“Those gentlemen will shower you with gifts and sweet words, I do not doubt it,” her mother had said to her, “but they will marry the daughters of other gentlemen. Never forget that, my dear, no matter what they tell you.”
Anna supposed that her mother was right about this, and she had no particular interest in marrying a gentleman. However, she did hope that her future might include falling in love, getting married, and having a family. She had no idea how this might happen, but she could not stop herself from wishing it, however impractical it might seem.
When she arrived at the theater, most of the other ballerinas were already there, in various stages of makeup and costume. As the prima ballerina, Anna enjoyed the luxury of a later call time. Her costume, hair, and makeup would be completed immediately before going on stage, while the other dancers would have to wait several hours in full makeup and costume before the performance would begin.
“Hello,” Bridget called to Anna, as she entered the room. Anna walked over to her friend and sat down next to her in front of a large mirror.
“Hello, Bridget, how are you?” Anna asked, brightly, as she began to arrange her makeup. She could feel the eyes of the other members of the corps de ballet upon her, but she was determined not to look at them. Anna knew that she was not well liked by the other dancers.
She had tried her best to be friendly with them when she had started at the London Ballet Company, but had soon found that it was impossible. Mr. Bamber tended to ignore everyone else when Anna was in the room, and she could not blame them for being resentful of this. She only wished that they would direct their anger at him rather than her.
“I’m quite well,” Bridget said, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
“Well, I am glad to hear that,” Anna said, intrigued by her friend’s expression. “What is it that makes you so happy today?”
“Oh, nothing in particular,” Bridget said, examining her face closely in the mirror as she began to apply her makeup. “I suppose it is just such a beautiful day.”
“Hmm…I suppose…” Anna said, though she was not certain whether Bridget was being honest with her. The day was nice enough, but it had been rather cloudy and dull when Anna was outside.
Leaning in a bit closer, Bridget spoke again, this time in a whisper. “Camilla never came home last night.”
“What?” Anna asked, in an excited whisper. Camilla and Bridget shared a room in a different boarding house, though the arrangement was strictly one of financial necessity. They were not friends, and Bridget often had stories to share about Camilla.
Bridget nodded gravely, but she could not entirely hide the grin on her face. “I think that she must have gone to an inn with the Viscount of Essex after the reception.”
“You don’t think that she might have stayed with a friend?” Anna asked, though she thought this rather unlikely.
“What friend?” Bridget asked, sarcastically, “Does she have any?”
Anna looked around the dressing room quickly to make sure they were not overheard. She saw Camilla sitting in the far corner, mending something on her costume, head bent low over her work. Other dancers were scattered about the room, some working on their costumes, some stretching, some chatting to one another while they got ready. None seemed to be paying Anna and Bridget any attention at all.
“None of whom I am aware,” Anna said, feeling a slight twinge of guilt at her words.
It is her own fault for being so mean-spirited, though.
“Precisely,” Bridget said, as though this settled the matter. “I do hope she has the good sense to get something out of the affair, at least.”
“What do you mean?” Anna asked, though she had an inkling of what it might be.
“Well, I’d really rather not share a room with her indefinitely. Perhaps the Viscount will install her in a posh flat, where he can visit her any time he grows tired of his wife’s company.”
“Oh, yes, I suppose that would be nice,” Anna said, “but Bridget, would you be able to afford your room without someone else to share it?”
The look on Bridget’s face seemed to harden, and Anna worried that she had offended her one friend in the company. She silently berated herself for being too blunt, but when she looked again, Bridget’s face was warm and open as ever.
Perhaps I only imagined that look.
“Oh, I am sure I will be quite all right,” Bridget said, her tone light and casual, “especially if Mr. Bamber starts paying us on a regular schedule as promised.”
“What do you mean?” Anna asked. She had always received her pay in full and on time, and had no reason to believe this would not be the case for all members of the company.
“Have you never had your pay later than you should?” Bridget asked. “No, I can see from the look on your face that you have not. Well, of course not, you are the star, after all. But the rest of us sometimes go weeks without any pay. In the end we always get what we are owed, I think, though some people are not so good at keeping track.”
“Oh, Bridget, that is terrible.” Anna said.
“You really had no idea?” Bridget asked, her voice incredulous.
“None at all.” Anna said, “You know that no one else here speaks to me more than they absolutely must. Why did you not tell me before now?”
“Oh, I suppose I thought that you knew,” Bridget said.
“I am sorry, I had no idea,” Anna said. “Do you think that I ought to speak to Mr. Bamber? Perhaps I could convince him to be more careful with the payments? I am sure that it is just an oversight on his part.”
“An oversight?” Bridget asked. She sounded skeptical, but said, “I suppose that is possible. In any event, I do not think that you need to speak to him. I am not sure that doing so would be helpful, and it is probably best to leave it to those of us who are affected by the problem.”
Anna could not really have said why, but she felt a bit put off by this insistence that she not get involved in the problem of wages not being paid. She wanted to help Bridget, who was her friend, and she even felt compelled to help the other dancers. They were no friends of hers, but they worked hard and deserved to be paid for their work.
Anna knew that she must focus now, as she would be going on stage in just over an hour. She tried to put thoughts of the other dancers out of her mind, and instead focused on her makeup and hair, making sure that every element of her appearance was exactly as it should be before getting into her costume.
All right, now I am prepared for whatever might happen tonight.
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Thank you very much!
Also by Scarlett Osborne
Thank you for reading The Scandalous Secret of the Tempting Duchess!
I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review HERE? It would mean the world to me. Reviews are very important and allow me to keep writing the books that you love to read! ♥
Some other stories of mine:
The Art of Pleasuring a Duke
Addicted to a Rascal Duke
The Viscount Who Seduced Her
Devilish Games of a Virtuous Lady
Bewitching the Forbidden Duke
Tamed by the Marquess
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Scarlett Osborne
About the Author
Born in the Sunshine State of Florida, but of both British and Nordic descent, Scarlett Osborne grew up reading historical romances from the land of her ancestors. Fascinated with the British society of the 1800s and armed with a wild imagination, she obtained a degree in Creative Writing and immediately started her career as a Regency romance author.
A daydreamer extraordinaire, Scarlett likes to jump in the shoes of her heroines, immersing herself in
her own stories, living the adventures that she wished she had experienced as a child. An avid reader and fan of the outdoors, Scarlett spends her free time either reading or going on long horseback rides along with her two sons.
Get lost in a land of enchantment, where adventure and love await around every corner...Scarlett hopes that through her heroes, you too will get to live a whirlwind romance in the Regency era, when fairytales were real and all dreams possible!
The Scandalous Secret 0f The Tempting Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 30
