, she hurried out to load the luggage into the car.
Alone in the powder room, Louise’s shoulders began to shake.
“Mabel, I can’t stop crying. I had no idea the wedding was such a sacred thing. Truly, I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you, Louise.”
When she had begged Louise to become her bridesmaid, Louise had burst into tears once more.
She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the tips of her fingers, trying to hide her embarrassment, and gave Mabel a gentle smile.
“By the way, you never mentioned that your marquis looks like that! I imagined the worst when you kept saying you didn’t want to get married, but who would have guessed? The way you walked into the church like a movie star—I was stunned!”
She was the same woman who had once called Carlisle a “noble brute,” now fanning herself with obvious delight.
“So tell me, what about your husband don’t you like? Tall, handsome, wealthy nobleman.”
Studying her reflection and adjusting her hat, Mabel murmured in a flat voice.
“…I’ve heard rumors that he has complicated relationships with women.”
Louise clicked her tongue, her face a mask of shock.
“Tsk. What a waste of a man’s worth.”
Mabel turned to face her.
“To be honest… I don’t know why he chose to marry me. Louise, I’m only saying this because you’re my friend, but he doesn’t seem to like me, let alone find me attractive.”
She exhaled a sigh, her smile tinged with sadness.
“Now that we’re married, I hope you’ll sort out the other women… Am I asking too much?”
Louise hesitated, her expression serious, before speaking carefully.
“Thank you for trusting me with this. Well… I’m not sure whether I should pass along my mother’s advice straight away. It’s embarrassing, but this is hard for me to say too. Would you like to hear it?”
“What is it?”
“How to capture a wealthy upper-class married man.”
Mabel drew in a sharp breath.
Louise immediately waved her hands.
“No, no! It’s not that I want you to trap a married man. It’s about how to avoid falling into the same situation as my mother. If this makes you uncomfortable, I truly apologize. From your perspective, it makes perfect sense, and I understand that too.”
She lowered her head with a bitter smile.
Mabel quickly took her hand.
“Louise, if there’s a way to make my husband keep his word to me, I need to know it.”
Louise slowly lifted her gaze.
“…Are you serious? I should warn you first—the content is quite explicit and might come across as inappropriate. So be prepared. When you’re ready, let me know.”
Mabel took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and nodded firmly.
“I’m ready.”
With permission granted, a faint blush spread across Louise’s cheeks.
She licked her lips once or twice before finally speaking.
“According to my mother, elegant upper-class married women were like wooden sticks in bed. They lay there quietly, waiting for the… shameful act to end as quickly as possible. Although the men felt obligated to visit their wives’ bedrooms to ensure the family line continued, they found the experience anything but pleasurable.”
The color drained from Mabel’s face, the memory of Mildred’s advice from the previous night flooding back.
She had been told that if she simply lay down and obeyed her husband, the pain and humiliation would vanish in no time.
“My mother never married, but she had countless lovers. Embarrassingly, half of them were married men. She said the more unsatisfied the man was with his wife’s bed, the more passionately he sought out lovers like her.”
Louise frowned.
“That’s never right. Personally, I think it’s better to live alone your whole life than to marry a man like my father.”
She added quickly, her face panicked.
“I mean, not in your situation. You know what I mean, right?”
Mabel nodded, listening to Louise’s raw story with wide eyes.
“My mother always said that the shame of the wedding night should be cast off like a dress the moment you take it off. Women should try everything actively to discover what they truly like. She always said there was no greater injustice in the world than a man enjoying himself alone.”
With her mind still spinning, Mabel offered no reply.
Louise gave an awkward laugh.
“You don’t talk like a daughter at all. You’re so blunt. Just roll with it. I’m sure your marquis married you because he was completely in love. Mabel, you’re the debutante of the year—show some confidence!”
She ended with an encouraging smile.
“It was a difficult conversation, but thank you, Louise. It was a huge help. I… if it’s not too much trouble, did your mother also offer any advice about the first night?”
Satisfied that Mabel had listened without prejudice, Louise nodded.
“It wasn’t really advice. My mother never wanted to talk about her first experience either. She found it so terrifying that she never wanted to remember it. If she had known then what she knows now, she said she would never have suffered so much.”
Mabel’s face paled.
Louise quickly patted her back.
“Don’t worry too much. My mother likes to exaggerate everything, so don’t take everything literally. She did say that even the first time, if a man takes time and effort for his woman, it can be much better. And if he has size and skill to match, that’s the ideal, but such men are rarer than giraffes in a zoo, so she warned not to expect too much.”
Mabel blinked in confusion.
Louise flushed and waved her hands again.
“I haven’t actually experienced it myself, so I can’t give more details. What I know for sure is that the first time is bound to be painful. But how much a man cares and tries to make it pleasurable can make a difference, I suppose.”
“Ah…”
Mabel nodded slowly, her expression glum. There seemed to be no way to make the wedding night painless.
Louise concluded with a soft smile.
“The more active the woman is, the more enjoyable the wedding night can be. Don’t be afraid—just relax into it.”
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
The two women, lost in their intimate conversation, jumped and turned toward the door.
Irene had slipped her head through the gap and was urging Mabel to hurry.
“Madam, it’s time to go downstairs. Your marquis is waiting in the lobby.”
“We’re leaving now. I’ll remember your advice, Louise. Thank you so much!”
They embraced each other in farewell.
“Have a wonderful honeymoon, Mabel. Enjoy your first night together.”
Louise winked and whispered only for Mabel to hear.
Carlisle stood waiting in the lobby in a gray suit and a coat lined with fur.
When Mabel appeared at the top of the stairs, the guests erupted in cheers.
Carlisle crossed through the crowd, met Mabel at the bottom of the stairs, and escorted her to where Walter and Mildred waited.
“We’ll see you in a month.”
“Have a safe trip.”
Walter replied to Carlisle’s words.
“…I will.”
Mabel bowed, and Mildred awkwardly pulled her into a hug, patting her back. It was the first time she had ever done such a thing.
“Send us a postcard the moment you arrive safely. Enjoy the honeymoon.”
“Yes, Aunt Mildred.”
Mabel could not raise her head when she met Mildred’s eyes, afraid her tears would spill.
After the farewells, as they walked toward the entrance, the line of guests watched them with hopeful eyes.
The moment they passed through the door, the guests began to shower rice over them in celebration of the newlyweds. The rice shower was an old tradition meant to bless a couple’s marriage.
Carlisle held his fedora slightly above Mabel’s head to shield her from the falling grains.
Once they were seated in the waiting limousine outside, the couple headed toward Chelsea Piers for their month-long honeymoon.