The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice De Janze and the Mysterious Death of Lord Erroll Read Online Free Page A

her wrists as a young girl at school. The attempt may have been simply a cry for help, inspired by the hope that her father would come to her rescue. There is no doubt that Alice was lonely and missing William during this period of her life, but it is also likely that she was already suffering from cyclothymia, a strain of bipolar disorder, or manic depression, which would afflict her for the rest of her life. It is extremely common for sufferers of this disease to first experience its symptoms during adolescence, at which point stress or trauma can easily trigger its alternating periods of lows and highs. Although Alice’s attempt to kill herself failed, it had an immediate impact on her life. Shortly afterward, she was taken out of the school and went to live with Aunt Tattie in Chicago.
    Alice was now seventeen years old, extremely pretty, and advanced for her years. At Aunt Tattie’s, she quickly made a new friend, her cousin, the debutante Lolita Armour. Two years older than Alice and already a minor celebrity in Chicago, a young woman whose every appearance was reported in the newspaper gossip columns, Lolita was immediately attracted to her troubled but highly attractive younger cousin. Lolita’s mother, Mrs. J. Ogden Armour, was a patron of music and the arts and spent the war years raising money and helping to boost the morale of the troops. Alice was enlisted to help with the war effort by selling programs at charity events, knitting hats and scarves for the soldiers, and serving tea and coffee at church functions. Lolita also began introducing Alice to Chicago’s debutante circles, filling her in on all the latest gossip and goings-on among the most fashionable families in the city. Despite Alice’s recent difficulties, she found she socialized easily and, thanks to her good looks, was an appealing new presence on the Chicago scene. She was given her own “coming out” ball, after which she was quickly invited to all the good parties and social occasions, attracting the attentions of many of the city’s well-to-do young men in the process. Alice was now a full-fledged member of the Chicago elite. She served as bridesmaid at many of the Armour and Chapin family weddings during this time and appears in formal photographs, an especially attractive girl with a pout. She soon began to outshine all the other debutantes, even her cousin Lolita.
    A newspaper illustration from her debutante years shows Alice’s early beauty to great effect. In the picture, her distinctive wide-set almond-shaped eyes are enhanced with mascara, kohl, and shadow. Her lips—painted and defined—form a perfect bow. Her hair is bobbed and waved, worn to one side, giving her the look of a silent film star, a Clara Bow or a Louise Brooks. Even at such a young age, her gaze in the illustration is assured rather than demure (if perhaps a little sullen). Now in her late teens, Alice had already learned to use her eyes in a highly seductive way, and she had no trouble getting the young men of Chicago to notice her: She would bow her head and look up, without diverting her gaze from the object of her attentions, allowing her suitor to talk, and continuing to look at him while inclining her head from side to side, giving herself an air of wonderment. This technique was highly effective and became a trademark with Alice. She was also nearsighted, but she rarely wore glasses, which gave her gray eyes an especially dreamy expression. Another distinctive feature was her voice, which, by late adolescence, was already lowering in tone. She had a ready and captivating laugh, and threw her head back as she did so. The only aspect of her physical appearance with which she struggled was her hair; it was thick, curly, and hard to control. She changed her hairstyle numerous times during her youth and adulthood, sometimes parting it down the middle, other times braiding it into buns on either side of her head. With the help of a maid or hairdresser she