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“A life in the theater?” William asked skeptically
“She's an independent woman with a successful career”
“A wo offended at the very idea “It's unnatural”
“Julia wants to ed and ate all her life”
“I could understand it if she were a bluestocking or a hag…but a wo…” Confounded, Williae
More characters arnered hs as Julia's socially ambitious father, and a small curly-haired woman as her personal maid Soon a tall, blandly handso the aristocratic ht conversation ensued, laced with charm and social satire
Julia, in the character of Christine, exuded amore than the narrow confines of her life allowed The next scene showed her in search of an adventure, daring to pose as a house into toithout a chaperone Another skillfully painted backcloth and several set pieces were revealed, si seaside community
See lost amid the busy street e until she accidentally buan Scott turned to reveal his face, the theater audience kneho he was, and burst into wild applause His reception was as fervid as the response Julia had garnered, the shouts of approval and clapping hands lasting for a full minute oruntil the sound faded
There was a tangible attraction between the two as they spoke Every line of Julia's body was tense ariness and curiosity Logan Scott described hih ran through the audience as they suspected that the identity was a ruse Inexorably drawn to each other, the two ain, in secret From then on the story took on a brisk hthearted
Glancing at his brother, Da the play with rapt attention The skill of the actorselse The supporting cast was strong, and Logan Scott was as talented as always, but Julia was undeniably the heart of the play She was like a flaesture seemed miraculously natural, each rise and fall of her voice filled with poignantin love with someday, desirable and infinitely difficult to possess If Julia hadn't been a renowned celebrity before tonight, this performance would have ensured it
It made the back of Daan interact as two lovers He gritted his teeth each time they touched At the moment they kissed, the theater was filled istful and envious sighs, while Dae and tear them apart
During the tee, William turned to Damon with a speculative expression “Do you suppose that Julia and Mr Scott—”
“No,” Da
“It certainly seems as if they are”
“They're actors, Will They're supposed to behave like two lovers—that's the point of the story”
“They're very good at it,” came William's dubious reply
The reled to keep it under control This hat it would be like, married to an actress There would be doubts and resentue Only a saint could withstand it—and God kneas far from that
Julia was filled with excites for her next entrance Gingerly she blotted the mist of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, careful not to s wonderfully well, and she sensed that she was acco she had hoped to in the part of Christine
The laughter and enjoy the performances of all the actors an extra sparkle One of her favorite scenes was approaching, the one she and Logan had performed at the Brandons' weekend party She and “James” would discover their true identities, with a blend of co that she hoped would h, and would touch their hearts at the same time
Sensing a presence behind her, she turned and saw Logan nearby, his face crossed with shadows in the di her brows in silent question, and he winked at hen He hardly ever winked “You must be pleased,” Julia said dryly “Either that or there's so in your eye”
“I'm pleased that you haven't let your personal proble a fairly decent perforht”
“I never said I was having personal problems”
“You didn't need to” Logan turned her to face the expanse of stage that lay just beyond the wings “But that is the only thing that ive yourself to it completely”
“Don't you ever tire of it?” Julia asked softly, staring at the long wooden boards, weathered from thousands of foot marks and scuffs left by scenery “Don't you ever want so you can't find here?”
“No,” Logan said at once “That's for conventional people—so his cue, he e in character Frowning, Julia held a fold of a soft velvet curtain and stroked its worn softness She stepped forward to gain a better view of the scene in progress, and saw Arlyss waiting in the wing opposite her They exchanged a grin and a little wave, both of the pleasure in the play's success
There was a hot, pungent smell in the air, the familiar scents of paint, sweat, and the calciue But there was a new, nearly undetectable addition to thecuriously, Julia looked past Arlyss to the backcloth and flats Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but a sixth sense told her that so Troubled, she turned to soroup of scene shifters and carpenters preparing for the next change of sets She wondered if they too had the sense that so was off-kilter, but they seemed unperturbed