Ice and Embers (Regency Redezvous Book 10)

by Melanie Karsak

  “Thank you.”

  “Five minutes,” Marve called.

  Lizzie picked up the eye makeup brush. “Close your eyes, Persephone. It’s almost time to be dragged to hell.”

  Once Lizzie and I were done, I hurried backstage where the others waited. Upon seeing me, Marve signaled to Skippy and a flutter of chimes sounded indicating that the show was about to begin.

  I slipped off my coat, pulled my red slipper-covered feet from inside my boots, which I’d worn to protect the slippers from the snow, then straightened my costume.

  “In a sunny meadow outside Athens, the Goddess Persephone brings forth spring’s delights,” Hannah, speaking as the chorus, announced. With a tinkle of chimes, the curtain opened.

  I closed my eyes and tried to shut all my worries away. I was Persephone, the Goddess of spring. It was a sunny morning, and I was out picking flowers for my mother. Taking a deep breath, I took my first step in the red slippers. The shoes molded to my feet, the soft silk covering the stiff bones of the slipper keeping the foot in shape. I spun onto the stage, bending with graceful shapes, trying to echo the beauty of flowers growing in the meadow.

  Dancing in the pantomimes was one of my favorite things to do on stage. Save the chorus, it was up to the actors to make the scenes work since there was little to no dialogue. All expression came from the face and movements of the actors. Bending gracefully, I pretended to pick flowers as Josiah played a light tune on a harp. I bent and danced, twirling on my new slippers which held my feet perfectly. How had John even known my size?

  The movement of the scene was such that I hardly had a moment to pause. Only when the faux wind started to blow after I’d followed a random line of narcissus blossoms, leading me to the section of the stage where Hobbs as Hades waited for me, did I have a chance to scan the audience.

  I looked quickly and in earnest for John but did not spy his familiar green jacket. The audience was mostly full, the rough benches lined with people, but it was not overflowing. It was not nearly as cold as it had been on prior days. I glanced out over the ice. Many more tents were gone.

  The harp chimed a menacing tone, and I turned to see Hades, dressed in the mask of a plague doctor, emerge from his underground lair. He had come for me.

  Slipping back into character, I was, once more, lost to Persephone.

  Hades and I then raced about the stage, a commedia in truth, until I was taken to hell where I moped unhappily while the world above me froze. Only when my mother Demeter, as played by Agnes, came for me did I shine once more. Add in a scene with the juggling of pomegranates, a slapstick battle between Hades and Demeter, and the commedia was over.

  There was only a fifteen-minute intermission until the showing of Glass Slipper Girl. I rushed to our backstage to slip into the costume of the faerie godmother. By the time I had finally changed, it was nearly time for the second performance to begin. When I returned to the backstage area, Lizzie had taken up my spot by the gap in the wooden slat and was looking out.

  “Lizzie,” I whispered. “Do you see John anywhere?”

  She held up a finger then looked in earnest. “No,” she whispered back to me, “but look just outside the tent.” She leaned back so I could see.

  Standing just outside was Marve and the Frost Fair marshall. The marshall was motioning to the stage while Marve listened, rocking back and forth on his feet.

  “A large section of the ice below London Bridge cracked open. I overheard some people talking in line when I stopped for a bun this morning,” Lizzie whispered.

  “Looks like we’re being closed down,” I said then leaned back.

  Lizzie sighed. It was then that I noticed she was still wearing her snowflake pendant. It shimmered in the morning sunlight. A prism of rainbows cast all around the stage near us. I lifted my hand, letting the light refract on my palm.

  Lizzie smiled. “You’ve caught a rainbow. And what about your mirror? Do you have it with you?”

  “In my coat pocket.”

  “I didn’t see your Frost Fair prince this morning. He usually attends the shows.”

  I nodded.

  Where had John gone? Was he planning to come back after the show? We needed to talk about what had happened with Kai and the plan for the evening. I still had no notion of when and where to meet him. Did he presume I would just get dolled up as a bride and sit and wait for him at the theatre? No. That was not his way. It was wrong of me to think so ill of him. But once more I remembered the man at the chocolate stand with the girl with the red bonnet. I was so certain it had been John.

  “Elyse?” Lizzie said then, and I could tell by the sound of her voice it was not the first time she’d called my name.

  I looked at my outstretched hand which still held the blob of rainbow-colored hues.

  Lizzie slipped the pendant back inside her gown. The rainbows disappeared.

  Marve was standing there. I realized then that I had missed the first part of the conversation.

  “…so tonight will be the last performance. They’re moving everyone off after ten. They expect the ice to start flowing in earnest by midday tomorrow if the warm weather persists.”

  The other actors moaned softly in protest.

  A terrible thought gripped my heart. If the ice began to flow and Kai was still aboard Captain Behra’s ship, then what? Would he leave with her? I bit my lip so hard it hurt.

  “…nevertheless, the show must go on, but the Frost Fair is done after tonight’s performance,” Marve said.

  At that, the company got busy preparing for our final performance of Glass Slipper Girl. I took the spot by the gap in the slat as the play began. Lizzie took center stage and prepared to be mistreated by Agnes, who now played the role of the wicked stepmother in Marion’s absence.

  I watched the commotion outside the Ice House Theatre. Wagons moved to and fro on the ice as everyone began to leave. The crowd, I noted, had thinned out for the second performance.

  In no time, the poor cinder girl’s wicked family had reduced her to tears and despair just hours before the ball was set to begin. Picking up my wand and readying myself in my red slippers, I once more took to the stage to give my faerie goddaughter a healthy dose of friendly faerie advice, and a new pair of shoes. Before I knew it, the performance was done. I hurried backstage to change, leaving my Titania costume in Hannah’s section before I headed back out onto the ice.

  “Elyse,” Skippy said, running up to me as I exited the tent. “A message.”

  I took the paper from him.

  “Miss McKenna, may I request a few moments of your time? With my sincere thanks, Lord John Waldegrave.”

  “Where is he?” I asked Skippy, my brows furrowing. Was John trying to be funny?

  “The gentleman? He’s still inside,” he said, motioning to the theatre.

  Nodding, I put the note in my pocket and headed back into the theatre. When I arrived, the theatre was empty save Josiah clearing the last of the props from the stage. Tonight’s performance would certainly be bare. Aside from Josiah, a gentleman stood in the middle of the theatre, his hands behind his back in the most proper of stances, as he watched Josiah work. He wore a fine top hat and a black coat cut from expensive-looking material. He had a fine cut and dark, curly hair, but he was not John.

  “See you later, Elyse,” Josiah called from the stage as he pushed one of the props, a snowy tree from the Forest of Arden, backstage.

  At that, the gentleman turned.

  Surprising me, the man smiled then removed his top hat. He bowed nicely then looked up at me. After a moment, he chuckled.

  “Miss McKenna, I do believe you don’t recognize me,” he said.

  “I’m…I’m sorry. I was looking for someone. My apologies. Do I…do I know you?”

  He nodded and moved toward me. “Yes, indeed. Perhaps you’d recognize me better if I had a cloud of onion soup perfume hanging around me.”

  I gasped, realizing then that the gentleman was, in fact, the man w
ho’d fallen into the ice. It was an exciting discovery, but where was John?

  “Oh my goodness,” I said. “It is so good to see you about, sir. I had inquired yesterday at the Hawkings’ workshop but you were not in. I was relieved to hear you’d recovered yourself.”

  “Indeed, I have. And just in time, from what I have learned. Let me properly introduce myself, Miss McKenna. I am Lord John Waldegrave.”

  I felt my knees go soft. “Sorry?”

  “Miss McKenna?” the man said, taking a step toward me. “Are you…are you all right?”

  “What…what did you say your name is?”

  “John Waldegrave,” he said then moved forward to take my arm. “You look very pale. Please sit,” he said. Leading me gently by the arm, he sat me down on a bench.

  “That’s not possible. Lord Waldegrave…I…”

  Not understanding my confusion, the gentleman began. “Ah, yes. Well, the long story short of it was that I was on commission in France as a member of the twelfth light Dragoons, but our mission ended so I’ve returned to England. I was in London to look after my family’s investments in a mercantile venture which is, apparently, how I understood the fabric of your slipper so well. Unfortunately, someone used my absence to make use of my name and bank account. Apparently, some rogue has been running up debts in my name. I was here at the Frost Fair making inquiries into the matter. The last things I recall are stopping here to see your show. Thereafter, I went to the City of Moscow for a drink where some rowdy chaps rewarded my service to the crown with more Scotch than was fitting. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a barrel of onion soup with your pretty face looking at me in a fit of concern. As near as we can tell, my counterfeit saw fit to put me underwater when he discovered I’d returned from abroad and was inquiring behind him. The rogue wearing my name and title has racked up a fortune in gambling debts and other expenses, and from what the constables have been able to tell, a few broken hearts have been left in his wake. My mother had a pretty young lass turn up at her doorstep looking for her husband, Lord Waldegrave, only to find out the truth. Poor girl. I say, Miss McKenna, are you quite all right?”

  “Yes. Yes, I’m fine. The story is…shocking, that is all. And have they caught the rogue?”

  “I am afraid not. But we’ll have him in no time. The young lady helped us track him back to a minister who has been blessing his false unions for a few coins. Apparently, he’s scheduled to bring another maid by tonight.”

  “But…why? Why wed the girl then abandon her? Was she well-off?”

  The gentleman stiffened. “Alas, Miss McKenna, it seems some men’s devices are more devious than that. The most devilish of men will stoop to the lowest levels to win the hearts of otherwise virtuous and unobtainable ladies. And to think that such deeds were done in my name. I…I cannot bear the thought. But let’s turn to something less odious. How do you find your slippers? I say, you turned very prettily in them.”

  I looked up at him. Taking a deep breath, I pulled on the face of a woman who had no cares in the world. I did not want him to see the terror that was about to break through the surface. I pressed my emotions down and felt nothing, only shaped myself as the mask of a calm theatre actress who has just been paid a very nice compliment from a proper gentleman.

  “I thank you, sir. They are very beautiful and fit so perfectly. How did you ever guess my size?”

  He smiled, then from his pocket he pulled one of the pink slippers my grandmother had given me. “You forgot your slipper, Cinderella.”

  I gasped.

  “I thought it was very…fortuitous,” he said, handing the slipper back to me.

  I reached out and took it then looked up at him. Lord John Waldegrave—the real Lord John Waldegrave—smiled nicely at me. He was everything a gentleman should be. Well-dressed, eloquently spoken, and very proper. But there was a hopeful look in his countenance that was more than I could bear.

  I rose.

  “Miss McKenna,” he said, rising along with me.

  “I…I’m very sorry, Lord Waldegrave, but I’m afraid you’re right. I am not feeling well. I should very much like to talk over this matter with you at another time. I think I have some infor—I have something I must see to first, and I am not quite myself at the moment. Please forgive me. May I send you a note and call later?”

  He nodded. Taking a card from his pocket, he handed it to me. “Please. Whenever you’re feeling up to it. I owe my life to you and Doctor Murray. My family, as well, is keen to meet you both. My mother is such a fan of the theatre. Really, the Waldegraves are all quite indebted to you.”

  My stomach churned, and I almost vomited. Taking a deep breath, I said, “I do so appreciate the slippers. They are…they are truly beautiful. Thank you so very much. Now, I must—if you will please excuse me, I must—I—I’ll be in touch very soon,” I said, then curtseyed. I turned and headed away from the theatre in the direction of Captain Behra’s ship.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As I approached the ship, I saw that the sailors were moving busily. It looked like they were preparing for the inevitable departure. They eyed me skeptically as I neared but didn’t say a word. One man looked me over then went inside the captain’s quarters. Not waiting for permission, I walked up the plank and headed toward the door to the captain’s cabin. The sailors stopped to watch.

  I had just reached the door when one of the men stepped out, blocking my way. I peered through the open door of the captain’s cabin. There, I saw Kai sitting on the floor, his back resting against the bed, his chin on his chest. His hair was a tasseled mess that hung over his face.

  “Kai,” I yelled. “Kai!”

  At the sound of my voice, Kai looked up. His eyes met mine, but he didn’t seem to recognize me.

  The sailor closed the door behind him. “The captain said you should go away.”

  “I will not,” I said sharply then tried to push the man aside. “Kai? Kai! Kai, do you hear me? Kai?” I yelled.

  The large man grabbed me by the waist and set me down in front of him once more.

  “The captain said that you should leave, and if you do not, I should remove you.”

  “Tell your captain to come out here and move me herself, if she is woman enough,” I shouted toward the door, hoping to provoke Captain Behra’s ire. “Kai! Kai, come out here right now! Kai, I need you. Kai, get up and get out here!”

  The sailor laughed. “Silly little ballerina,” he said then picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “You don’t know who you are dealing with.”

  “Kai! Kai! Help me,” I yelled, hoping the panic in my voice would rouse him.

  The sailors stood watching, mixed expressions of empathy and annoyance on their faces. Amongst them, I spotted Robin. My eyes met his, and through the windows of our souls, I pleaded with him.

  “Put her down,” Robin called to the sailor.

  The sailor laughed and walked down the plank.

  “Kai! Kai, do you hear me?” I yelled, looking back at the cabin.

  There was no movement from inside.

  I looked back toward where Robin was standing, but the boy was gone.

  “I’m going to bring the Bow Street Runners,” I told the sailor. “I’ll have you all arrested for abduction. Doctor Murray is a well-respected physician in this city. They won’t let you hold him hostage like this.”

  “The only thing he is hostage to is what’s between the captain’s thighs. A beautiful prison at that, and he doesn’t seem to mind,” the sailor said with a laugh.

  I scanned the crowd of men, expecting to see them laughing, but instead, I found worried expressions on their faces.

  “Liar,” I said. “Put me down right now.”

  When we reached the end of the plank, the sailor deposited me back onto the ice. “The river will flow by morning. Your doctor is with us now. Don’t come back, ballerina.”

  Furious, I reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. Clenching it into a ball, I hurled it
at the man. “You won’t get away with this,” I told him.

  He laughed, brushing the snow off his shoulder.

  Frowning, I turned and stormed away. I could go to the Bow Street Runners. Certainly, they would come to investigate, but they might also be easily convinced that Kai wanted to be there. No. There was still one card left to play, and with any luck, it was the best card in the deck.

  A king always trumps a queen.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I wove my way down Freezeland Lane. Carts and wagons waited as tents were struck down. No more oil cakes nor ice cream was to be had. Even The Frozen Mushroom had closed up shop. When the bawds moved out, it was surely time to go.

  I headed in the direction of the ice castle and the other ship frozen into the Thames. If I was going to find the baron, certainly that would be my best bet. Out of options, I could only hope he would be willing to contend with his quarreling wife on my behalf.

  I was just passing the City of Moscow when someone called my name.

  “Elyse? Is that you? Elyse?” I stopped and looked back. To my shock, John—and not the real John, of course, but the rake—stood there, a smile on his face. “My dear, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  Caught up in a torrent of fury, I turned on my heel, crossed the ice, and then promptly smacked John across the face. I ripped off my glove then tore the ring from my finger and threw it in his face.

  John clutched his face where I struck him. “Elyse?”

  “Don’t even speak my name, you liar,” I spat angrily.

  “What are you talking about? Whatever’s the matter? I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you about tonig—”

  “Shut your lying mouth,” I replied.

  “Elyse? What happen—”

  “What happened? What happened? This morning I met the real Lord John Waldegrave. In fact, Doctor Murray and I saved Lord Waldegrave’s life after a rogue, a pretender, tried to murder him. That same pretender has been roaming around London racking up debts and breaking hearts. How could you? How could you do that to me?”