Dancing On Air (18 page)

‘Yes Vincent, I understand.’

‘Excellent. In that case I shall have our guests shown into the drawing room. You have five minutes to repair your appearance,’ he said as he stalked back to the door. ‘Five minutes, Bessie, and not a moment more.’

‘You will not be there?’

‘No, I think you should see your friends in private. This whole situation is a little problematic. Miss Devoré should never have come to a single gentleman’s residence with only another girl as a chaperone. God only knows what her aunt will say.’

Bessie sat ramrod straight on the silk chaise longue. Lisette knew instantly that something was amiss. The Bessie she knew was talkative and self absorbed. This Bessie was nearly silent and looked as if she was about to shatter.

‘You had us all so worried, Bessie. No one knew where you had gone.’

‘Are you all right, Bessie?’ Sally asked. ‘You just disappeared, and we were all beginning to think that you were dead.’

‘Please forgive me, I was...was...’ As Bessie’s words failed there was a flash of fear in her eyes. The fear was only there for a second but Lisette saw it and reached over to take her hand.

‘What Bessie is trying to say is that we were so wrapped up in each other’s company we forgot to say anything. You have my deepest apologies, Lisette. In hindsight it was unforgiveable,’ Vincent said as he burst into the room and took Bessie’s hand in his before Lisette could.

Lisette studied the unlikely pair. Both Vincent and Bessie were staring at each other. There was tension in the air; so much so Lisette thought she could almost touch it. Something had happened but she was unsure of what.

‘I’m sorry that Sally and I have disturbed you.’

Bessie’s head snapped back around to Lisette. ‘No apology is necessary. It was good and terribly thoughtful of you both to come. But as you can see, I am deliriously happy and content.’

Vincent straightened but did not let Bessie’s hand go. ‘Thank you for coming but I have a little business to attend to. And no doubt, you must prepare for tonight’s performance.’

Lisette stood up and Sally followed suit. ‘Again, please forgive our intrusion.’

‘Not at all, Lisette. Your action shows a kind and brave heart, which is of course commendable,’ Vincent said.

Instantly the door opened and Vincent’s butler materialized. Lisette wondered if the man had been lurking outside listening to the conversation.

‘Ah, would you please show the ladies out,’ Vincent said. ‘Thank you both for coming and I hope you will have a great performance this evening. Lisette, please give my regards to your aunt. No doubt I will see her very soon.’

Both Lisette and Sally bobbed into a curtsy. There was little she could do as they had both been thoroughly dismissed. ‘My lord, Bessie… I bid you good day,’ Lisette said.

Lisette found herself ushered quickly out of the house and before she had time to spin around the door was firmly closed.

‘Well, that’s that,’ Sally said as she walked down the steps.

‘Yes, I suppose it is. But don’t you think something was wrong?’ Lisette asked quietly as she followed after her friend. ‘I mean she didn’t seem like Bessie.’

‘Lisette, she’s not dead and she said she wanted to be there. If she wants to be Lord de Vale’s mistress, it’s her concern.’

‘Yes... I just thought that she looked pale and a little scared.’

‘I think you have been reading too many novels. My Da always said that no good can come of girls reading such stuff,’ Sally said with a grin. ‘Now come on, we have to get back to the theatre.’

Lisette fell into step with Sally as they hurried down the road. And Lisette tried to quell the urge to run back and ask Bessie just once more if she was all right.

Vincent peered out the window and watched Lisette and Sally walk down the street. A hint of a smile touched Vincent’s lips as Lisette turned around and looked back. She did have her mother’s heart. Just like Mélisande, she was kind, good and probably just as naive. Mélisande always looked for the good in others; she had even tried to find it in him. Her picture began to shimmer in his mind but he closed his eyes and banished her. He took a breath and opened the curtain wider. Lisette had almost disappeared from view. He waited until she had and then he began to pace around the edge of the drawing room, like a panther readying itself for attack. Lisette was gone and now he had another task to deal with.

Bessie was still seated on the chaise, back straight and staring straight ahead. Deliberately he crossed her plane of vision as he opened a large armoire on the opposite side of the room. He withdrew a very thin cane that was about twenty inches in length. Slowly, he closed the door before turning his attention to the quivering Bessie.

‘I did not want to punish you. However your action has left me no other course,’ he said as he opened his hand and revealed a small scrap of paper. The words ‘help me’ were in Bessie’s handwriting. ‘Did you really think that you could outsmart me? Did you actually think that I would allow you to try and pass this note to Lisette? I will not permit you to pull Lisette into our affair. She is an innocent and as such would not understand the passions and desires that consume us.’

He walked across the room and turned the key in the lock before slipping it into his pocket. ‘Lisette is an innocent, pure and untouched. I will not allow you to sully her with your filth.’

‘Please Vincent, I’m sorry... I will never do it again. Please forgive me,’ she said through tear-stained eyes.

Vincent crushed the note in his fist before he let it flutter to the ground. Then, bending the cane between his hands, he stood directly in front of Bessie.

‘You’re right my dear, you will never betray me again!’

‘Ah Lisette, there you are!’ Marie Devoré said with an impatient huff. ‘I was beginning to think you had disappeared into the ether.’

‘No, Aunt Marie. Sally and I... We...’

‘We went shopping,’ Sally interrupted. ‘Would you like to see what we bought?’

‘Not in the least, Sally. Now, come with me. I have something to show you.’ Marie swept down the corridor to the sound of her walking stick hitting rhythmically against the floor.

Lisette hurried after her aunt with Sally in tow. Madame Devoré wound through the theatre until she stopped by Florentia’s dressing room, which was behind the stage itself. Lisette and Sally glanced at each other.

‘Why on earth does she want us here?’ Lisette whispered.

Marie opened the door and Tinder Michaels stepped out from inside.

‘Madame Devoré, I see that you have found your niece. Good afternoon, Lisette... Sally.’

‘Tinder, is everything well? I’m afraid I don’t understand why we are at Florentia’s dressing room,’ Lisette said with a frown.

‘We are here to present you something.’ Tinder cleared his throat before he continued. ‘Lisette, you are The Imperial’s principal female dancer. You are our prima ballerina. Therefore it is only fitting that you should have the number one dressing room,’ he said as he stepped away from the doorway and gestured her to come in.

‘Oh, I...I mean… Thank you very much but I cannot take Florentia’s dressing room. I mean...it has always been hers. What will she think when she comes back?’

‘She will not be back,’ Marie said. ‘At least, not in the role of principal dancer. Florentia has broken her ankle, she cannot dance and I doubt she ever will.’

‘But how can you be so certain? Florentia only fell last night. Is it not too soon to replace her?’

‘
Merde
, she is already replaced. You did that as soon as you stepped out on stage last night. You captured the audience and held them and showed them all how that part should be danced. Enough of your petty sentimentality. You are the ballerina of this theatre, now act as such,’ Marie snapped as she half pushed Lisette through the door and into the dressing room.

Looking around, Lisette saw that every article or memento that was Florentia’s had been stripped from the room. The dark furnishings were gone and replaced with pale pinks, greens, and lavenders. An ornate gilded screen that had a pinkish red toile encased within its rose-carved frame sat in the corner. The toile depicted a flowery rural scene that was filled with romantic couples. For a moment Lisette’s breath snagged in her chest as the material — for some reason that she could not fathom — reminded her of her mother. On the dressing table sat a tall crystal vase filled with soft pastel roses.

‘Welcome Lisette, I hope that you like it,’ Tinder said.

‘Thank you... It’s beautiful. I don’t know what to say.’

‘There is nothing to say. You deserve this and I want to make sure that the star of the Imperial is happy,’ he said with a bright smile. His hand briefly rested on her arm. ‘Well, I should go and let you explore your new surroundings. “Give you time to settle in” as they say.’

‘Thank you, Tinder — it is very beautiful.’

With a nod he disappeared through the door.

‘So, what do you think?’ Marie asked as she sat down on the chaise. ‘Is it not beautiful? Is it not everything you ever dreamed of?’

‘Yes, Aunt Marie. It is lovely...’ Her words hung in the air as if she had not or could not finish her train of thought.

‘But! But you are worried about what Florentia will think.’ Marie’s hands gestured in the air with impatience.

‘But won’t she see this as a blow? I mean she had just had her accident, discovered she has broken her ankle and then thrown out of her own dressing room. What if it’s all too much for Florentia to bear?’

‘If you think Florentia is that fragile, then you truly don’t know her at all. Her things were all packed carefully and delivered personally by Tinder. He also took her wages, and an enormous bouquet of flowers and the assurances that The Imperial will always be there for her. What she does next is all up to her.’

‘Oh I see.’

‘Yes, it appears that Mr Michaels is almost as soft hearted as you. We can only pray he has more brains.’

‘Yes, Aunt.’

Marie stood up and then, limping slightly, walked to the door. ‘It has taken you years to get to this point. This is what all the hard work and endless hours of practice has been about. You are the principal dancer, Lisette. I wish you would try and act like it.’