Lilac Girls

Chapter 7 begins in the December of 1939 and finds Caroline and Paul ice-skating in Central Park. They come across David Stockwell, Caroline’s former beau, and his wife, Sally. David and Paul meet, the former man getting possessive and jealous, while Paul pretends that him and Caroline are dating. It is revealed that David was Caroline’s first leading man in the theater, and he had strung her along for 10 years before marrying someone else. After parting ways, Paul and Caroline return to the Waldorf. Paul and Caroline are alone in her apartment as the snow in Connecticut prevented her mother from leaving their farm. Paul and Caroline begin discussing Rena and his marriage. Paul reveals that both of them have other lovers. Caroline and Paul also talk about her father and his sudden attack of pneumonia. Caroline’s father died in the spring of 1914 when she was 11. After their conversation about their pasts, Caroline gives Paul one of her father’s old scarves as a gift. They begin kissing and they both decide to sleep together. Before they do so, however, someone knocks at the door.