In the days following the Palm Beach trip, Patch thought about his situation and how similar it suddenly was to his grandmother’s. After he had returned from Isis Island, Genie revealed to him that she had dated Palmer Bell in the 1950s, and they had been engaged to be married. Palmer’s family intervened, however, and the night before their wedding, he had disappeared on an ocean liner to Italy. It had taken Genie nearly a year to recover from the shock, and she was grateful to have met Patch’s grandfather, George, whom she married within three months. Now Patch was in the same situation, dating someone not in the Society. Would it always be a boundary that divided people?
Genie was sitting in the living room and working on a needlepoint pillow while watching television. She looked up, just enough to catch Patch’s eye.
“I’m worried about you, Patchfield,” she said.
“What about?”
“You don’t look well. You’re too thin. You’re always sulking around in that ratty wool cap. What’s going on?”
He sat down. “It’s the usual. I mean, after everything that happened…” His voice trailed off. He had filled Genie in on the Society’s retreat, and how he had little choice but to become a member. She had been upset with him, but she also understood the precarious position he was in. “I thought what happened in December would be the worst of it,” he continued. “I thought joining would solve everything.”
“Solve what?” Genie asked as she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
“All my problems. I thought it would get me a TV deal, or at the very least, give me some new opportunities even if Chadwick Prep didn’t work out. Big surprise: it didn’t. It’s the same with my friends. Phoebe’s not painting, Lauren hates doing her jewelry, Nick hasn’t organized any parties. Hey, at least I get to spin records at the Dendur Ball.”
“The Dendur Ball?” Genie looked curious. “Imagine that. They’re doing that again.”
“Have you been before?”
“No, I haven’t. By the time they started it, I was no longer running around with that crowd. But, your-well, Esme, she cut quite a figure at the last ball.”
“I know. I saw the photograph of her. I could barely recognize her.”
“Those were the best days,” Genie said sadly. “She was so happy then. Before everything happened.”
“Did she and Dad go to things like that often?”
“Oh, yes,” Genie said. “She and your father and the Bells, actually. Parker and Georgiana had only been married for a few years. The four of them were such a group: your father and Parker, Esme and Gigi. They were the talk of the town.”
“And then I came along.”
“Oh, dear, that had nothing to do with it. Your mother had a decline. You know that. It’s all… what’s the word, hereditary. I read an article about it. You can’t help what you’re born with.”
Patch sat down in an armchair and sighed. “Do you think she’ll ever get better?”
“I don’t know,” Genie said. “I certainly hope so. For your sake. I know how devastating it is. I can’t even remember what it was like to have her in our lives. It feels like she’s already dead.”
“Genie!”
“Patch, we have to be realistic about it. It’s not your mother that we visit in Ossining. She’s a shell, a reminder of the person she used to be.”
“So what do you think I should do about all this Society stuff? My TV show project has tanked for now, which totally blows. And my friends are all being threatened.”
“You take care of yourself first,” Genie said firmly. “I know Nick watches out for you, but I don’t know those other friends of yours. I’m sure they’re good people, and I know you’re a fair judge of character, Patch.” She gripped his arm. “But still, you have to be careful.”