Page 89 of The Gentleman's Deception

“I knew I was playing host to the great Delia Weston, acclaimed actress and leading lady of the London stage, and her rather eccentric relatives. I didnotknow until Miss Weston feigned her illness that Mr. Drake was not a relative but a reluctant suitor. And Idefinitelydid notknow you were an actress who starred in breeches roles, Lavinia.”

Lavinia blushed at the mild set down before remembering she was still angry. “I cannot dismiss all of this quite so easily as the rest of you seem to be doing. You had us—me—terrified, Delia. Why are you not angry at what Delia did, Artie? I believe I have been good to you. I deserve more of an explanation than this.”

“And you shall have one,” Delia said.

“Indeed, you shall, Livvy,” Artie added. “And it is agrandstory, Livvy. You will not be disappointed.”

* * *

Lucas put his arm around the back of Lavinia’s chair and rested his hand on her shoulder, hoping it would offer her support. She seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

Artie cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention.

“As a young lad, I always dreamt of being onstage,” Artie began. “I was most fortunate in that my parents, while poor, insisted upon educating their children, which is why my sister and I could read. I still remember the first time—”

“Best skip over the childhood parts, Arthur, or we’ll be here until supper,” Delia interjected.

“Understood, my dearest.”

Lucas bit his lip to avoid laughing.

Artie cleared his throat again. “Once there was a beautiful lady, the fairest in all the land, and the leading actress of her age.”

“This is going to take forever,” Delia said. “I believe I shall give it a try, Arthur.”

“As long as I can still add in my bits,” Artie said.

“Certainly. As you may have guessed,” she said, directing her words to the others in the room, “I have felt an attachment for Arthur Drake for many years, and I thought he may have had a similar attachment to me.”

“Oh, I did, I did,” Artie insisted.

“But try as I might, I simply could not get him to speak his heart. I tried everything I could think of.”

“What do you mean?” Lavinia asked. “What did you try?”

“Oh, you know.” Delia fluttered her hand in the air. “Rehearsing love scenes together, for example, or feigning injuries, like the one during the carriage accident on our way out of London.”

“But you were hurt,” Lucas said. “I could tell you’d been hurt.”

“A bit,” she conceded. “But not very, at least not as much as I led you to believe. I’m an excellent actress, if you haven’t noticed by now. I was at my wit’s end—and then the lovely children here asked for a story.”

“Sleeping Beauty,” Lavinia said.

“Exactly. Well, a couple of old thespians can’t simplytella story, now, can we? We mustact, so I was the sleeping princess, and Arthur was my prince. And he kissed me . . .” She paused dramatically. “But it didn’t changeanything! Even after that most romantic of kisses, Arthur still did not declare himself to me.”

“I think we can fill in the rest of the story,” Lucas said. “You allowed life to imitate art: you pretended to be dying; your hero, distraught that he may actually lose you, declared his love; and then, as required by the fairy tale, he awakened you with a kiss.”

“This time it worked,” Delia answered triumphantly. “And I was notpretending, Lucas. I wasacting. There is a big difference.”

“What I don’t understand iswhy?” Lavinia said. “Why this elaborate deception when you are always so direct with people and Artie has been your devoted friend for so long?”

“Why, indeed?” Delia replied, looking straight at Lucas.

Lucas shifted in his seat.

“Because we are afraid of the pain the truth may hold,” Delia said,answering her own question. “You see, I am not Delia Weston any more than you are Ruby Chadwick, dearie. My real name is Minnie Hopgood.”

“Itis?” Artie said, his initial shock turning into excitement. “Why, mine is really Johnny Grimmett! Ho,ho, my dear! What a fine coincidence! I had to change my name, you know, for who wants a leading man named Johnny Grimmett, I ask you?”

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