“Anytime.” He clinked his glass with hers and gazed at the photographs. “It feels just as unpleasant now as it did back at your house,” he said. “Seeing everyone clamor for pieces of them.”
“It does,” she agreed.
“Have you seen any of the show?”
“No, Father would never allow it. Leo used to get to see some dress rehearsals of his other shows, but not me. It wouldn’t be appropriate, he always said. Though I don’t think even Leo has seen any of this production.”
“Strange that it’s only one night,” Ebenezer mused.
“Well, he’s got the whole country of Kaolin to save,” Agnes said dryly. “He can’t waste time with theatrics.”
They exchanged a grin as the lights flickered in the foyer, indicating that the audience should begin taking their seats.
“See you after the show,” Ebenezer said.
Agnes was surprised by the knot that rose in her throat. She wanted to tell him that she was leaving, that she was sorry, and that if she had to marry a man from Kaolin, she was happy it would have been him. But she couldn’t say any of that, so she smiled and nodded, passing her glass off to a circulating waiter. Leo entered the theater first, and she was about to join him when her father pulled her aside.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing,” he said quietly. Agnes’s heart dropped to her stomach like a stone. “I know you’ve been poking around the Seaport. How many times must I tell you, Agnes—you are never going to Pelago. If any one of my men sees you there again, I will call off this wedding and have you locked up somewhere dark and silent where you can never hurt this family or its reputation again. Do I make myself clear?”
It took every ounce of will she had to jerk her chin down in a quick nod. She felt light-headed, her fingertips numb, as her father strode away and she followed weakly behind him.
He knew about the Seaport. But he did not know about her true plans—if he did, she would surely have been thrown into Larker Asylum already. She took her seat, avoiding Leo’s eyes, unwilling to reveal anything else to her father. Her resolve began to harden as her pulse slowly returned to normal.
This plan would work. It had to.
And Xavier McLellan had no idea what was in store for him.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Martin Jenkins emerged in front of the curtains to thunderous applause.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the very exclusive, one-night-only premiere of The Fabled Fate of Olverin Waters and His Triumph Over the Mistress of the Islands!” There was more clapping. “Most of you have likely seen the day’s paper, so you know this production features some very unique performers as well as Kaolin’s most seasoned actress, the Lady Gwendivere, and its rising star, the one and only Mr. James Roth!” Cheers and whistles drowned out his voice for a moment. “Of course, it is a tragedy that we are losing such a pillar of the community in our noble patron Mr. Xavier McLellan, but we wish him the best of luck with his new venture, one that will surely strengthen Kaolin’s land and seas and, most importantly, its people. Thank you, Xavier, for all you have done for theater in Old Port. And now, without further ado, I invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!”
39
Leo
THE PLAY WAS A VERY HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTION, LEO had to admit.
Boris’s lush gardens gave more life and color to the stage than any set or scrim ever could. The flowers around Errol’s pond glowed faintly and the pond itself seemed to lend a certain magic, as if the audience was really peering into a faraway forest. The glass ceiling, while of course highly unusual for a theater, actually added to the ambiance, creating the sense that the viewer was outside with stars twinkling overhead. James Roth was spectacular, Grayson Riggs was as hilarious as he always was, and Lady Gwendivere played the part of the evil Pelagan to absolute perfection.
Errol made his debut about halfway through the first act, when the net was lowered from the ceiling and he was scooped up inside it. His scales flashed jade, copper, scarlet, peach, as he wriggled and struggled, while the audience oohed and aahed at the colors, and Leo’s entire opinion of the play soured. He caught sight of Agnes, seated on their father’s other side, a half-horrified, half-awed expression on her face, and he remembered she had never actually seen Errol, only that murky photograph.
As Lady Gwendivere cackled and explained to the audience how she planned to keep the mertag all for herself so that the pond by her house would never run dry and she would never go hungry, Leo found his attention wandering to Sera. Was she still in that awful crate, or had they moved her somewhere else to make space backstage? He wondered if she was as nervous as he was right now.
He pressed his palm against the pocket of his tuxedo pants for the millionth time that evening, feeling the comforting prick of the star pendant through the fabric. He and Agnes had agreed to bring only what was absolutely necessary, and even then only what they could carry without alerting their father. Leo was willing to bet the four thousand krogers he had stashed away in various places—the inner pockets of his tuxedo jacket, the toes of his shoes, tucked beneath the waistband of his underwear—that Agnes was bringing the photograph of their mother. Leo didn’t own anything of sentimental value, but he had promised to return the necklace to Sera and he would be damned if he broke that promise.
He had left his favorite pair of cuff links on the vanity in his room for Janderson. With them was a note that simply read, Thanks for putting up with me. He felt the man had earned them.
The first act ended with James setting sail for Pelago to free Errol and Boris from the clutches of Lady Gwendivere and bring them back to Kaolin to save his farm and end the famine destroying the country. The curtain closed and the audience erupted in applause. Xavier stroked the point of his beard and did not clap. He never clapped for his own productions. Leo used to think it a sign of strength and power. Now he just thought it made his father look like an asshole.
The lights came up and Agnes seemed pale and sweaty, like she might throw up. She had to keep up appearances better, Leo thought. If Xavier began to suspect anything, they were screwed. Fortunately, their father didn’t even glance at her as the mayor and his wife, sitting in the booth behind them, had leaned forward to offer congratulations.
“My god, that fish creature was something else, Xavier. I thought Arabella was going to faint.”
“But that tree is absolutely lovely. And the garden—I’ve never seen flowers like those before!”
“I beg your pardon, Father,” Leo said. “But Kiernan told me to check on the creatures at intermission, just to be sure everything was going smoothly.”
Xavier’s eyes glossed over Leo, and began moving toward the throngs below waiting to congratulate him. “Yes, of course,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Leo shot Agnes a hard look and she stood.
“I’m going to get a refreshment,” she said in a stilted voice. Their father gave no sign that he had heard her—he had already turned back to the mayor. She and Leo made it down to the lobby and he gripped her elbow.
“Get it together,” he hissed. “You look like you’re going to faint.”
“Father knows I’ve been to the Seaport,” she said.