During this time, Frederick also started a brief romance with Charlotte’s landlady. Back in the United States, Elinor gave no indication to anyone close to her that she and Frederick were in an open relationship. The plan, as far as she was concerned, involved doing everything possible to get her unofficial fiancé back on American soil. There were no discussions of dating other people, nor would such an arrangement work for Elinor given her compromised state. The fact was that Frederick was showing early signs of being a womanizer. He was capable of being romantically involved with two women simultaneously, a character trait he inherited from his father.24 He also was twenty-one years old, with an uncertain future. He wanted nothing more than to marry Elinor—that decision was never in question—but how he would manage to move to America, build a life with her, and provide for their baby wasn’t clear at all. The two lovers exchanged letters, with one written from Frederick to Elinor that she later glued into one of her scrapbooks. Worn with age, ink-smudged, and collaged with stamps and a large photo of Frederick, the readable parts reveal his devotion: “I need you terribly,” “You are a part of me,” “I can’t let you wait so long,” and “I love you.”

Although Frederick did not remain faithful to Elinor during their separation, he loved her and remained committed to the idea of finding a way to get to the United States to be with her. Charlotte recalled that Frederick carried on with the landlady for months. And there wouldn’t have been much Elinor could have done if she suspected the relationship. The option of raising a child on her own wasn’t feasible considering how sick her mother had become. She really had nowhere to go; her future was riding on Frederick’s return.

Frederick learned about his son’s birth through a Western Union telegram: “EIGHT POUND SON BORN DECEMBER EIGHTEENTH MOTHER CHILD WELL. GLADYS POWELL.” The very next day, Frederick telegraphed back, “BEST WISHES TO MOTHER AND CHILD LOVE FRIKA ALBERT.” Although tersely worded, the telegrams were cherished mementos saved by both Elinor and Frederick and were later displayed proudly in one of Elinor’s many scrapbooks.