Frostbitten Fairy Tales

by Melanie Karsak

  Before I knew it, I had reached the Ice House Theatre once more.

  “Elyse,” Lizzie called the moment I stepped into the tent. She ran to the front of the tent and grabbed me by my arms. “Elyse, it’s settled. I’m accepted at Saddler’s Wells. I begin with their company next week. Can you believe it?”

  Shaken from my thoughts, I smiled at the girl. I could hardly be jealous of her good fortune. A whole new future had just opened before me as well. “What wonderful news,” I said then pulled her into a hug. “How did Marve take the news?”

  “Well, he was sad but also pleased for me. I think he fancies it is his job to nurture talent. And I think he is right. Oh, Elyse, surely you will be next. Are you playing Persephone this morning? When I came in, the ice was getting quite crowded. It was a bit warmer today so more people will be out.”

  “I am, but…” I said, unable to bite back the but before it slipped my lips.

  “But?”

  “May I borrow your ballet slippers? Titania’s are too weak for Columbine, and I think mice got into mine.”

  “Mice?”

  “Yes. Unfortunately, they got chewed, and I didn’t have time to repair them properly last night.”

  Lizzie’s eyes narrowed. “That’s peculiar…about the mice.”

  “Foul rodents lurk everywhere,” I said, looking toward Marion’s section.

  Lizzie’s face hardened. “Indeed they are. Were those the slippers your grandmother gave you?”

  “Sadly, yes,” I said, then gave a cursory glance Marion’s way. I could see her shadow against her partition. “They really were my most precious possession.”

  “Of course you can borrow mine. I’m so sorry, Elyse. If it is any comfort, rodents seem to always get what’s coming to them.”

  “Thank you. I intend to throttle the creature to death if I ever get ahold of it. Such a heartless and vindictive little vermin.”

  At that, Marion’s silhouette paused. For a moment, I imagined her like a shadow play. I envisioned a knight creeping up behind her and lopping off her head. The image of it playing through my mind gave me such intense glee I smiled.

  “Let me get mine for you. I’ll bring them in a moment,” she said then rushed off.

  I went then to my own section and pulled the Persephone costume from my trunk. It, at least, was still intact. It was always a joy to play in the comedia dell’arte. The comedia of Hades and Persephone was perfect for the Frost Fair and had, in truth, been my idea. Had the position of theatre manager not been prohibited to women, I often thought I would be very deft at the craft. But Isabelle Hawking had also inspired me. As Lady Waldegrave, I might have to give up acting, but I could certainly start my own ballet academy. There could hardly be any shame in teaching dance to young ladies. I mean, I hardly knew if such things were acceptable in higher circles, but I guessed they might be. Surely John’s mother would guide me.

  I shimmied out of my clothes and into the Persephone costume. It felt nice to wear a proper ballet costume. I then worked on my hair, pulling it back into a tight bun. Columbine’s makeup was always very bright so I mellowed it some to give myself a more maidenly countenance. Given my pale cheeks, it only took a little makeup to do the job.

  “Elyse, five minutes,” Marve called from the front of the tent.

  “Here you go,” Lizzie said, appearing at the entrance of my section. She handed me her slippers.

  “Thank you,” I replied, smiling at her with gratitude.

  “You should tell Marve,” Lizzie whispered.

  I shook my head. I was angry at Marion, but pitied her all the same. Like the rest of us, she had always dreamed of acting on a grand stage. For her, it was too late. Actresses never advanced after a certain age. She was jealous, and what she had done was cruel, but still, I could not hate her. After all, when my grandmother had died, Marion had sat with me and held my hand while I wept. That unexpected kindness had lodged itself in my memory.

  Lizzie sighed. “You’re too sweet, Elyse,” she said with a soft smile then left.

  Maybe she was right.

  I finished off the last of the makeup, slipped my feet into my boots, then headed toward the stage, Lizzie’s slippers in hand. I was delighted for the girl and couldn’t wait to tell her my own news…the day after tomorrow.

  As I turned the corner to exit the tent, I nearly ran into Marion.

  “Elyse, I—” she began, but I pushed past her, saying nothing. Maybe I didn’t want to ruin her over what she had done, but that didn’t mean I forgave her. To destroy my slippers was a new low even for her.

  I headed backstage. Sitting on a trunk, I pulled off my boots and slipped on the slippers. Marve stood watching as the final props were set up.

  “Very good crowd, very good,” he said then turned toward me. “Ah, here is the Persephone I know,” he said with a smile, but then he paused. As I bent to tie up the laces on Lizzie’s slippers, I felt Marve’s eyes on me. “Elyse, did you get new slippers?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “These are Lizzie’s slippers.”

  “What happened to the slippers your grandmother gave you?”

  “Oh, just…a few stitches came loose, and I didn’t have time to repair them. I’ll work on them tonight and be ready for tomorrow morning. Marve, after the morning performance, may I have a word with you?”

  “What about? Don’t tell me you’re leaving me for another troupe too.”

  I shook my head. “No, only a pressing obligation I must attend to tomorrow night.”

  “Very well,” he said, “we can talk it over.” He began rocking back and forth on his feet, a move I recognized well. He did it when he was nervous.

  Hobbs, dressed as Harlequin, joined me backstage. “Ah, now, this will be a performance,” he said, smiling at me. “Well, dear Persephone, are you ready to be snatched into the underworld?”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Playing the serious story of the abduction of Persephone as a comedy took a little skill. Since neither Hobbs nor I had more than ten lines in the entire skit, it was all in the delivery of the scene that made the set. While the commedia was stunningly simple to the viewer, to the artist, the face must express everything. I was glad to be playing across from Hobbs, who was a master at the pantomime.

  A few moments later, Marve went out to welcome the audience, preparing the way for Hannah’s brief prologue. I peered out the crack in the wall. The crowd was even larger than the night before. The sun was shining brightly. It was still very cold, but under such sun, surely the ice would begin to melt. I shook my head. I was still too lost in my own world, my own mind. I was still Elyse, and inside my head, names rattled around in circles—Kai, John, Captain Behra, the Baron, Kai, Marion, Kai—around and around they went.

  I closed my eyes and squinted hard.

  Silence!

  Silence!

  I inhaled deeply. I was not Elyse. I was the maiden of the spring setting out to pick some flowers. My life was nothing but joy and light.

  And then Hades would come. First, he would woo with sweet words, and then he would woo with lies, and then he would try to ravish me, which I would cunningly avoid.

  But before that, I was a simple, innocent girl.

  The curtain lifted.

  The strings on the harp sounded.

  And on the tips of my toes, I pirouetted onto the stage.

  Chapter 19: The Mousetrap, Part 1

  Hobbs and I were taking the final curtain call when we heard angry voices backstage. Over their applause and whistles, the audience would not have been able to hear, but I could distinctly make out Lizzie’s, Marve’s, and Marion’s voices. Hobbs and I looked at one another out of the corner of our eyes, but our smiles never cracked. Hand in hand, we bowed once more and the curtain closed.

  Hannah came out on stage to advise the audience of a ten-minute intermission before the story of Glass Slipper Girl began.

  “What in the world?” Hobbs whi
spered to me as we both looked backstage. “Part of me is dying to know what the matter is. The other half of me is filled with dread.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better,” I agreed. Too curious to wait any longer, Hobbs and I headed back.

  Outside the tent, Marve was shouting at Marion, his hand full of some odd bits of straw and string. Lizzie was holding my ballet slipper. Marion had turned an odd, ashen shade. She was so pale that I wondered if she was ill.

  “What’s happening?” Hobbs asked.

  “Marion is leaving,” Marve said then turned to me. He held out his hand. In it, intermingled with straw, I saw pink strings and a bit of silk. “Lizzie told me about your ballet slippers. I found this amongst the straw in Marion’s section. It is very clearly from your slippers though Marion denies it.”

  “You cheap adder,” Hobbs spat at Marion.

  “There is no proof save a handful of string that could have fallen off any of our costumes,” Marion retorted, but there was no heat behind her words.

  Robert emerged from the tent and dropped a bag at Marion’s feet. “That’s all of it,” he told Marve.

  Marve nodded. “Leave. Now.”

  “Marve, I have been with this company for—”

  “And all that time, jealous of every actress who has come and gone. But this is a new low, even for you. Do not even ask for a recommendation. I don’t want to see or hear from you again.”

  Marion looked around at the assembled crowd, who was glowering at her. When her eyes rested on me, she sneered. “This is your fault,” she hissed.

  “My fault? Did I tell you to reward my kindness with ruining the single most important possession I own?”

  “You have no proof!”

  Marve threw the straw at her feet. “Leave. Now!”

  Marion glared at me. “You will pay for this,” she seethed then grabbed her bag and left.

  For a moment, we all stood there, none of us breathing.

  At the front of the theatre, a chime sounded. Five minutes until curtain.

  “Good lord, I’ve forgotten all about the play. Elyse, can you play the role of the faerie godmother again?” Marve said.

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  “Quickly then, get in costume. Let’s just put this behind us for the moment, and we’ll go for a pint afterward. We are professionals. Marion’s unprofessional behavior cannot touch my troupe. Let’s go out there and give them a great show,” Marve said.

  We all grinned at one another then dispersed.

  I stopped by Marion’s section and grabbed the faerie queen costume. As I exited the space, I looked down at the ground. There, just under the corner of a trunk, I spotted a scrap of pink ribbon. Part of me wondered if I had been paranoid, but the truth was evident enough. She had ruined my slippers. Well, it hardly mattered now. Marion was gone. The thought sent a wave of relief through my body.

  I washed Persephone’s makeup off then slipped on the silver faerie godmother costume. Digging through my trunk, I found an old silver wreath we’d used in a Christmas show. I didn’t have enough time to redo my hair, but with just a few pins, I was able to affix the wreath and give myself an entirely different look. I then grabbed my wand and headed back toward the stage.

  Marion was finally gone.

  Good.

  Justice had been served by those who loved me and were loyal to me. And they had also saved countless young actresses the burden of having to deal with her in the future. Despite the fact that Marion had, on occasion, treated me decently, it didn’t excuse her petty behavior. I was sorry that she was unhappy, but it was not my fault. Marion had not settled into the parts of the middle-aged women with grace. It was too hard for her to let go the illusion of her own youth. And we had paid the price. But no more.

  Rushing quickly, I found myself backstage once more.

  The play had already begun, but my part was still some time away. I took my spot against the wall. As I did up the final ties on my gown, I looked out at the audience.

  No John.

  No Kai.

  No baron. This was the first day he’d missed a performance. Perhaps the scolding from his wife had dulled his appetite for the theatre. That was a good thing. With their quarrel settled, the captain wouldn’t have reason to toy with Kai any longer.

  I frowned. Unless, of course, Kai wanted to be played with. No. He wasn’t like that. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see him become attached to Miss Hawking, but a lusty ship captain? No. That was too much.

  All I could do was hope was that John had already taken Kai home and that Kai was in his own bed in his little garret apartment nursing a headache and a healthy sense of shame.

  After all, Lady Justice was being very good to me today.

  If only she could work for me a little longer.

  Chapter 20: The Mousetrap, Part 2

  The performance of the Glass Slipper Girl seemed to fly by. When the show had ended, we all headed backstage to change.

  “Elyse? Are you still going to come with us to the crowning?” Lizzie called from the opposite side of the tent.

  “Crowning?”

  “The Frostiana event, for the Frost Fair Queen,” Amy answered.

  “Say yes!” Hannah added.

  “I thought we were going for a pint,” Hobbs called from the gentleman’s section.

  The girls laughed.

  “Stay out of this. We’ll go after,” Lizzie called. “Please, Elyse. Please come.”

  “Sure. I’ll come.” It had been an odd day. I started the morning in a fit of rage and fear, made a startling discovery about the baron, was now affianced and planning to elope, saw my nemesis fired, and now I was on my way to a Frost Fair Queen crowning.

  The girls cheered.

  “But we are going for a pint afterward,” Hobbs insisted.

  “Of course, of course,” Lizzie called to him in reply. I could hear the smile in her voice.

  A short while later, our troupe met at the front of the Ice House.

  “Gentlemen,” Marve said, turning to the men in our troupe, “the ladies will see about the Frost Fair Queen crowning, then they will join us at the City of Moscow for drinks. Lizzie was kind enough to permit us to go on ahead without them.”

  “Oh, Marve,” she said, playfully squeezing his arm. “It’s almost as if you don’t want one of us to win a case of tripe.”

  Marve laughed.

  At that, the gentlemen headed in one direction while the ladies headed in the other.

  “Elyse,” Lizzie said then, taking my arm. “Please forgive me for telling Marve about your slippers. I was so angry I couldn’t control my tongue. Sweet and forgiving as you are, I knew you would never say anything. I had to bring the matter to Marve’s attention. Marion, the witch, needed her due.”

  “Marion deserved what she got,” Agnes said with stern authority. “I have been acting for thirty years, and I have never seen a less gracious performer in all my life. Add to that, she was not very good.”

  Everyone laughed.

  I patted Lizzie’s hand. “Don’t apologize. I should thank you.”

  She smiled warmly at me.

  “I do worry for Marve, though,” Amy said. “If we are all hired off, he’ll have no company left.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Agnes said. “He’ll always have a crone in the troupe. But this morning, all eyes were on Elyse. Was there a letter for you after this morning’s show?” she asked.

  In all of the excitement, I hadn’t even thought of it. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “No worries, my girl. Soon enough,” Agnes said with authority.

  “I don’t know. Lately, I’ve been thinking of something new, something different, like a ballet academy for girls.”

  “An academy?” Lizzie asked excitedly. “That would be amazing.”

  “It would be a proper place for young women to study the craft, like the schools they have in Paris,” I said.

  Agnes nodded. “That is something
much needed.”

  “Such a charming idea,” Lizzie said. “And a very respectable trade,” she added with a knowing wink. “Suitable for a lady,” she whispered in my ear.

  “Do you think so?” I asked her, my voice low.

  “Absolutely.”

  I hoped she was right. And I also very much hoped to win over John’s mother. I would be in desperate need of guidance once John and I were married. I knew that our marriage was not that desirable, but, perhaps, when they got to know me, when they learned of my character, John’s family would change any pre-conceived notions they might have of actresses and see that I was a very sensible and moral young lady. Or so I hoped.

  We turned off Freezeland Lane toward a section of the fair I had not yet visited. Here, someone had carved the massive sheets of ice jutting sideways out of the Thames into a frozen wonderland. Mermaids, water sprites, and seahorses had been carved as if they were arrested in motion, leaping from the magical kingdom below the ice. A strange ship with elaborate carvings sat trapped in the ice behind the display. In front of the ship where the ice had jammed, the artisans had chiseled a massive palace out of ice. Pillars carved into arching designs and faux stone walls surrounded two high thrones made of ice.

  “It’s nearly noon,” Lizzie said. “Let’s push through.”

  “I’ll be fine right here,” Agnes said, pausing to rest against a wine barrel.

  Lizzie, Hannah, Amy, and I headed toward the front of the crowd. There, the tavern girls and shopkeeps, presumably the other contestants, waited for instruction. Their hair pulled back in neat coifs, lips stained red, looking as pretty as they could, they were ready for the competition.

  “Maidens, maidens, gather around. Ladies, come this way,” a merry lad in a bright blue coat said, motioning for the women to come forward. I noticed a familiar soft lilt in his voice, and his long yellow hair waved in the wind.

  “Is that…” Lizzie asked, turning to me.

  I looked the man over then shook my head. It was not the baron, though he looked very much like him.

  Nearby, musicians played unusual stringed instruments. They rang silver bells, causing a sweet tune to carry across the ice. Someone had hung a garland of colorful cloths between the arches of ice.