Page 3 of Mafioso's Muse

‘When don’t I?’

‘When you had that bunion in September.’

Lili winced. ‘I forgot about that.’

The pair followed the rest of the ensemble out of the room to wait in the wings, watching as the cradle onstage was walked towards the audience. The queen followed close by, beaming with pride while fanning herself. The waiting dancers moved into formation when they heard the applause, and when the music swelled again, they entered the stage and went straight into a petite allegro combination.

Looking out at the audience, Willow was disappointed to discover that the theatre was only half full. Neither Harrison nor Nigel had mentioned low ticket sales in the lead-up, but she understood why. They were trying to keep everyone’s spirits high.

The problem was, the theatre was old and practically falling down around them. It didn’t exactly help in drawing big crowds. In order to fix it, they needed money. Victoria Ballet relied heavily on the financial support of their patrons. But in order to get that help, they needed to create an atmosphere wealthy people would want to spend time in.

At least the company owned the theatre, which meant they always had somewhere to perform. The drawback was that they were entirely responsible for the upkeep.

‘Tonight, I want to see your souls leave your bodies,’ Harrison had told them that afternoon. ‘I want to hear the audiencegaspat the sheer beauty of what they’re witnessing.’

No pressure.

Willow pushed herself hard during every performance—and every rehearsal, for that matter. She did this for all the usual reasons, but a part of her also felt like she owed her soul to Harrison. After all, he was the reason she was here. Her love of dance and unwavering dedication to her craft had brought her to ballet, but it was a childhood connection to the company’s creative director that had brought her to the Victoria Ballet. And she was not about to let that dream crumble.

Sleeping Beautywas pure enchantment. Vibrant silk and tulle swirled around the stage, the dancers’ bodices shimmering under the glow of the stage lights. Willow loved being a part of the living tapestry. It was far less glamourous backstage, with chaotic costume changes, malfunctions, and tears. But it was a privilege to be part of it.

Only as the final notes of the music played, and the dancers struck their closing pose, did Willow exhale and look out at the audience again. She blinked against the harsh light as she soaked up the applause and smiling faces before her. Then all too soon, the curtains dropped, and they all retreated to their dressing rooms.

The ensemble shared one large dressing room, and it always had a very different atmosphere post-performance. The tension was gone, and the conversation was loud.

Willow was pulling on leggings when Lili flopped down into the chair next to her. ‘I just heard from Nigel that the director from Southern Ballet was in the audience tonight.’

‘Heard oroverheard?’

Lili waved her words away. ‘Same-same.’ She lowered her voice. ‘It seems our financial woes are now public. There’s blood in the water?—’

‘And the sharks are circling?’

Lili dragged a leg up and watched Willow pull pins from her hair. ‘Hopefully they take Cassie.’

Suppressing a smile, Willow shook her head. ‘Stop.’ She looked around before adding, ‘We could never be that lucky.’

Their principal dancer liked to play the diva from time to time—or all the time, if you were to ask any of the soloists.

‘They’ll need chorus dancers,’ Lili said, sitting up and pointing her sneakered feet.

Willow crinkled her nose. ‘They would be complete fools not to at leasttryand poach you.’

Lili made a cute face. ‘Aw.’ She bent and began rifling through Willow’s bag, handing her a pair of socks. ‘You know I could never leave you. We’re a package deal.’ She stifled a yawn. ‘If someone does get poached, be ready. The competition to replace them will be fierce.’

‘I’m happy to let you shine for both of us.’ Willow looked around the room at the other dancers. The pressure could be suffocating at times.

‘You can’t stay in the chorus forever. It’s a waste of talent,’ Lili said. Then, lowering her voice, she added, ‘You’re better than most of the dancers here despite having a fraction of their experience.’

Piper happened to walk past at that moment and tutted. ‘I heard that.’

‘I wasn’t referring to you,’ Lili called after her, then gave Willow a pained look. ‘Oops.’

Willow drank from her water bottle to stop from laughing.

There was a knock at the door, and a moment later, Harrison called through the gap, ‘Everyone decent?’

‘Yes,’ they all replied.

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