Beyond Rubies (Daughters of Sin Book 4)

by Beverley Oakley

  Despite the chance to stay up late, both girls were exhausted, and the moment they’d finished eating a satisfying dinner of chops, they collapsed into the bed in the ‘guest’ room which Mrs. Mobbs said she always made sure she had ready for girls just like themselves.

  After a deep sleep, Kitty and Dorcas were woken by Mrs. Mobbs who tapped on the door, before sailing in with a pot of hot chocolate. Dorcas was wide-eyed at such luxury.

  “I neva thought I could imagine ‘ow a fine lady lived in ‘em grand ‘ouses with all them servants ter dress ‘em in their fancy laces, but now I can,” she confided to Kitty when Mrs. Mobbs had gone, and they both sat propped up against pillows sipping from chipped teacups. “Though from t’morra, I’ll be back ter doin’ the servin’ again. Oh, but I do ‘ope I can get a job some day as a lady’s maid. Course I got ter start at the bottom, I know that, but one day.” She raised her face to the low, soot-stained ceiling while a beatific smile lit up her face, and Kitty thought what an artless and appealing young girl she was.

  “Well, when I am a fine actress who needs help being dressed in my laces, ermine-trimmed capes, and ballgowns, I shall come looking for you, Dorcas,” she promised. “So do make sure and let me know where you’re employed.”

  Another knock on the door heralded Mrs. Mobbs once again, who now began chivvying them to get themselves ready as Mrs. Montgomery would be arriving shortly. She seemed flustered.

  “It ain’t her usual style to be ‘bout at sparrows but there yer are, there’s no accountin’ fer any old body, is there now?” She pulled back the covers then clapped her hands, saying to Dorcas, “‘Ere’s a jug o’ water for washin’ an mind yer put yer best foot forward. Yer want ter impress the good lady, now don’t yer?”

  Kitty also readied herself in her finest ensemble, though it evinced violently mixed feelings. The gown was a very flattering shade of rouge, which gave warmth to her pale coloring and looked very fine with her fair hair. Naturally, it had belonged to Araminta, who’d discarded it at the end of her first season. In fact, Kitty had heard that it had been the very dress Araminta had worn when she’d rejected the suitor she’d initially accepted; the suitor who then went off and blew out his brains. Kitty had thought this a wildly exciting and tragic declaration of a young man’s love, and wondered if any suitor would ever be similarly impassioned about her. Araminta’s reputation, however, had not fared so well, and her first season had ended under a cloud. No wonder she’d been keen to make a good match with the wealthy and well-connected Lord Debenham, even if he was a fair bit older than she was with a rather insalubrious reputation.

  Dorcas was wide-eyed with admiration after she’d helped Kitty into the creation and put her hair up into a flattering topknot with natural ringlets curling about her ears.

  “Oh my, but in all me life I neva seen a more beautiful lady,” she murmured. “Yer will be a famous actress, an’ soon as I get me first wages I’m buyin’ a ticket ter Covent Garden.”

  Bolstered by this praise, Kitty accompanied Dorcas into the tiny parlor which felt full to overflowing as a very large, grandly dressed woman with fiery red hair piled on top of her head, topped with a lavishly adorned bonnet to match her frilled and furbelowed visiting gown, rose to greet them with a great show of appreciation.

  “My, but what a fine pair you are, indeed, just as Mrs. Mobbs said,” she cried, circling the two of them as she cast her appraising eye over their feet, ankles and upwards. Kitty thought it was most odd, but was pleased that they seemed to give such satisfaction.

  “What a refreshingly healthy and buxom country lass you are,” she added, looking at Dorcas. “Not one of these pinch-faced London girls, sallow and stick-thin. Oh yes, you will do very well.” The feather in her bonnet waved back and forth as she swung her head around to appraise Kitty. “And what a beauty you are. Oh, my dear, do come and work for me. I can offer you twice as much as Mr. Lazarus. Truly, I can.”

  Startled, Kitty looked from Mrs. Montgomery to Mrs. Mobbs, who grinned her uneven smile and said, “Now there’s an offer yer can’t refuse. My, but Mr. Lazarus will be put out, but a girl’s got ter think o’ ’erself. And money talks, indeed it does.”

  “But...I want to be an actress,” said Kitty, confused by the turn of conversation. “Not a servant.”

  “My dear girl, I offer ever so many opportunities for girls of bearing and beauty like you. If you come along with Dorcas and me, we can discuss all the possibilities. I can have a contract drawn up, and before you know it, you’ll be living the high life. Mrs. Mobbs can come after me with her frying pan if I’m lying.”

  They all laughed at her little joke, which cut the tension, though before anyone had a chance to respond, a loud booming voice cut the air and the curtain to the parlor was thrust aside and the doorway filled with the colorful figure of Mr. Lazarus.

  He stood in the center of the room with his hands in his waistcoat pockets, assessing the scene. “Trying to steal my star actress, are you, Mollie Montgomery?” he demanded. “Looks like I got here just in time. You’re never up before midafternoon, with the hours you keep, but you heard whispers about what was in the offing, didn’t you then? Now, Miss Hazlett, allow me to welcome you to London.” Beaming, he executed a flourishing bow before fastidiously patting his garishly-colored cravat. “Ain’t you just blooming? Why, I have thought of nothing else than casting you for the role of Juliet in my next play since you introduced yourself to me. Wondrous day it was indeed when you stepped into my humble abode to offer your services. Of course, I will require that you audition properly, so as not to offend any of my fine potential leading ladies who toil with such assiduity to their craft. Can’t set the cat among the pigeons for showing favoritism so early in the piece, though to be sure I’ve not laid eyes on such a rare prize specimen as yourself, and to that Mrs. Montgomery will surely attest, else she’d not have dragged her wondrous form from her bed so early in the morning. Now, do you have your things? That is your bag, yes? Allow me to play your knight errant, and we shall quit these lodgings to find you a place worthy of so astonishingly lovely a creature as yourself. Pray take my arm, so I might convey you to a future more dazzling than any of which you ever could have dreamed.”

  Chapter Three

  It was all really too marvelous. The theater was a bustling hive of activity, heavy with the smell of paint and turpentine and filled, it seemed, with scurrying women in various stages of undress. Kitty was at first shocked to see chemises and petticoats on full display, and sometimes even a bare ankle with one woman being so bold as to reveal her knees in clear sight of Mr. Lazarus as she rested her foot on a stage lamp to adjust her garter. The sly look she sent the stage director didn’t escape Kitty, and when he chuckled and told her in quite a conspicuous tone that some of his girls would resort to anything to get the lead role, the fiery young redhead flounced off stage and behind the curtain.

  It was clear that Kitty was a figure of great interest. A number of women had been lined up since early morning to audition for the role of Juliet, but Mr. Lazarus seemed quite happy to keep them waiting as he strolled about with Kitty at his side, pointing out various locations on stage with instructions on how she’d interpret certain positioning instructions. Kitty felt very important, and knew indeed that she was destined for a long and illustrious career if the singular time and attention her director was devoting to her instruction was any indication.

  “But can you really act when put to the test?” Mr. Lazarus suddenly demanded, hands on hips and putting his forefinger beneath her chin to tilt up her head. He pointed to the lineup of hopefuls.

  “You there, Jennie; recite for me Juliet’s part when she’s speaking to Romeo,” he called, ushering the redhead with the errant garter onto the stage. “You’re an old hand at this. Three seasons, and always the support actress awaiting your moment. Well, perhaps your time has come. Demonstrate for Miss Hazlett the dizzying talent she will have to match if she is to snatch the plum role away from your fair
fingers.”

  Jennie smiled prettily for her director and, with a sideways look at Kitty, flounced across stage, throwing her head back and whisking her skirts above her knees as she recited two verses of her own choice with great passion.

  Mr. Lazarus applauded loudly. “Done with great feeling. Ah yes, you know how to please your director, but I must take our fair newcomer upstairs where Mrs. Lazarus can give her opinion. The great but eminently obliging Mr. Lazarus does nothing without the full endorsement of Mrs. L.” He proffered his arm with his trademark flourishing bow, and bore Kitty across the stage in front of the goggle-eyed lineup and was about to exit behind the curtain when a loud voice cried, “Ahoy there, and what tasty morsel have you discovered from the provinces? Word has got out, oh sly one, but I am the first to bear witness.”

  Embarrassed, Kitty turned. The voice was well bred and full of confidence, but the man himself was unlike any she’d ever seen. He must have been about six feet with broad, well-formed shoulders, an athletic physique, and the handsomest face she’d ever seen.

  “Oh, but I like what I see!” he said with even greater interest, advancing a few steps and putting his head on one side to observe Kitty from the ankles upward, while Kitty’s blushes blazed in her cheeks and her heart beat a raging tumult in her chest.

  “You’ll have to be satisfied with seeing her on stage, my Lord, for Miss Hazlett is too busy auditioning and then learning her lines to be cajoled by you into any dubious adventuring.”

  The young man grinned, doffed his hat and bowed. He was now only several feet away, looking up, and self-consciously Kitty tugged at her skirts in case too much ankle might be on view, yet at the same time her skin glowed with happy warmth to be the object of his obvious admiration.

  “Lord Nash at your service, divine goddess,” he said, tossing back a head of inky-black curls as he rose from his bow.

  Breathlessly Kitty nodded, her heart racing as she saw the tiny scar beneath his right eye. “Pleased to meet you, my Lord.” She could barely get the words out before Mr. Lazarus swept her backstage, through the curtains and up a narrow staircase.

  “Are we going to see Mrs. Lazarus now?” she asked, her mind fluttering with images of the wickedly handsome young man she’d just met.

  “Not only that, but you are going to impress the good lady with your abundant talent. We have, I feel almost certain, our next Juliet, however a good director needs to be certain he has made the right choice of leading lady.” At the top of the stairs, he led Kitty into the center of a small, cluttered room with a change curtain draped with various pieces of flamboyant clothing, and a chaise lounge pushed against one wall beside which was positioned a deep green upholstered chair in which sat a large effigy of a grotesquely featured, enormously fat woman. She seemed to be constructed of material, stuffed and elegantly dressed.

  Kitty put her hands to her cheeks and gasped. “What is that?” she cried, turning to find Mr. Lazarus suddenly rigid, his stern eyes upon her.

  “What do you mean, Miss Hazlett? You speak of the very image of my late good wife. I wouldn’t dream of failing to consult her on every important decision to ensure the continued success of this eminently successful theater.”

  “That is Mrs. Lazarus?”

  “Indeed it is. Now, my dear Miss Hazlett. Let me see how much feeling you can inject into my favorite, most tender scene between Romeo and Juliet. I shall stand here as Romeo and you, my dear, are my fair Juliet.” He handed her a dog-eared script and pointed to a line halfway done the page. “Proceed from here, if you please. You indicated a familiarity with the play so you will understand that I, as your lovelorn swain, must hold you in my arms, thus.”

  Kitty squeaked as Mr. Lazarus’s arms went about her so tightly that her legs buckled.

  “Juliet, my Juliet,” he intoned passionately, his mouth going to Kitty’s before she knew what was happening.

  “Mr. Lazarus!”

  “How fair art thou.” His right hand cupped her bottom causing her to shriek even more loudly.

  “I say, what’s all this!”

  At the intrusion, Mr. Lazarus dropped his hands, and Kitty stumbled backward, staring wildly between her red-faced director and the curious gaze of a young man lounging in the doorway. “Pardon me for interrupting. I was downstairs paying my respects to one of your chorus girls when I heard a loud shrieking. I did not realize you were rehearsing.”

  “Oh Mr. Lazarus, I’m sorry; I didn’t realize we’d get quite so quickly to the...love scene. I didn’t mean to cause offense.” Kitty tried to keep the trembling from her voice. She could see Mr. Lazarus was very angry, but she didn’t know how else she might have responded to such unexpected overtures. Nervously she fingered her skirts and looked at the floor.

  “That will be all for today, Miss Hazlett.” His voice was cold. “Lord Silverton, a pleasure to see you, as always.”

  Kitty stared, panicked, between the two men, uncertain what to do. “So...I am to return to Mrs. Mobbs while I await your decision?” She felt close to tears. Everything had gone so differently, and now she felt belittled yet also as if she were in the wrong. When he did not answer immediately, she said, “Perhaps we can try that scene again.”

  Mr. Lazarus shook his head and ran both hands dramatically up over his face and through his hair. “I am unable to summon the feeling required. You have drained me, Miss Hazlett. Disappointed me. I had hoped for better than that from you.”

  “Please, Mr. Lazarus...please give me one more chance. What am I to do if I can’t work for you? It’s the reason I came to London?”

  “You came to London hoping to prove yourself, but you have a lot to learn, Miss Hazlett.”

  “Please, Mr. Lazarus, I...need work. I want to be an actress. Please let me audition once more.”

  “Oh, I’ll find something for you while we work on improving your technique, but I’m too weary now for any more of your simpering nonsense. Return to Mrs. Mobbs until I summon you again.”

  Kitty took an uncertain step toward the top of the stairs. Mr. Lazarus had barely looked at her. She wasn’t sure if she was dismissed properly yet, or whether he had more of a tongue-lashing in store. If only she’d not been so foolishly prim and proper. She realized he’d put her to some enormous test, and she’d failed miserably, but she had not known of London ways and how quickly one was expected to reach certain points that in the country were advanced toward at a far more leisurely pace.

  As she started to descend the stairs, the handsome, light-haired young man whom Mr. Lazarus had addressed as Lord Silverton stepped forward to block her path. He executed a flourishing bow. “Allow me to convey you to wherever you’re going. I fear you might lose your way if you are new to the city.”

  Kitty didn’t respond with more than a nod as she stumbled past him and the young ladies eagerly awaiting their turn. She heard a few titters and speculative whispers, which only increased the weight of the world already resting on her shoulders. Her one opportunity to prove herself as a consummate actress had ended in disaster.

  Blinking in the sunlight, she regained her senses when Lord Silverton, now at her heels, asked for an address. She thought his name sounded familiar, but she felt too burdened by other matters to try and sift through her memory. Her father often spoke of Lord this and that, as he mixed with so many of them. Kitty had always longed to mix with this other illustrious world. Unlike Lissa, she had no intention of doing so from the subservient position of governess. No, Kitty wanted to entertain them, be feted by them, orbit within their hallowed ranks, but that now looked highly unlikely.

  Still too downcast to pay much attention to his Lordship, she nevertheless told him Mrs. Mobbs’s address and thanked him when he handed her into his carriage, resting her chin on her hand as she stared listlessly out of the window. For a short while, she’d thought the blaze of connection between handsome Lord Nash and herself had been a significant moment in her life. It had seemed part of her life’s pre-ordained plan, fo
r wasn’t he the handsome nobleman with the scar beneath his right eye who would sweep her off her feet while she was London’s most feted actress?

  “I hope you don’t mind traveling in a phaeton. That will certainly give you a bit of fresh air and show you the sights.” She realized Lord Silverton was talking as he leaped up first into the equipage before reaching for her hand, and before she even knew what was happening, was swinging her up beside him.

  She let out a squeal. She’d never seen such a strange conveyance, yet it certainly looked smart and exciting. She smiled at him with new appreciation as he picked up the ribbons, saying, “So you live in Black Cat Alley, eh? That’s a salubrious part of town. Do you enjoy the area?”

  Kitty shrugged, not prepared to voice her reservations for Mrs. Mobbs had been good to her. “I’ve only just arrived, but now I fear I’ll have to return home if I can’t find work.”

  “Come now; you’re far too pretty to look so glum.” He frowned as if considering something. “Let me show you some of London. You’re dressed for it, and I suddenly find myself at a loose end due to a canceled engagement.”

  The thought flashed through Kitty’s mind that she ought not to be consorting with young men without a chaperone, but as she’d already run away to London, she supposed there was little worse she could do. No one from her village knew she was here, and neither did her family, and the offer was very tempting.

  “Do you like animals? I could take you to the Tower?” he suggested, signaling to his two fine bays with a flick of the reins to move on. “Yes, the Tower of London and the British Museum. What say you to that? I’ve nothing better to do.”

  It sounded suddenly rather thrilling, and Kitty responded with a smile and a clap of her hands as she straightened. “Splendid. I want to see London and learn London ways, and tomorrow I’ll do whatever Mr. Lazarus wants me to do if I’m to please him enough to be part of his new play. What did you say your name was?”