Elly, Episode 7

That summer, Elly and Tommy gradually learned to give each other a lot of space.  Tommy was able to be far more objective about their relationship than was Elly; Elly grew gradually more bitter about it all, and kept her feelings more to herself.
Helen, meanwhile, was also getting bitter, and her relationship with Maryssa was a combination of great tenderness at some times, awkwardness at other times, and on Maryssa’s part, puzzlement and frustration.  Eventually Maryssa got to the point of wanting to spend quite a lot of time over at Newberry, with the Nordstroms, and both Elly and Tommy welcomed this, smiling indulgently.  Then one night, Maryssa decided to spend the night at Newberry.  It was a sad day for Diane Brooks, though she managed to disguise her sorrow.  In one sense, her child was experiencing a degree of emotional fulfillment that she had completely given up hope for.  On the other hand, Diane realized just how much she depended on her eldest-born for emotional support.
Over the Summer, as Helen and Maryssa settled into something like equilibrium, and Diane Brooks’s fears of losing Maryssa dulled considerably, Maryssa got a bad case of the flu, and had to be taken home.  It took a long time for Maryssa to get well.

Tommy’s sexual escapades with Philadelphia girls and boys began to really upset Elly, and one night it came to a head.
Elly had confessed to an affair with the son of the family who owned the restaurant at which she worked.  Finally, after much discussion, Elly decided to quit the job.  Helen refused to interfere with the negotiation, on the grounds that it would be an unfair advantage, and undue pressure on the employers.  They had quizzed Elly relentlessly, learned all the details of the affair, and then declared that their son was incapable of such bad behavior.  Elly had left in tears, glad that Helen had waited for her in the car, and somewhat resentful that she had stayed out of it.  For several days Elly spent a lot of time with Helen, and their bond grew impossibly close.  One night it exploded into such intimacy that it left both of them shaken, but they managed to disengage in time.  When things were bad, they had learned, there was the greatest danger that they would lose control of their feelings.  But the incident only gave Elly’s love for Helen some extra texture, without causing complicated feelings of guilt and confusion that had attached themselves to Helen and Tommy’s little encounter.
Maryssa moved back semi-permanently.  When Helen and she made one of their frequent visits to Primrose, Diane would corner Helen, and show her all sorts of things she had put away for years: family treasures, photographs, pieces of artwork and furniture, books.  She exhorted Helen to look after them when she was gone, and in short acted as if she was about to leave them.
Then, later that Summer, Diane passed away.  She was just in her eighties, and not by any means a feeble woman.  But their recent trials, and Helen’s setbacks had all taken their toll of Diane, and had possibly hastened the end.
Maryssa and Matt gravely placed themselves under Helen’s care.  The siblings humbly acknowledged that, with the little experience of the outside world that they had gathered they could certainly survive for years, just on Diane’s savings.  But allying their fortunes with those of Helen –to whatever extent Helen was willing—would increase their chances of survival immensely.
The Newberry operation was closed down, and everybody moved into Primrose, which was a simply enormous house, with lots of room for all of them.  Peggy and Bridget, Maryssa’s maids and companions from childhood, heartily approved of Helen and her family.  Peggy had adored Helen from when she had first set eyes on her, and now she could fuss over Helen as much as she wanted to.

As it happened, Helen received a call from Conchita, her publicist and manager, and because of some careless words, Helen lost her temper, announced her complete retirement from any sort of musical performance, and invited Conchita to resign.  Maryssa, Elly, and the whole family were completely stunned.  Tommy had already gone back to her mother, Old Elly (in contradistinction to Elly, who had now moved in with Helen), and it was a long time until everyone was absolutely sure that Helen had meant what she had said.  Betsy, Helen’s personal secretary, resigned.  She had already taken a part-time job.
Unable to bear the misery in the Brooks home, Elly went home to her mother Janet, which made Janet very happy.  She left behind her a thoroughly demoralized household.  Meanwhile, Amy and David had taken all the children for the Summer, including James and Allie, and to Helen’s momentary fury, Gena, and Krissy, too.  Helen set herself to repair the Brooks house, which took a little over a month, and by the end of July, Helen had become resigned to a new order of things: her only income was from the Galaxy Show, the children would prefer to stay with Amy than with her, and Diane Brooks was dead.
But the house was in better repair than it had been in a decade; she had lost a lot of weight, Matt had taken a steady job at a clothing store.  Maryssa was more in love with Helen than ever, and Peggy and Bridget had adjusted to their limited income, and were perfectly happy to manage with simple food from the supermarket rather than expensive produce from specialist vendors.

[K]