Ice and Embers (Regency Redezvous Book 10)

by Melanie Karsak

  “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 who 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 Twelve

  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 mo
ther held no reserves, 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 white 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.

  I smiled. “How could I ever leave you? Why don’t you amend Puck’s epilogue and invite them to visit us at Struthers after the thaw.”

  Marve raised his eyebrows and nodded excitedly. “Excellent idea,” he said then hurried off to find Anderson.

  I tiptoed to my spot just off stage. Hermia was in the midst of an impassioned plea to King Theseus that she be able to wed Lysander. Hippolyta glared at her betrothed from stage right. Well, at least Marion played the defeated Amazon queen very well.

  I peered out through the slat in the wood then suppressed a gasp. The crowd extended to the very edges of the audience boundary and others watched through the open entrance. Seated at the front, the gentry glimmered in their fine gowns and suits. They were out en masse. I scanned the rows for John but didn’t see him.

  My eyes then flicked to the pole by which Kai had been standing sentinel.

  He wasn’t there either. I searched the crowd for his familiar brooding face but didn’t see him anywhere.

  Sighing, I looked away and closed my eyes. No more Elyse. Now I was Titania. I was Titania. My husband and I were in the midst of a quarrel. I had come to see King Theseus wed and only encountered Oberon here by chance. I let myself slip into the role of Titania, so lost in my thoughts that when I took the stage, Elyse had disappeared.

  Out of sight, Skippy and Marve worked their wonders, creating a crack of lightning and the roll of thunder as I entered stage left.

  As if working in tandem, a sharp wind blew across the frozen Thames. The gust carried crystals of ice. Under the moonlight, they shimmered like prisms of colorful light. From my position on the stage, I saw the wind whip across the crowd. The audience murmured quietly as they held onto their caps. The timing of the effect was perfect.

  Oberon, already on stage, scowled angrily at me.

  “Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania,” Robert growled.

  “What, jealous Oberon?” I seethed at him, turning to the audience so they could see my frustrated expression. When I did so, I noticed the foreign gentleman standing just behind the gentry at the center of the audience in his regular spot, his hands resting on his walking stick. Surely he had not been there earlier. Such a striking figure, I was amazed to think I could have missed him.

  He nodded to me, just the slightest of movements.

  I pulled my attention away before Elyse’s interests peaked too much to the surface. I was not Elyse, I was Titania.

  I turned back to the faeries who carried the long train of my dress. “Faeries, skip away. I have forsworn his love and company.”

  Oberon laughed ruefully. “Rash woman. Aren’t I your lord?”

  “Then I must be your lady,” I said with a sardonic smirk.

  And then, I was lost to the faerie queen’s devices.

  I kept my focus on my lines, my moves, and my mood. I was Titania. My only concerns were that of Titania’s. More than once I had to redirect myself as I sought Kai in the crowd, but he was not there. And more than once, I had to force away a blush of pride when the foreign gentleman smiled, laughed, or looked moved by the way I’d tossed a line.

  Out of breath, when my final act came once more, I could scarcely believe it. Again, the three pairs of lovers lay on stage. I prepared my pouch of faerie dust and waited for Oberon to signal my cue.

  “Sing and dance,” Oberon called to the faeries assembled.

  I pirouetted onto the stage then stopped and turned to my faeries.

  “Hand in hand, faeries, let us spread our grace

  We shall sing and bless this place.”

  With that, I moved again through the sleeping pairs, twirling on the tips of my toes until it hurt, casting Titania’s blessings on all the lovers.

  When I was done, the faerie train retreated once more, leaving wily Puck on stage to deliver the final speech.

  We waited backstage and listened.

  I mouthed the words along with Puck. His lines were my favorite in the entire play. I smiled, listening as Puck’s final lines came to a close and he called the fine crowd to meet us again:

  “Give me your hands, if we be friends,

  And Robin shall make amends

  And if you delight in our players

  Meet us in London at the theatre Struthers”

  At that, the crowd broke into applause. We waited for several moments, reveling in the hearty applause, before we all went back on stage to accept our reward. Hand in hand with Robert, I approached the front of the stage and curtseyed. No Kai. No John. The foreign gentleman, however, removed his top hat and bowed to me.

  I smiled at him.

  After that, we headed to the tent backstage.

  “Elyse,” Lizzie said, rushing up toward me. “Who is that handsome man with the pale blond hair? Is that the one you mentioned earlier?”

  “The rich one,” Amy added, joining her.

  “His eyes never left you,” Lizzie added.

  I nodded to Lizzie. “I don’t know. I spoke with him but didn’t catch his name. He’s not an Englishman.”

  “A foreign lord,” Amy said, her eyes looking soft and dreamy. “Maybe his ship is trapped in the Thames.”

  “I thought the same,” I told her.

  “But you didn’t get his name?” Lizzie asked.

  I smiled. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will ask.”

  “Oh, Elyse. You have all the luck with the gentlemen,” Amy said with a sigh.

  “It only takes one,” I said, setting my hand on her shoulder. “The right one.”

&n
bsp; Marve arrived backstage. He looked pale. “I’m going to close down the Ice House. I don’t care how much I’m making,” he said, shaking his head.

  “What is it?” Amy and Lizzie asked at once.

  Marve looked down at his hand. Therein, he had two slips of paper.

  “Robert?” he called.

  Robert, who must have already been on his way to see what the matter was, came from the right of the tent where his changing area was located. “Drury Lane,” he said, handing a note to the actor.

  I looked at the paper in Marve’s hands. My stomach shook with excitement. Surely there was a note for me.

  “Amy,” he said, passing her the other note. “Covent Garden.”

  Amy gasped then took the paper.

  “And for Miss Hannah,” Marve said, passing her a bouquet of Frost Fair roses. “There is a gentleman outside who’d like to make your acquaintance.”

  I smiled at my friends. A terrible sense of jealousy swept over me, but I pushed it down.

  “Congratulations,” I told Amy and Robert.

  “Elyse, tomorrow, surely, someone will—” Lizzie began, but I raised a hand to stop her.

  “Someone has to look after Marve,” I said. “I can’t leave him all alone with Marion.”

  “Speaking of, where is she?” Robert asked.

  “She stormed off right after the play finished,” Hannah said.

  “I let her know she would not play Persephone tomorrow,” Marve explained. “She was angry.”

  “Forget her. How exciting for you both,” I said. “But now, I need to get dressed and find Doctor Murray. He’ll want to check on his patient who fell through the ice.”

  The others nodded then let me go, knowing I was more upset than I let show. I headed back to my area then began pulling off my wardrobe. What did it matter? If I was to wed John, I would likely leave the theatre anyway. It didn’t really matter. Maybe I wasn’t as talented an actress as I thought I was. I slipped off Titania’s gown and opened the trunk to lay it inside when something odd caught my eye.

  My pink satin slippers were inside the trunk, but they looked…wrong. I lifted one of the ballet slippers to inspect it. The stitches at the side had frayed apart. When had it worn so thin? But then I looked more closely. No. It was not frayed. Someone had cut a massive hole in the side. I looked at the other slipper. The pink satin ankle sash had been ripped off.