page4 (1/2)
Mr Scott reaining, driving wedges between the two lovers until it seemed that true love would never have its way “What happens in the end?” Madeline couldn't help whispering to a scene-mover who had stopped next to her “Does Mr Scott o to the other man?”
The sceneshifter grinned as he saw the rapt attention Madeline paid to the action onstage “I can't tell you,” he infor the surprise”
Before she could entreat hiain, the first act concluded and it was time for intermission Madeline skittered to the side as the curtain was dropped A troupe of dancers filed onstage to entertain the audience until the second half of the play began
Wistfully Madeline waited in the see of velvet curtain It would seem an eternity until the play resule of happiness There was no other place she would rather be than here, breathing in the scents of sweat and paint, and the acrid shts
A large, dark shape e to the cluster of dressing rooms Their shoulders brushed as he walked by, and his steps slowed He stopped and lifted his hand to the place where they had touched Slowly he turned to look at her Their gazes met, and Madeline felt a throb of alarm in the pit of her stomach It was Mr Scott
A shile of his face Although the color of his eyes was er was un in my theater?”
No one had ever cursed at her before Surprise made her slow to reply “Mr Scott…I can see that Her Grace hasn't yet spoken to you about me…”
“I told you there was nothing for you here”
“Yes, sir, but the duchess didn't agree She hired me as her assistant—”
“You're dis forward until he loomed over her
She could smell the sweat on his skin and the damp linen of his shirt It was not at all unpleasant…it was fascinating He made the other men she had known in her life seem like soft, tame creatures
“No, sir,” she said, hardly believing she had dared to refuse him
There was a brief silence “No?” he repeated in a thick voice, as if the word had never been said to him before
“The duchess said that she could hire me if she pleased, and that if you objected, I should come to her”
An unpleasant laugh came from his throat “Did she? I'd like to knons this damned theater! Corip
Stu room Her ears were assaulted by his muttered curses “Sir…I would appreciate it if you wouldn't use such words in my presence”
“You coo behind ive me a lecture on my manners?”
The door sla at each other—he with palpable fury, she with quiet stubbornness She would not let him send her away from the Capital
“I would have thought such language beneath a nity
Mr Scott opened hisunder his breath
In the small, brilliantly lit room, every detail of Mr Scott's face was vivid The bronze of his coaze was so piercing that it alranite-hard “You've made a mistake, Miss Ridley There's no room for you here”
“Mr Scott, if you're still offended by my clumsiness earlier, I'm sorry for that I'll be quite careful froive me another chance?”
Logan was infuriated by his own reaction to her Thespeech would have an's resolve “It has nothing to do with this ,” he said brusquely “The fact is, you're not needed here”
“But the duchess said there were s I could help with…the costumes, the theater library—”
“Julia has a soft heart,” he interrupted “You e of her I'm not so easily manipulated”
“I haven't manipulated anyone,” she protested
A e for the second act, bearing in his aran acknowledged hian to unfasten his damp shirt There were only a few minutes left before the second act commenced
Madeline had never seen a leaed toward the door “Mr Scott, I…believe I should go now…”
“You're going to leave the Capital?” he inquired coldly, shrugging out of the liarment
Hastily Madeline lowered her eyes, but the ie of his broad, naed chest was permanently seared into her brain “I will stay if the duchess allows it”
“Then stay if you choose, but you'll pay for it I' to make your life hell Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mr Scott,” she whispered, fleeing the dressing rooan to unfasten his trousers
Logan paused as the door closed, willing his fierce arousal to recede Tactfully George averted his eyes, scooping up the discarded shirt “Will there be anything else you require, sir?” he murmured
A bucket of ice-cold water would have been useful, not to an shook his head and turned away, continuing to undress Theroom and left quietly
Facing the hts to the work ahead…but his irl Madeline
Who was she, and why in God's name did she want to work at the Capital? She was obviously too well-bred for such a place—she had no business associating with the rough theater crowd What had Julia been thinking to hire her? He dearly wished he could corner his co an explanation from her, but there was no ti wasthe audience at the Capital exactly what it wanted
Soe place in the wings She put her hands to her hot cheeks, certain they had been branded a per at the Capital in spite of Mr Scott's displeasure? She was certain this was not the way to go about seducing a man
Why did he dislike her? She had always found it easy to make friends She supposed she was not the kind of woe his feelings toward her?…how long would it take? Troubled, she stared into the darkened backstage area, where actors waited patiently amidst the set pieces
The curtain rose, and the story of the beleaguered young lovers resumed It was a testaot everything but the character he played
After an intricate maze of plot twists, the villain finally realized that even if he succeeded in irl, he would never win her love Assu the part of an anonymous benefactor, he helped the them know that he was the one responsible for their happiness Mr Scott played the role without a touch of self-pity, never letting down the cynical id control let the audience know that his heart was broken The play's ending was satisfyingly bittersweet