Page 30 of Bride in Blue
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lovelier bride,” Mrs. Brown said, handing Cassie back her flowers. Max took them to dinner before the theater performance.
They arrived just before the overture. Cassie had only heard about the theaters in New York. No one she knew had ever been to a theater performance before.
The theater was everything she imagined. Plush seats, velvet curtains with gold brocade. Paintings on the ceiling. Max handed the doorman their tickets, and another man guided them to their seats.
Cassie sat in her seat and took everything in. She watched Max pull out his handkerchief and wipe off the seat before sitting down.
“What?” he asked her. “I don’t want to get my pants dirty. He wrapped the soiled linen around his hand three times before placing it back in his pocket.
“The play will begin shortly.”
“Do you know what it is about?”
“I had to read it for school. It is about a set of young lovers who are kept apart by familial drama. But they insist on being together at the last.”
The curtain went up, and the players took the stage. Cassie watched as the characters brought to life the story of Romeo and Juliet.
By the end of the play she was sobbing and when the curtain fell, she joined many of the other patrons who stood with resounding applause.
When the lights were lit, Max asked her, “Would you like to go backstage and meet everyone?”
Cassie grabbed his hand. “Can we?”
Max nodded. “I know the stage manager from New York. I provided fabrics to the theater.”
Mrs. Brown and her father remained seated, saying they would wait for them to return. Cassie could see her father’s leg was bothering him. Going up and down the steps to the stage below would do more harm than good.
Cassie gave a little wave and took Max’s hand as he led her to the area behind the stage. “Maximillian,” a man cried, coming over to kiss Max on each of his cheeks. The man was dressed in one of the costumes for the play.
“Jacques. Let me introduce you to my wife, Cassandra. Cassie, this is Jacques Martin.”
“Madame,” the actor said, bowing extravagantly over Cassie’s hand, kissing it before releasing it. “How did you enjoy the performance?”
“Very much so.” Cassie threw her arms in the air and twirled. “I have never seen anything so beautiful. I laughed, I cried. It was just delightful.”
“You have chosen wisely, my friend,” Jacques said, clapping Max on the back. “She is beautiful and passionate!”
“That she is,” Max said looking at her. Cassie blushed under his praise.
“I know this was a pre-performance, I think Max called it. How does that differ from a regular one?”
Jacques took Cassie’s arm and led her through the actors decked out in their various costumes. “It is where we can practice before an audience in a theater we’ve never seen before. It allows us to make any modification, such as the placement of props and the like.”
“Jacques,” the actress who played Juliet interrupted them. “Hugo stepped on my gown again. Look at this.” She swung her skirt around and Cassie could see where the lace separated from the fabric.
“Amy, no one will notice from the distance. Since we don’t have anyone who can sew, we just need to do our best until we get to California. Now be gone, I’m showing our guest around.” Jacques dismissed the actress with a wave of his hand.
“What do you mean you don’t have anyone who can sew?” Cassie asked.
Jacques patted her hand. “Our seamstress left. Ran off with someone in Kentucky. We have a pile of costumes that need to be mended and no one to do it.”
“How long are you in town?”
“About a month. Maybe longer. We are doing three shows a week for the next three weeks. Why? What are you thinking?”
Cassie looked at Max. “I know someone who can help you get those costumes fixed while you are in town.”
“You do? That would be marvelous. Who?”
