You are cordially invited to a Valentine’s Day Party
February 14, 1913
Eight o’clock in the evening
At the beach home of Jeb and Shelby McAlister
In St. Augustine, Florida
Priscilla squealed with excitement as she danced in circles,
delighted to receive the coveted Valentine’s Day party invitation
hosted by her friends, twins Jeb and Shelby. Priscilla, along with
everyone else fortunate enough to attend, looked forward to this
annual party of the season. The tradition started several years
ago when Jeb and Shelby’s parents wanted society to mingle
with their teenage children on Valentine’s Day in hopes of
finding good matches for their twins among the children of their
wealthy friends.
Everyone anticipated an engagement between Priscilla and
Jeb. In fact Priscilla let Jeb kiss her on the beach at last year’s
Valentine’s Day party. Although she’d hoped for a proposal last
year, she understood the delay since he and his twin sister,
along with their parents, departed for Europe a few days after
last year’s party.
Priscilla worried why he never wrote to her during this last year.
She feared Jeb’s parents would try to marry him off to a lady of
nobility during their Grand Tour. She read the social pages every
day and felt thankful to hear no news of him. Her heart would
break if she learned Jeb got engaged to another woman.
It didn’t surprise her to not see him since last year. The
McAlisters lived in Philadelphia, while Priscilla and her family
lived in New York. But like most wealthy families, they spent
their winters in Florida. They took the Florida East Coast railroad
to St. Augustine, Florida and stayed in the luxurious Ponce De
Leon Hotel. Since the beaches in Florida were so beautiful,
many wealthy families built their winter homes here, including
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