Frostbitten Fairy Tales

by Melanie Karsak

  I nodded. “There was some…conversation,” I said, unsure how much squabbling amongst actors he’d want to hear, “and we decided that Marion would take the role for today.”

  “Conversation? I take that to mean argument.”

  “Marion was upset.”

  “So she stole your role.”

  “For a day.”

  John looked thoughtful. “You’re too kind, Elyse.”

  I didn’t reply. I might have given Marion the role, but I hadn’t wanted to and was completely vexed about the whole thing. That didn’t feel very kind to me.

  “Look,” John said then, pointing to a path that led through an arbor of roses. The red blossoms perfumed the air around us. From somewhere inside the herbarium, a bird chirped happily.

  “It sounds like someone has found somewhere warm to shelter this winter,” I said, listening to the sweet song.

  We passed under the arbor of roses and entered a rose garden. At the center of the space was a tall fountain. Around it sat four benches, and on every side, roses blossomed in a variety of hues. Blossoms in yellow, pale pink, fiery red, and even a soft white with a pale pink hue, grew all around.

  “Amazing how one can fool Mother Nature,” I said, stopping to smell one of the yellow roses.

  John leaned in beside me to smell one of the blossoms. When he pulled back, he set a quick kiss on my cheek.

  Taking my hand, he led me to a bench. With his free hand, he unbuttoned his coat. “What do you think?” he asked, stroking his finger across my knuckles.

  “I love it,” I said wistfully. If this place truly belonged to the crown, then I was enjoying the garden of a king. Such a thing was…unthinkable.

  “Are you fond of flowers?”

  I smiled. “Aren’t all women?”

  He laughed. “You’re right. I just…I hoped you would enjoy this place.”

  Oh no. I bit my lip. Stupid, Elyse. “John, it’s remarkable. I only meant to say that all women—”

  He chuckled then set his finger on my lips, silencing me. “My dear, no apology is needed. I understood your jest. I just hope you are happy. I’m quite fond of gardens, of flowers. I hate winter.”

  I smiled. “My grandmother grew a beautiful flower box outside the window of our flat. She and Missus Murray, Doctor Murray’s grandmother, worked the whole spring and summer to grow the most beautiful flowers. My grandmother nursed roses around the window of my garret. I remember their fragrance, and their thorns, very well.”

  “Your grandmother. The ballerina?”

  I nodded.

  “Your parents?”

  “They…they died when I was very young. I was raised by my grandmother.”

  “How long have you been on your own?”

  “Three years. My grandmother passed away, and then Doctor Murray’s grandmother passed a month after. Doctor Murray and I helped one another after that.”

  “But you and Doctor Murray are not related.”

  I chuckled. “Oh, no. We are friends. More like family. We support one another.”

  John nodded, a slight squint creeping across his face. Was he worried I had a romantic attachment to Kai? Perhaps he thought our friendship was beyond propriety? I chewed my lip again. What would someone like him think of a low-born girl like me and her friendship and, really, dependency on a man to whom she was not related?

  “It is good of Doctor Murray to watch over you. As young and as beautiful as you are and without family…” he said, his words faltering at the end as if he wanted to say more but did not. “Shall we go around more? I understand there is some exquisite statuary.”

  I nodded.

  Linking his arm in mine, we toured the place, pausing, it seemed, to smell every flower. It was such a heavenly escape, and the time passed very quickly.

  John took out his pocket watch. “I’m sorry. We have to go now.”

  We walked back to the door of the herbarium, stopping to button up once more.

  “The warmth was wonderful, but we’ll feel ten times colder once we go outside now,” John said.

  “Well, we’ll carry that sunshine in our hearts, like a little ember to keep us warm until spring.”

  John paused and gently pulled me toward him. “Ember? No. Since the moment I laid eyes on you, a torrent has swept through my heart. The mere thought of you provokes an inferno,” he said then leaned toward me.

  I returned his kiss, letting the passion I’d been holding inside me loose. I fell into the softness of his mouth, felt the heat emanating from his body, and pulled him close to me. The feel of my breasts pressed against him, the curves of my hips pressed toward him…it was terrible to bear. Longing made me ache.

  “But infernos devour you,” I said between kisses, my heart beating hard.

  He kissed my face, then his lips moved lower, and he drizzled kisses down my neck.

  A soft groan escaped my lips. “John…John, I—”

  He covered my mouth with his once more. Between kisses, he asked, “Will you meet with me…will you…will you come to me?”

  I understood his question. He wanted me, and I could not deny that I wanted him as well. “Yes,” I whispered.

  “Shall I come to you tonight?” he asked.

  “No,” I said, suddenly feeling alarmed. The thought of Kai seeing John in my garret apartment filled me with intense shame. All at once, I realized I’d made a mistake. “I…I’m sorry. I spoke hastily. I cannot,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

  John, who’d gone back to kissing my neck, stopped. He exhaled deeply then set his forehead against my shoulder. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I…I cannot afford the scandal if we are discovered, and I was wrong to push. You know my intentions toward you are honorable. It…it can wait a bit more.”

  “Barely,” I said with a soft smile, stroking his hair.

  “Indeed,” he said with a laugh. “Barely.”

  He took my hand and kissed it. “Best put on your gloves.”

  I nodded and pulled them from my pocket while John pulled on his hat and gloves. Holding the door open for me, we headed through the second set of doors then outside. There, the old gardener waited. His eyes were focused down the lane.

  We turned to see another carriage pulling up behind ours.

  I looked at John who squinted at the newcomers, an irritated expression on his face.

  “Come on,” he said. Taking my hand, he led me toward the carriage.

  Behind us, the new arrivals laughed merrily as they got out of their carriage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a well-dressed man and woman approach. The man, who had a slight limp, walked with a cane. His voice, a sultry baritone, sounded familiar.

  John got into the carriage beside me and took up the reins. Was he trying to leave quickly?

  The man and woman stopped beside our carriage.

  “Good afternoon,” the woman called, giggling merrily.

  Frowning, John lowered the reins.

  I turned and found myself staring into the face of a tall, slender woman in an expensive-looking coat. Straw-colored curls stuck out from under her bonnet. She smiled at me, a wide toothy grin. Her round stomach gave away that she was with child. Beside her stood Lord Byron.

  “Good afternoon,” I said politely, quickly turning my attention away from the poet. I hoped he would not remember me.

  “I see we aren’t the only ones looking for a little warmth today,” Byron said, a smirk in his voice. “Lord Byron, and this is my sister, Augusta Leigh. How do you do?” Byron said, tipping his hat politely.

  I turned to John.

  “Lord Waldegrave, and this is Miss McKenna,” he said as he fussed with the reins.

  “Miss McKenna,” Byron said, considering. “Ah, Miss Elyse McKenna. Of course. How could I forget such a beauty? I simply struggled to place you. You are an actress at the Struthers Theatre, no?”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  “Isn’t she lovely?” Byron asked his sister wh
o continued to give me her toothy grin. “I saw her enact Ophelia. Not just a beauty, but she is also an artist. I had tears in my eyes when you drowned, Miss McKenna,” he said with a smile. Lord Byron seemed to have forgotten that he’d also met me on the street after that show and tried to persuade me to come with him for a drink.

  “I thank you for your mourning,” I said with a wry grin.

  Byron smiled at that. “Oh, indeed. Your beauty has given me much to mourn,” he said then winked at me. No. He had not forgotten. “And did you say…Lord Waldegrave?” Byron asked, looking past me to John.

  John nodded. “Indeed.”

  Byron seemed to study his face closely. He lifted one eyebrow then smirked. “Indeed.”

  “I’m afraid Miss McKenna has a performance so we must be on our way. Do enjoy the roses,” John said, gripping the reins once more. “Lord Byron. Miss Leigh.”

  Byron nodded to me then turned with his sister to speak to the gardener.

  We rode away from the herbarium down the long, snowy drive. The sun shone softly, casting a glimmer on the snow and ice making it shine with incandescent hues.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” I said, motioning to the snow.

  John nodded, but he had a distracted look on his face.

  Did Byron know his family? Was he worried that Byron would talk behind him? Surely not. The infamous Lord Byron, whom Lady Caroline Lamb had called mad, bad, and dangerous to know, was hardly one to spread rumors when his own behavior was so ill-reputed.

  “John?” I said, setting my hand on his knee. “Is anything the matter?”

  “Not at all,” he said, exhaling deeply. “Lord Bryon is just…well, it’s no matter.”

  I laughed. “Oh my dear, don’t worry. Lord Byron is such a rogue. Did you know he asked me to join him for a drink once? As if I were that type of lady. Don’t worry about him. I am very certain he won’t gossip about you. Men like that know how to keep quiet,” I said, guessing at his concern.

  “I’m counting on it,” John replied, then snapped the reins once more.

  Chapter 12: The Bait

  It was late afternoon when we returned to the Ice House Theatre. The crowd at the Frost Fair seemed even larger. That night, we were going to have a packed show. I just hoped the Thames could hold everyone in one place. I suddenly envisioned the river giving way underneath us and the lot of us going down. It was an image that made me laugh and sent a shiver down my spine.

  “Will you be by for the performance tonight?” I asked John as he lowered me from the carriage.

  “I’m afraid I have to go into the city to check on my father. I may not be able to make it, but I’ll see you as soon as I can,” he said earnestly, brushing a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise,” he replied, squeezing my hand.

  I looked deeply into his eyes. “Thank you for today, for sharing summer in winter with me.”

  “Did you really like it?” he asked, a tremor of excitement—or nervousness—in his voice.

  I nodded.

  He smiled happily. “Then we’ll have to go again. But for now…” he said, looking back toward the carriage.

  “I’ll see you soon,” I said then stepped back.

  John got back into the carriage, and with a wave, he drove off.

  I headed back to the tent to get ready. My stomach growled hungrily, reminding me that I had not yet had dinner.

  I stopped by Lizzie’s changing area before I went to my section. “Lizzie, has Doctor Murray been by?” I asked.

  She cocked her head in thought. “No. I haven’t seen him.”

  I frowned. Certainly, he wasn’t still with the pretty captain, was he? The thought annoyed me. No, surely he wasn’t. Maybe he’d gone by to the Hawkings’ workshop to see the man who’d fallen into the river.

  I was turning to leave when Amy and Hannah ran into the tent, both of them breathless.

  “Elyse! Lizzie! Look, look,” Amy gushed, pushing a piece of paper at me.

  Lizzie stood up.

  Scanning the pamphlet, I read aloud.

  “By the proclamation of Lord Winter

  And the authority of Jack Frost

  We do hereby declare

  The Frost Fair shall crown a winter queen

  The most noted lady on the ice

  Fairest of this frozen land

  Shall be crowned Frostiana

  At noon tomorrow

  She shall take her throne in the castle of ice

  And lord over our kegs, cakes, and meats

  All eligible snow maidens should attend

  The Frost Fair Prince will choose his Queen

  She shall win our admiration and good will

  And a trove of the treasures from our frozen land.”

  “How delightful,” Amy shrieked happily. “We should all go. Surely, we are the most well-known maidens on the Thames.”

  “Us and the tarts at The Frozen Mushroom,” Hannah said with a wicked grin, referring to the brothel that had opened on the ice.

  “What are you on about now?” Marion asked, joining us.

  I looked up at her. It was very obvious she had heard us and her interest was piqued, but she was too sour to say so.

  I handed the pamphlet to her.

  After reading it over, she puffed her breath through her lips. “Silliness.”

  “Except that part about a trove of treasures,” Lizzie said. “What do you think the prize might be?”

  I shook my head.

  “Wait, who is the Frost Fair Prince?” Hannah asked.

  “Probably some fat lub who concocted this thing just to get silly girls to kiss him,” Marion said. She pushed the pamphlet to Lizzie then went back to her wardrobe.

  Amy rolled her eyes. “Shall we go?” she asked Lizzie, Hannah, and me.

  “I…I will go to Saddlers in the morning, but I should be back by then,” Lizzie said, apprehension in her voice. I could tell she was trying not to hurt us by reminding us of her good fortune.

  “Perfect,” I said with a smile. “With Lizzie’s luck this week, perhaps she can win us a case of frozen tripe.”

  Lizzie smiled at me.

  Amy laughed. “We’ll have a fish fry to celebrate our Frost Queen.”

  “And all the land rejoiced when chips were added,” I said.

  Everyone giggled.

  “Ladies, thirty minutes until curtain,” Marve called from the front of the tent.

  I gave Lizzie’s arm a squeeze and with a smile, headed back to my section. I sat down in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection. Again, my hair had been pulled into a mess from the wind.

  “Oh, Elyse. Did you dance with the mice all night?” I could hear my Granny say. It was the stock line she uttered every time she sat down to comb my wild tresses in the morning.

  Sadness swept over me. It was a fond memory and a bittersweet one all the same. With Granny gone, I had no other living relative. Well, except for Kai. But Kai was not, in truth, really my relation. One day I would have a family again, my own family.

  As my hair fell around my shoulders, I thought about John. The hunger between us had almost caused us to do something terribly rash. One lesson Granny had told me that wasn’t so sweet was that gentlemen might dream of bedding an actress, but none would wed her thereafter. I was right to deny John, but how did he feel about it? I hoped it had earned me respect and had not frustrated him too much.

  I picked up my brush and ran it through my hair. It was odd how John felt both so close to me and also very distant. The secrecy around our relationship created both allure and tension. I hated to think it, but I would be glad when John’s father had passed. If his mother held no reservations, as he said she did not, then there would be no barrier to marriage.

  Once more, I set about fixing my hair in the fashion of a winter Titania. Feathers, jewels, and silver flowers adorned my locks. Shivering with cold, I slipped out of my dress and into the blue, silver, and whit
e frock of Titania. Up close, I could see the rips in the cheaply made cloth. The audience, however, could detect none of these imperfections in the faerie queen’s wardrobe. I slid on the gossamer wings Marve had fashioned, lovely things made of thin paper. They shimmered beautifully under the lights at Struthers Theatre.

  “Hermia,” Marve called to the back. “Hippolyta.”

  I sat down once more to apply my makeup. Marion’s voice rose from the front of the tent. I could hear the conversation.

  “I want to change Persephone’s wardrobe for tomorrow morning,” I heard Marion tell Marve. “The dress is too limiting during the dances. It caused…complications.”

  Marve coughed. I could hear the discomfort in his voice. “No need. Elyse will have the role again tomorrow. You can go back to the faerie godmother.”

  There was silence for a moment then Marion said. “And that is your final decision?”

  “Yes.”

  There was no further reply. Marion, who knew very well she had mangled the part, would not argue. Her pride would not let her hear the words spoken aloud.

  “Hermia?” Marve called to Lizzie.

  “Coming,” she called.

  I finished up my makeup then opened my trunk to take out Titania’s silver slippers. I smiled at my pale pink ballet shoes sitting inside. I missed Granny terribly. What would she think of John and the situation I found myself in? What would she advise? It was then I realized that maybe it was fortunate I had not talked to Kai about my worries that morning. If he’d thought John was off gaming and drinking when he told me he’d be elsewhere, Kai would have tracked him down to demand answers. That would not have gone well at all.

  I slipped on Titania’s slippers then headed backstage just as the flutes announced the opening of act one.

  “Ah, here you are,” Marve said. “The crowd is very big tonight. There are many notables out there. Just do your very best, Elyse. Surely someone will notice you and refer you,” he said then paused, smiling at me in a fatherly way. “I remember when your grandmother first brought you around for an introduction. I think I’d miss you too much, Elyse. I have half a mind not to let you go on,” he said with a soft laugh.