Notes

November 24th, 1933
Darling,
Iʼm taking precautions in case Mother finds this letter, which is why a few phrases might seem a bit backwards to you. If you find yourself
at a loss, look to the gift I embroidered you for guidance. When Vanity becomes Elegance, the truth can emerge.
The walls in the Cadence tend to have ears, so I donʼt feel secure asking you this in person. But I was wondering if Ruth has said anything
to you about me lately. She pulled me aside earlier today and told me in no uncertain terms that she wished I had never been cast in
Duo. I asked her what she meant, but she just said that I should be ashamed of myself and stormed away. I genuinely have no idea what
any of that was about. Have I done something to offend her? Is it the stress of her pregnancy making itself manifest?
This is the worst possible time for me to have made an enemy. Itʼs simply too much. With the show, the press, and the wedding to
contend with, I barely have any time to breathe. I can count on one hand the number of times Iʼve felt neither hungry nor tired nor
miserable over the past few months, and during vevib hrmtov lmv lu gsvn Rʼev yvvm drgs blf.
Thereʼs no sign of any real reprieve on the horizon, though. Nlgsvi has my life planned down to the matching outfits Iʼm wearing with
Svxgli to our hypothetical uron kivnrvivh in ‘38. Itʼs a selfish thing to complain about, I know. But I canʼt stop thinking about what you said
the other day, about being able to step back and see the big picture. It made me realize that Iʼve spent my entire life like a carriage horse
fitted with blinders. Iʼve never seen anything but the path Iʼm being driven down. I canʼt go on like this forever. R mvvw gl tvg lfg lu gsrh
xrgb. Yfg nb xlmgizxg zmw nb vmtztvnvmg nzpv gszg rnklhhryov.
Thank you for being such a good confidante over these past few months. Youʼve made me realize how good it can feel to nzpv z xslrxv lu
nb ldm every now and again.
Iʼve asked Svxgli to go over ivxvkgrlm kozmh with Nlgsvi at six oʼclock tomorrow. We can nvvg rm nb wivhhrmt illn dsrov gsvbʼiv yfhb.
Hvv blf hllm,
Erloz