Page 35 of Temptress in Disguise
“A pretty face won’t cut the mustard. Acting is about more than batting your lashes and reading the lines.” Mr Kendrick’s dramatic hand gestures showed his displeasure. “This is a play about deliberate deceptions. The audience must feel the weight of injustice. Hero is supposed to faint when publicly denounced.”
Aramis leaned closer, his hot breath tickling her ear as he whispered, “Perhaps I should call you by the moniker Hero. You know as much about deception and injustice as I do.”
She turned her head, her mouth a mere inch from his. “I’m a novice when dealing with treachery, whereas you’re a master. That’s why you’ll always be my hero. And the fact you’ve saved me on two occasions.”
He stared at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. She expected a teasing remark, but he couldn’t muster a word.
Matilda sniffed. “When a man accuses a lady of being acommon stale, she should fight to clear her name, not collapse like a ninny.”
Mr Kendrick covered his eyes with his hand and sighed. “My dear, have you not read the play? Have you not grasped the theme?”
“You said I had to read Hero’s lines.” Matilda’s gaze moved past the irate thespian. She pointed at Naomi and cried, “Miss Grant? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in gaol.”
Mr Kendrick swung around and almost toppled off his box. With a dramatic shake of the head, he whipped his wild brown locks off his face. “And here she is, a bright light in the darkness. Our saviour.”
“He’s not wrong,” Aramis uttered. “I said you were the only star in the night sky.”
Mr Kendrick jumped off the box like a man of twenty, not a forty-year-old who had dedicated his life to his craft. He beckoned them forward, glancing at Aramis as a starving man would a sumptuous piece of cherry pie. “My dear, I assume they’ve not charged you with murder. Thank heavens. We were in danger of being pelted with rotten tomatoes tonight. You’ll play Hero, of course, and our reputation will be restored.”
Matilda stamped her foot on the boards. “You said I could play Hero.”
Mr Kendrick gave a nonchalant wave. “I’ll find you another role.”
Naomi ignored Matilda’s bout of hysterics. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m here with my husband to investigate Mr Budworth’s murder.” She made the introductions. “He has a letter from the Home Secretary confirming our appointment.”
Mr Kendrick read the letter Aramis thrust into his hand, then blinked. “Husband? How is this possible? You work day and night and are always alone. Why are we just hearing about this now?”
Aramis snatched back the letter. “We’re private people. I assure you there’s no mistake. The lady is my wife.”
It took the thespian a moment to catch his breath. Then he gave a beaming smile and cried, “You shall have a seat in the best box tonight. You should see her command the stage. If you weren’t in love with her before, wait until you watch her crumble beneath the weight of such treachery. I’d defy any man not to rush to her aid.”
In light of his employer’s murder, some might question Mr Kendrick’s enthusiasm. But nothing mattered more than a perfect performance.
“Be assured, I’m the only man she needs.” Aramis slipped the letter into his pocket. “We’re here in a professional capacity to inspect the crime scene. No one can leave the premises until we’ve taken their statement.”
Mr Kendrick scampered to find a solution to his pressing problem. “If I tell you everything I know, might Miss Grant play Hero tonight?”
Aramis firmed his jaw, but she spoke before he said something offensive. “Let us deal with the matter of murder first, Mr Kendrick.”
Accepting the challenge, the man clapped his hands. “Come with me to Mr Budworth’s office. It’s been locked since the coroner left, and I’m the only one with a key.” He called to a glum Matilda, “Keep practising, my dear.”
As they followed Mr Kendrick through the auditorium, Aramis cupped Naomi’s elbow to stall her. “You should have put Kendrick out of his misery. I imagine he’s a match for Mrs Wendon when it comes to getting what he wants.”
She smiled at that. “It might help our case if I do play Hero tonight. Lydia’s admirers always attend the performance and don’t know she’s missing. Besides, what if a member of the cast has a secret and would rather share it backstage?”
“What if the murderer’s objective is to silence you?” he countered.
“You’ll be here. Your family could offer their assistance.” She doubted Aaron would oblige. He preferred to remain at home, guarding the gates of Hades. “From what you’ve told me about Delphine, she would enjoy a night at the theatre.”
“I don’t wish to play the dominant patriarch, but I can’t protect you here,” he said, proving he was not as reckless as Lydia had claimed. “I can’t be in the audience and on stage. I’d not forgive myself if something happened to you.”
How could one argue with the voice of reason? Aramis Chance was a pillar of strength. A titan amongst men. A word or touch could put her at ease. Should she not try to be strong for him?
“Then I defer to your better judgement. We’ll find another way to get the statements we need.”
They caught up with Mr Kendrick outside the manager’s office. “Brace yourself, my dear,” he said, unlocking the door. “It’s the scene of a violent struggle. The killer was like a bull on the rampage, destroying everything in his path.”
From his impassive expression, Aramis had looked upon such carnage before. But one scan of the room had horrid images flashing into Naomi’s mind. There was blood. Too much blood. Blood smeared over the walls and on every surface. The once-white bust of Julius Caesar lay on the floor, the sculpted hair a deep shade of crimson. The villain had emptied every cupboard and tossed the contents on the floor.
