GLMontag

The 1920’s of Tomorrow

A queer tragicomedy.

The timeline for book one is 1916 to 1930, though some flashbacks take us to even earlier. The story is set mostly in New York City, but also in Paris, London, Baltimore, and Louisville. It has historical details coupled with elements that have yet to exist in our society today…though we are getting very close, much closer than 10 years ago when I first shared the story. The characters comically avoid struggles in marriage, raising children, and coping with tragedy. My style and inspiration for Teddy Madison are a reflection of contemporary society projected into one of the most glamorous eras of the past. Teddy Madison is my debut novel and first publication. I recreate the roaring 20’s with a realistic setting, but depict a society void of social expectations and labels on gender, sexuality, love, and relationships.

An imagined emptiness. The manuscript of truths. Years of denial. A distorted mind in a world of gray. The Freudian patient. A cocaine addiction. A naval husband across the sea.  The senseless affair. An unattainable love.

Three men are in a love triangle, and one has a wife. Teddy marries Harrison; Teddy has an affair with William; Teddy loves Louie. The dread of a mundane existence. A precious daughter. The sphere of influence: Just a day in Teddy Madison’s life.

We see Teddy in the present, at age 29, haunted by memories of first meeting his husband when they were two teenagers in love. Correction...one was in love.

In 1929, for better or worse, Teddy has his memoir written. There was never enough wealth to make his life go by fast enough, or to make it all seem better. If Harrison wasn't away, would Teddy have behaved differently? Or behaved at all? Should Teddy's memoir include the truth about the man he really loved? What would Dr. Freud say? Years of letters and Teddy's diary will reveal the best kept secrets for his memoir. Who’ll betray him during the writing process, and who’ll placate him as usual? If only his daughter was old enough to know everything. Has Teddy been taunted long enough by his in-laws to push him over the edge? Was his lover’s final act and accident or one of revenge?

Fun Facts

Teddy Madison started as a short story that I wrote for a creative writing class in college in 2008, and developed from there. Originally, Harrison’s name was Graham, and at first Teddy’s brother Danny was a sister named Claire. All of the Characters with names that begin with the letter C are meant to be parallels or versions of one another, all being so close to Teddy and affecting him the most. Physical descriptions and background are purposely not provided for characters who are outside of Teddy’s immediate circle of friends and family.

Character list  

Mr. Theodore (Teddy) Madison-Archibald

Captain Harrison Archibald Jr. – Teddy’s husband

Mrs. Fairfax – The memoirist

 Miss Caroline Anne Archibald – Teddy’s sister-in-law

Mrs. Charlotte Preston-Rose – Teddy’s cousin

 Senator Christian Rose – Charlotte’s husband

Mrs. Grace Carnegie-Preston – Teddy’s childhood friend and cousin-in-law

 Mr. Adam Preston – Teddy’s cousin/Grace’s husband

Mr. Louis (Louie) Preston – Teddy’s cousin/Adam’s twin brother

Lady Catherine Spencer-Aubrey – Teddy’s friend/Louie’s wife

Mr. William Carson – Teddy’s lover and stable manager

Mr. Daniel Madison-Arnold – Teddy’s brother

Miss Rachel Asten – Teddy’s cousin-in-law

Mrs. Alexandra Asten-Longworth – Rachel’s twin sister

Mrs. Constance Rosemont-Madison – Teddy’s Mother

Admiral Thomas Madison – Teddy’s Father

Mrs. Mary Asten-Archibald – Teddy’s mother-in-law

Admiral Philip Archibald – Teddy’s father-in-law

 Judge Christian Rose Sr. – Charlotte’s father-in-law

Dr. Edwards – The family physician

Benjamin (Ben) Babington – Teddy’s butler

Duchess Genevieve – Caroline Archibald’s lover

 Jay Jay Morgenson – Teddy’s childhood friend

 Caroline Constance Madison-Archibald – Teddy’s daughter

Victoria Grace Preston-Rose – Charlotte’s daughter

 Francis Taylor — Judge Rose’s secretary

 Georgia Hyacinth —Teddy’s maid (that spies on Lady Catherine)

Read below for some excerpts from Teddy Madison:

Constance Madison supported the match. She was a spiritual lady, and was advised by her astrologer to quietly pull the strings. Out of all the men who surrounded her, who could be chosen for her son? In the autumn of 1915, the astrologer accompanied Constance to a massive naval reception, and did not reveal his identity. He went as a guest of Mrs. Madison, and he claimed to be a former piano tutor, or something removed enough, so that the story wouldn’t be questioned. He was French, and they were in Nice. And so, he scouted out the scene, thousands of people. Constance knew her husband would choose a navy man to wed their son, this was her way of ensuring Teddy’s happiness. The astrologer whispered to Constance, inquiring about a tall, blonde young man. Constance delighted in the search. But how to convince the rest? Admiral Madison and Admiral Archibald weren’t interested in such otherworldly ideas. in the least. Constance knew so little of Mary, but the astrologer said not to worry, she was a seer as well. One less obstacle. Why not Harrison? He was perfect! Out of all the people to pair in a story of love, their paths aligned. Fate took its chance. Admiral Madison was thrilled with the idea, and so it was to be. The Archibalds would be their in-laws. Charles and Philip were old friends, it was very fitting on all sides. Constance had another vital mission–to make sure Harrison would want her son. During their talks in the following weeks, she realized that Harrison didn’t believe that someone had the power to see what had yet to come, he didn’t believe in the gift of sight. Constance arranged a few private meetings with her astrologer. It didn’t take too much convincing, Harrison was swept up in the mystique of it all: it was destiny that he should love Teddy. It had to be, how could Harrison tell the truth? Mrs. Fairfax had no idea.

She concocted embellished stories from years before. Right?

Teddy didn’t mean simply leaving in the physical sense, but now that the threat was there, he couldn’t avoid the thought. What would Anne choose to do in the event of a labor emergency? As the morning went on, and they examined the happenings of years before, she came to the conclusion that she should have understood and empathized with her only brother. That couldn’t be changed at present; too much time had gone by. Anne was not scared of dying. But it was reality, it could happen, and it meant the world to her that they exchanged those words. Teddy reached across for her hand and held it in his. She was the sister that God forgot to give him, and he treasured her dearly. She smiled and assured him that she’d be fine; they’d be fine. She was a consummate actress. How could she know? They just had to be, life didn’t give them any other choice. 

The natural order of things was bigger than them both.

“Teddy Madison became less artistically unique as a result of his being PRESSURED into marriage. It was the beginning of the DECLINE, to become a specific part of a time. He did not presuppose this change, and not explaining these issues increased the binaries between him and his future husband. It became easier for Teddy to poke fun at what his life would become, rather than ACTUALLY try to change it. The most UNDESIRABLE of circumstances have to come from the anchoring of another: Captain Harrison Archibald anchored his husband as much as the ship that sailed him around the world.”  

“February 5th, 1922

I arrived in London yesterday. Louie told me he proposed to Lady Catherine. I love you, just in a different way: it’s not less, it’s not romantic, that’s what he said to me. That’s not what he said after we lost our virginity together. It was our 1st time, and he said he didn’t want to have that experience with anyone else. Then I was supposed to move on and forget it, once I met Harrison 6 months later. Of course Louie and I had several intimate experiences after, but he said it will stop once I marry Harrison in June. He said it’s not fair to be inside me when it should be Harrison. We discussed how after I graduate in May and move home, that he and Catherine will move to New York. I don’t think I’d be any happier if they stayed in London, if I can’t fuck him. He told her he would move to New York for my sake. I know what you’re going to say. I know what she thinks of me, but considering she lied to be for so long about her and Louie being lovers, I’ll never trust her again. I love him so much it hurts. And if I let him go what’s left for me? I don’t see him as I should. The constant battle I have with seeing him the way I want, versus how he really is, will only end badly. I want to see him as a strong and assertive man; secure, confident, and stable, but he’s none of those things. Harrison is. Terribly annoying. I don’t know what’s real anymore. I don’t think I care to know what’s real. Can anyone really believe in such frivoloshy? What I don’t already know doesn’t interest me—I’ll admit that a love that lasts a lifetime may be a naïve notion, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with having multiple true loves throughout a lifetime. The next to come along doesn’t make the former any less true. It’s so sad when only the powdered dust is left to cloud the tray. If Louie could only be in my life on the terms that I want: is it worth it for me to hold on to such anger? It’s going to kill me inside to see him marry someone else, and not love me the way I think he should.  He was in London for 3 years, mostly because of me. How ironic. He thinks in the present, and that’s the hard part for him. He’ll marry eventually. I have to let him go. He’s moving to New York because of you—even though dear Lady Catherine doesn’t want to. He won’t change. He can’t change, and he’s not worthy of her. Truthfully. 

~TM”

“Oh yes,” Lady Catherine recalled. “Rachel walked back into the kitchen, Anne wanted something to eat, so Louie started cooking. The cook had the night off for some reason.” He did everything, my husband. “I heard everything. I slipped off my heels and hid on the side of the staircase as Charlotte, and Anne left the study. Rachel’s dog was barking.” Incessantly. “And the study is off the foyer too–so little privacy in such a big house.” Lady Catherine lit another cigarette and just took in her surroundings. She stared into nothingness, held Grace’s hand, and then looked at Mrs. Fairfax. “It wasn’t a miscarriage. That’s what they all thought.”

“Catherine couldn’t have William’s baby, although he and Louie looked so much alike, she probably could’ve gotten away with it.”

“Does anyone know, Mrs. Preston?”

“Only I did.” 

Lady Catherine took a long drag from her cigarette and watched the smoke rise above them. “I couldn’t conceive a child after that. I think God punished me.” The emptiness. 

“Let’s leave God out of this for now,” said Mrs. Fairfax. “Do we tell the rest?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Lady Catherine cried. 

“It’ll matter if it goes in Mr. Madison’s memoir, Lady Catherine.” The child that never was. Perhaps just as important is a main reality shared between these 2 ladies: barrenness   

October 16th, 1926

My Dearest Teddy,

I’m sitting in Judge Rose’s office waiting for him to come in from court. The dark wooden panels, now drenched in champagne, how foolish; it’s hard being left-handed, nothing comes easily. I didn’t mean to spill it, or throw the glass at the wall. Turns out Francis Taylor is a film student, I think. How has he lasted here so long, he shouldn’t be a secretary. His houndstooth dress is too short, but he has great legs; he’s all legs. He usually covers up a lot more. He heard the glass shatter when I ‘dropped it,’ and then he said, be careful, Mrs. Rose, after he poured me another.  Next thing you know, the panels are soaking wet again. I wish they’d be finished with the white wash: it’s too dark in here, no contrast at all, simply too dark. Morbid. Mrs. Rose. I keep thinking about Christian. Everyone should believe in serendipity. And you hope and hope that it comes back to you, falling in love with a nameless but striking creature to your right, for there he was. You tremble and compose. Don’t mess it up. Kiss me, Christian would say, always, 1, 2, 3. You’d think I’d have to be heading home soon. He always comes home. Stop thinking, always thinking, racing, it never stops, get lost in the moment if you can, but make it stop. Everything matters but nothing matters now. Not now. Francis Taylor, he always ignores me when I come in, as if he never expects to see me. Hello? Hello?. Anybody in there? Do you remember me? Randomly there as if I never expected to go in today. There behind the desk, he had sad hazel eyes. I think he’d been crying (not surprising considering he works here) he doesn’t look ugly when he cries though, lucky him. Christian said to me once, be my sunshine today, and I’ll put a little stardust in your eyes. And then I think–meaning, life, purpose, hangover. The judge better raise my allowance now that Christian is running for the senate.   

Love Always, Charlotte 

And then Teddy broke the silence. “This house has always been remarkable to me. The 1st time I came here was during the war. Mary had the whole place turned into a sewing paradise–any item that needed mending was sent over and put into different rooms, hundreds of sewing machines were brought in. It was madness. But I respected her being a part of the war effort. My mother was a nurse during that time, and Edenridge was set up as  temporary housing for displaced soldiers. But this place, was and still is, a mystery to me. This stunning house with endless gardens, pathways, passages, stairs, and small bridges over lily ponds. There’s a secret passage, a low narrow tunnel from the basement that runs all the way out to the furthest end of the property. Harrison took me through there once, right before I graduated high school. I don’t know how we managed to ditch my austere governess, who was supposed to be my chaperone so nothing naughty happened. I was so lost running through passageways between the rooms of the house, so excited to go missing. We finally made it to the end of that drab tunnel, and he opened the trap door that was covered in moss from the outside. I asked him what if the door couldn’t open because the moss grew too much. I had a fear that we’d be trapped inside. He lifted the trap door effortlessly and climbed the iron ladder. He turned round and took my hand; I looked up and saw the moon right over his face, both smiling. After I made it out he closed the trap door gently so it wouldn’t echo. There, surrounded by enormous oak trees, we had sex for the 1st time. It was really amazing how he held me in a full split up against a big tree. He’s enormous everywhere. He kissed me almost the whole time. We put our clothes back on and he held my hand. We meandered together back toward the house. The gravel crunched under our feet. We took off our shoes, and ran through the lawn, the ground was damp but we didn’t care. There was nothing like the feeling of kissing someone when you’re younger, around 17 or 18, it feels different than kissing someone now. Everything is new and you have so much less to think about, but so many more emotions go into it. You can breathe, knowing the moment doesn’t end until you say. The golden years that you covet but can never actually see reliving.  All I heard was the rustling of the wind and the cicadas and bullfrogs. Fireflies all around. I’d never seen such tall trees before, Harrison said they were probably 100 feet tall! His hand was warm and smooth. He always felt my fingers individually almost in a repeated pattern, and grazed his thumb across my knuckles. He kept glancing at me. The moon guided our way until the lampposts were finally on closer to the house. Harrison almost tripped as he turned to smile at me, but he caught himself. He was so nervous. I loved when he looked at me then, and how my hand seemed so small in his. I never knew why he wanted to go out that way, probably because then his mother wouldn’t see us walking around unattended. We went along and usually didn’t even talk, as we walked this property on numerous occasions. We made love on the moss over that trapdoor soon after. There were other people staying here randomly strolling around, but hardly anyone knew about that part of the property. There’s a farm here on the estate, even for beekeeping, along with the stables. Hardly any of the visitors really asked or wondered where the food came from. My mother-in-law is the most progressive person I know, but mostly for her role as the  lady of the house. New ways to try this or that, innovative irrigation, decorations, unique but odd party favors. No matter who we knew it was almost always the same, something they all cherished even if they didn’t appreciate the surroundings outwardly. Harrison learned to, once he saw how much I did. The feeling is different than at Edenridge, everything here is so much more expansive. It was the space, the distance into a natural landscape just to have an isolated experience, even if we strolled together. I tried not to let the isolation come over me. With my hands interlocked either in front of me or behind my back, Harrison always managed to nonchalantly hold my hand, some random force just moved us along. And he’d pick a flower from the lavender gardens and give it to me, though he hardly took in the scent 1st. He asked his mother to have so many beds of lavender put in, which I later found out, after the 1st night we met on my birthday. We just gave our attention to this spot or that, to something else here that I imagined someone else hardly saw, except of course for the person who chose which flowers to put where, or the perfect spot for a little drawbridge, what they thought in that moment I coveted.”

June 27th, 1922

They all kept saying, your wedding was unforgettable, and yes, I suppose it was. Did you not feel it was as glamorous as they all said? All those people, they thought it was the wedding of the year. The mass in Saint Patrick’s was quite stunning, but the aisle in that cathedral was ridiculously long! It was a full Catholic mass, we even circled around the damn statue of the virgin Mary. Seeing Harrison at the altar made me smile, but also shiver. My parents on either side of me, sending me into the abyss of married life. Every row was full. God help me, I love him. We had the most dazzling reception out here, a lovely garden party that none of them had seen in years. And then we danced until dawn in the conservatory, it was such a thrill. I wanted the wedding out here in this house, and my mother loved the idea. But it wasn’t their wedding, it was yours. When you’re the center of attention, of all the eyes who’ve come to celebrate what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, it’s hard to see that day with the same perception. They all came, they all saw, but they hadn’t the slightest inclination that my internal thoughts and feelings didn’t mirror my exterior. Louie knew, and Charlotte, and Anne. I find it difficult to discuss with Grace or my brother who are so happy in their own marriages. What did you feel that day? Trapped, frightened and trapped. My internal dystopian world, such a fanciful place beyond the jaded sensibility: the dark elements of a disturbed mind, surrounded by beauty and privilege. Free of any real concerns, though I wonder, if I was stripped of my material wealth, would I still be just as disturbed? The jaded mentality and all I’m accustomed to, would be replaced by the struggle for survival. No matter what your surroundings are, and what encompasses them, you’ll still possess the same narcissistic mind: Perhaps if you had something to truly ground you and give you a sense of purpose, then there may be some kind of solution, off in a distant direction. How I long for a meaningful interlude. They’re in denial. I’m in denial. They let me share this destructive quality, and none of them acknowledged it as such: The denial of being in denial. Luckily Harrison is rather a wow. 

~TM

“They wanted me to have a child, remember? She’s my greatest joy.” 

But not his deepest fulfillment; surely Harrison could see the difference. What did their daughter have to do with all of this? Of course she was Teddy’s main reason to keep living his life, but she was in another sphere.  It was easy for Harrison to use their daughter as an excuse for Teddy to maintain a sense of order and stability in his life, especially when Teddy made any drastic decisions. Harrison looked over at the extensive wall across from the fireplace, filled with Teddy’s once admired paintings; his gray eyes were faded. He softly shook his head. Teddy was too complex...too multifaceted at times. Their sad eyes met. And yet he loved Teddy, with all his heart. Teddydidn’t know what to think. How can one have a reaction when one doesn’t understand something? All he had to do was say what he felt, what was in his heart. What heart? He no longer believed in it—he only believed in its illusions. Harrison couldn’t bring Louie back. Teddy lost all of his drive—the salon, everything in it, everything he’d craved. For nothing!

Lady Catherine Preston entered Teddy’s office. Her driver placed her small black valise on the floor behind her, and went down to wait in the car.  She looked thinner than Teddy remembered, which showed mostly in her gaunt face; her black sleeveless dress still seemed appropriate for a widow in June.  The only contrast was in her long white gloves and the double strand of pearls that graced her long neck. Her hair was pinned up and didn’t show under the black wide brim hat on her demure little head. The three looked at Lady Catherine but didn’t speak. Charlotte’s eyes looked as if they’d pop right out of her face, she was so infuriated to have the morning interrupted especially by someone she detested.. After the awkward passing moment, Charlotte said to Teddy that perhaps she’d take Mrs. Fairfax downstairs and show her some of the artwork.  Oh, just splendid. As they walked toward Lady Catherine, Teddy introduced her to Mrs. Fairfax. Their mutual smiles and pleasantries provided a sort of relief. Lady Catherine then gave her sister-in-law a look of detest. What a surprise visit—pleasant of course. Charlotte gave Lady Catherine’s valise a good kick on the way out, and it fell right on its side.

When Caroline lost consciousness, after flashes of bright colors, came the still and transparent black, blackness, void of any luminance. One has to wait for the experience to engulf them, but it won’t. And a Divine experience, if it was really so, had to come when it will take one suddenly. 

What else did she see? Clarity. Beauty, simply beautiful. It all went so fast, how they came and faded away. He thought it was Divine? It’s more exciting that way. Anything that can’t be proven is more exciting. Caroline had never seen anything more illuminated than that.  What a blessing it was to be able to see a different state of being? Like being outside of oneself.

Teddy opened the drawer to the accent table next to his chair and took out a rectangular mirrored tray—across the twelve-inches of glass went the line of his powdered demise. He stared as the cocaine slowly sprinkled down. There he sat leaning over the arm of the chair, bent over that tray until all of it went up his nose. He wiped away the remains with his husband’s handkerchief and rang Charlotte.

September 14th, 1922

A small taste of freedom. I don’t know what to believe. Are they right that moving from the city is best? They must see a difference in me, and if not then it’s their fault.  The country will be so secluded, and I’ll be so incredibly alone. Of course, having children will help with the loneliness, Harrison wanted our first child right away and it’ll be here within eight months. Who knew marriage would be such a binding nightmare? He gets to see the world, and I had Paris these past years with a great deal of freedom, and now I’ve never felt so powerless! Give up the salon....as if it’s so easy! Now all my studies, all my experiences, seem so utterly useless—why can’t I have both!? I wanted a life like Stein’s and now I’m getting the prison I’ve always dreaded.  There’s nowhere to run now, where would I even go? Back to Paris....but that’s not even practical—what good is practicality when it’s entrenched in misery?  In all its misery it’ll always be beautiful in some way. One must always find beauty—Many have been forced to go against their dreams. Maybe I can go back one day; the present is just a filler, and by the time we think ahead it’s already dissipated. I’ll never know if this is the right choice.

~TM~

I’ll be adding and updating more passages as the editing process goes on. Stay tuned!