After she had left the room, Leland looked at Lucille. “I wish she hadn’t asked that young man here.”
“I’m afraid she likes him a little too much for my inclinations.”
“You don’t think she’s serious about him, do you, Lucille?”
Lucille had seen her daughter’s expression as she had watched Robert that evening. “She might get serious. We’ll have to see to it that she has other things to occupy her mind.”
“You know, one of the disadvantages of having money is that there’s always a danger that some fellow will be after our daughter for what she has and not for who she is.”
“You think this one’s like that?”
“I’m not saying that,” Leland said quickly. “But it’s always a possibility. In any case, he wouldn’t be a suitable match for our family.”
“No, he wouldn’t. But now the play’s over and the relationship is over. We can schedule some parties here. I can invite all the suitable young men.”
“That’s the idea,” he said. “You’re good at that, Lucille. I’ll put it in your hands.”
****
Sharon arrived at Carl Dartman’s apartment for her singing lesson almost an hour early. Robert was having his lesson, and the two men greeted her, Dartman somewhat surprised. “Have I got my times mixed up? I thought you were scheduled for eleven, Sharon.”
“I am, but if you don’t mind, I’ll just wait.” She smiled. “I love to hear Robert sing.”
“Doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother him.”
Sharon sat quietly throughout the rest of Robert’s lesson. When Robert was done, he said, “Mr. Dartman, I think I’ll pay Sharon the compliment of listening to her as well, if you don’t mind.”
Dartman looked from one to the other, and a smile turned the corners of his mouth upward. “Fine with me. Always good to have an audience.”
After Sharon’s lesson, she and Robert left together and made their way down to the front entry. “I’m glad to see you, Sharon,” Robert said as they walked along the sidewalk. “How have you been?” The weather was bitter cold, and the city was swathed in white. A strong wind churned up icy crystals that bit at their faces, and the snow crunched beneath their feet.
Shivering, he suggested, “Let’s have coffee or something to eat to warm us up.”
Sharon smiled. “You’re always thinking of food.”
“Not always. Sometimes I think of other things.”
She saw his teasing smile and laughed at him.
They ducked into a nearby restaurant and found a quiet corner to sit and drink cup after cup of steaming coffee. Robert had a piece of pie and shared it with Sharon, who found it so good she ordered a slice of her own.
“Look, Sharon,” Robert said finally, “I’m not much at hiding my feelings. I hope you know that I’ve come to care for you—”
Her face flushed and she nodded. “I can see that, Robert, but it’s . . . difficult.”
“Because of your parents. Well, I’m sorry they don’t approve, but I still want to see you all I can.”
Suddenly Sharon, who had never had much difficulty obeying her parents, felt a sense of rebellion. Here was the one man she had found whom she truly felt she could be serious about, and her parents didn’t approve. She loved her parents dearly, but she disagreed with them on their deeply held beliefs about marriage.
“We’ll see each other as often as I can. I hate to deceive my parents, but I . . . I do so enjoy being with you.”
Robert leaned over, took her hand, and raised it to his lips. He kissed it, then held it firmly between his hands. Her lips were trembling, and she was close to tears. “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “We’ll find some way to convince them. God will help us!”
CHAPTER FOUR
A Clandestine Romance
Robert and Sharon continued to see each other without her parents’ knowledge for a year. Every week they shared their lesson times together with Mr. Dartman, and Robert starred in another Gilbert and Sullivan production, this time The Pirates of Penzance. Sharon did not audition for that one because her parents continued to disapprove of any socializing with “those theatrical people.” She went through the motions of graciously entertaining suitable suitors, all the while seeing Robert on the side and falling deeply in love with him. She did not know how she would ever tell her parents of her deception. For all she knew, they might be so dismayed they would turn their backs on her and make her leave home.
On top of enduring the stress of her clandestine romance, which caused her no small measure of anxiety at home, Sharon lived with the daily fear of watching the war in Europe grow to monstrous proportions. She, along with her fellow Americans, knew that if the conflict did not end soon, the United States would not be able to stay out of it. And for Sharon that would mean saying good-bye to her beloved Robert, as he would undoubtedly be called to the war.
On the last day of January 1917, Germany began unlimited submarine warfare, warning that all neutral ships in the North Atlantic were to be attacked. President Wilson responded with an angry blast, and a wave of fury swept the country. The United States severed diplomatic relations with Germany. During the month of February, German submarines sank the United States liner Housatonic off the coast of Sicily, the British steamer California off the coast of Ireland, and the American schooner Lyman M. Law.
President Woodrow Wilson had been the staunch leader against declaring war, but even he could not overlook what was happening at sea. Too many Americans were losing their lives. On the twenty-sixth day of February he asked Congress for power to arm merchant ships. This unprecedented act brought the war hawks to a high fever, and the national discussion changed from “Will America go to war?” to “When will America go to war?”
Sharon read the stories in the newspapers and knew that her country was on the precipice of entering a conflict that had already slaughtered millions of French and Russian soldiers. While she was disheartened about all of this, her spirits were always raised by seeing her dear Robert every week at her voice lesson, and as many other times during the week as she could find some reasonable excuse to leave the house. She and Robert escaped the war stories by listening to popular music and singing the romantic war songs floating over from England. One of her favorites was a soldier’s plea to family to “Keep the Home Fires Burning.” Robert loved the happy-go-lucky marching song “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile.”
Sharon loved the times when she and Robert would get together at their favorite music store and sing the new songs together from the sheet music while the store owner played the piano. They always gathered quite a crowd, and the owner was delighted to have two such fine singers freely advertising the store’s merchandise.
One evening they went to a dance hall, where they learned to dance the tango, a craze that was sweeping the country, as well as the lively fox trot. Neither Robert nor Sharon were first-rate dancers, and they teased and laughed their way through their awkward attempts. They left the dance hall hand in hand and started down the street. He pulled her to a stop in front of the famous Flatiron Building, the towering pie-shaped skyscraper that had already become a New York City icon.
Robert turned to her and said, “I wish we were in a more romantic place.”
“Why do you wish that?”
“Because I’m going to say something that should be said on a beach in Tahiti at sunset, or perhaps sung to guitar accompaniment in a canoe on the Swanee River with massive trees dangling moss over us.”
For a moment she thought he was just playing around, but there was a seriousness in his eyes as he said, “Come on. Let’s find a better place than this.”
Sharon went along, protesting halfheartedly that she should be getting home. He led her to Madison Square Park, where there were people out walking their dogs, and lovers also. They walked in silence until they reached a quiet place, and then he turned and said, “I know you can guess what I’m going to ask.”
His words brought a sudden rush of emotion to Sharon. She began to tremble and started to say, “Oh, Robert—”
“No, I’m going to say it. I love you, Sharon, as much as a man ever loved a woman, and I want to marry you.” She let him draw her closer. She was flattered that this man, who was so talented and of such good character, would desire her. She lifted her arms to his shoulders and tipped her face up. When their lips touched, she clung to him, giving herself to him freely until he finally lifted his head. “You must love me, Sharon,” he said simply. “God wouldn’t give me this love for you unless he had put something in your own heart for me.”
Her response was so soft he had to lean forward. “Oh, Robert, I do love you!”
Robert felt that this was the best moment of his entire life, and as the fragrance of her hair touched his senses and her head rested quietly on his shoulder, he whispered, “You’re the only one for me, sweetheart.”
Sharon wished that the moment would never end, but she knew it must. She had, however, made a decision while he held her. “My parents will have to agree, and that won’t be easy, Robert.”
“We’ll find a way.”
She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. “Yes,” she said. “We will find a way.”
****
Sharon stood straight in the Winslow parlor, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She saw by the expression on her parents’ faces that her announcement was most unwelcome. She had called them together as soon as she had gotten home and declared, “Robert and I love each other, and we want to get married.”
Her parents were shocked. They had not even known she was still seeing him and could hardly believe their obedient daughter had been carrying on a clandestine romance for a whole year! Both Leland and Lucille were beside themselves with grief to think that Sharon had so betrayed their wishes. But they could also see the love in her eyes that she held for him, and their hearts were torn.
Leland stood by his resolve to make light of it and shook his head. “This is just an infatuation, daughter. He is a good-looking young man who has turned your head, and you have momentarily lost your senses. You cannot be serious about him.”
Lucille echoed his sentiments but with a measure of understanding over her daughter’s dilemma. She was young enough to remember the power that romantic desire could have over a girl. But outwardly she remained in agreement with her husband and their need to maintain their family’s social reputation. “He’s not the sort of man we’ve hoped you would find, dear.”
This was the most difficult discussion Sharon had ever had with her parents, but it was also the first time she had ever willfully opposed their wishes on anything important. She listened to all that her father said but never once did she retreat. Her parents were shaken to the core at her resistance, for she had always been an obedient child and easily persuaded. But both Lucille and Leland now witnessed a streak of steel in her they had never seen before. She stood firmly, her shoulders back, her head high, and no matter what they said, she simply replied, “I’m sorry you are not sympathetic, but Robert is the man I love. He’s the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Sharon, you know this is not what your father and I want,” her mother said, “but I’m going to ask you one thing.”
“Don’t ask me to give him up, Mother. I won’t do it.”
“Will you do this, then? Will you wait for a time until his future is a little more secure? You’re both still young, and you have plenty of time.”
When Sharon hesitated, Leland jumped in. “Yes, that’s all we ask, dear. Just wait.”
Sharon could not say no to this request. It was reasonable enough, and since they had not given a specific length of time she was to wait, she stepped forward and extended a hand to each of them. “Yes, of course,” she said with tears in her eyes. “You don’t know how it hurts me to stand against you, but Robert is my life.”
Sharon embraced her parents, both of whom stood awkwardly, then left the room.
At once Leland turned and said, “Lucille, we cannot let her go through with this wedding.”
“I know, but we must be wise and very cautious. You saw how determined she’s become.”
“I’ve never seen her like this before.”
“Neither have I, but she is a lot like you, Leland.”
“Like me? What do you mean?”
“She’s firm, and perhaps even a little stubborn, like you are. You always were a masterful man, and you gave some of that to her.”
Leland did not know how to take this and shook his head, his brow furrowed. “Let’s just hope and pray that this infatuation will pass.”
****
One thing Sharon had settled with her parents was that she could now see Robert under normal circumstances. Having confessed to their secret meetings, she had asked their pardon for her deception, and they had reluctantly granted her that. Then she had pleaded, “But we need to be together, and I want him to come visit here often so you can get to know him.”
Leland and Lucille both agreed to this, and over the next few weeks, Robert came to have dinner with them three times. After these visits, Leland admitted to his wife, “You know, if Robert only came from a different background, I couldn’t think of a better match.”
“I know. He is everything a young man should be, but he’s not quite top drawer socially.”
Now that everything was out in the open, the tensions in the Winslow home eased somewhat, but on the international front, the war news was growing worse, and they all felt the increasing angst of the country. On the fifteenth of March, Czar Nicholas II abdicated, leaving a gnawing uncertainty over the fate of Russia. The Russian offense on the German front had resulted in two million casualties, and now no one could tell which way that enormous country would go.
Despite the pressures at home and the specter of war, Sharon awoke each morning smiling and singing. Her maid, Lorraine, fussed at her constantly, saying she had become like a peasant, never taking time to dress properly. Sharon usually merely laughed and hugged her, saying, “Robert doesn’t love me because of the clothes I wear.”
Toward the end of March, Robert appeared at the mansion unannounced. The butler, Laurence, met him at the door.
“I’ve got to see Miss Sharon at once.”
“Why, yes, sir. Please come in. I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“No, everything is right, Laurence!” Robert said as he shrugged out of his coat.
“I think she’s in her room, but if you’ll care to go to the drawing room, I’ll let her know you’re here.”
“Fine! Fine, Laurence!”
Laurence went upstairs and knocked on Sharon’s door. When it opened, he said, “Mr. Tyson is downstairs. He’s very anxious to see you.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, he seems very excited. Happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
Sharon headed straight to the drawing room, where Robert threw his arms around her and picked her up off the floor. He swung her around in a wild circle, ignoring her protests.
When he set her down, he said, “I have wonderful news!”
“I can see you have.” Sharon smiled breathlessly. “What in the world is it?”
“I have been selected to play the lead in Carmen in Boston! Think of that!”
“Oh, Robert, that’s wonderful! When did this happen?”
“My agent has been working on it for a long time. I went to audition a week ago, but I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think I had a chance in the world. I got a telegram today. It’s all set. I’ll be singing the lead role!”
“Oh, Robert, I’m so happy for you!” She threw her arms around him, and they talked rapidly, interrupting each other and laughing with joy at the good news.
“We must tell Mother and Dad,” she said. “Come along.” Seizing his hand, she towed Robert out of the drawing room and went down the hall, crying, “Mother—Dad, where are you?”
“I believe
they’re in the small parlor, Miss Sharon,” Laurence said. “It must be good news.”
“Yes, it is. Very good.”
She pulled Robert into the parlor, where her parents were sitting by the fire listening to gramophone records. They stood up at once. “What in the world is it?” Lucille cried. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Mother. Robert has an announcement.”
Robert shook his head. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, sir, ma’am. I’ve been selected to sing the lead in an opera in Boston.”
“Well, congratulations, my boy,” Leland said. He was genuinely pleased and came over to shake Robert’s hand. “You’ll be moving to Boston, then?”
“No, I’ll just stay there for three weeks of rehearsals and then the opera’s month-long run, which begins the last week of April.”
Lucille asked, “I know nothing about such things, Robert. Do they pay well?”
“Yes, this will pay very well. In fact it’ll be more money than I’ve ever made. Of course, as good as that is, the great thing is it will perhaps open the door for me to the Metropolitan right here in New York.”
Sharon listened as her parents questioned Robert, and they seemed genuinely pleased for him. When she was finally able to break into the conversation, she said, “Now I’m going to ask you to let us get married right away. We could have a simple private ceremony here at home and then I could go to Boston with Robert.”
As shock washed across the faces of the older Winslows, Robert said quickly, “I love your daughter very much, and my agent says this is just the beginning. He promises me I have a lucrative future in opera. Now I’ll be able to care for your daughter properly.”
Both Leland and Lucille were taken off balance, but they saw they could not prevent the couple from marrying, with or without their approval.
“I think it would be more proper to wait at least six months before the nuptials.”
After some debate and much give-and-take, Sharon reluctantly agreed to wait till June. That way she and her mother would have time while Robert was in Boston to plan an elegant wedding. “The first Saturday in June,” she said. “I’ll be a June bride, and that’s what you’ve always wanted for me, Mother.”
The Silent Harp Page 5