‘Oh, I don’t mind, sweetie.’Hamish continued to rattle the door handle, trying to jimmy the lock.
‘You can’t,’ Fawn gasped, holding onto his shirt sleeve.
‘I have to,’ Walter sat on the sill and swung his legs outside. He slowly stood up on the narrow ledge, his shaking legs making it hard to find his balance, but finally he found his footing. ‘Shut the window, Fawn.’
‘Walter…’
‘Fawn, I will getLenny to open this door if I have to,’ Hamish called impatiently.
‘Come back later! Visitors in the half make me nervous.’
‘I’m not just avisitor, Fawn, I am your producer.’
‘Fawn, just shut the window and let him in,’ Walter whispered as she cautiously let go of his shirt sleeve.
‘I’ll get rid of him as quickly as possible. Be as quiet as you can. He hears everythingandplease, dear God, don’t fall and don’t give yourself away… no matter what you hear.’ Fawn closed the windows and Walter breathed as deeply and as evenly as he could, his whole body sweating.
Fawn ran to the door and before she was able to fully unlock it, Hamish twisted the handle and pushed it open, knocking Fawn to the ground.
‘What on earth have you been doing?’ Hamish struttedpast her into the room, looking around. He beat her costume with his cane, pulling it from its hanger, and then pulled her own clothes off their hangers with his gloved hand.
‘Hamish…’ Fawn stood, but backed away from him and clamped her hands against the edge of her dressing table for support. Hamish’s body seemed bigger than usual, his cloak wafting out around him as he stalked aboutthe room. Fawn realised it was his arrogance and his possessiveness that spilled out of him and spread to every corner and crack in the paintwork of the walls.
‘Hmm? Answers, girl. I needanswers.’ Hamish snatched up his cane so that he had a better grip on it and pointed the silver handle at her.
‘I… I told you. I don’t like visitors before the half and so I lock my door.’
‘And I told you, I am not just a visitor. If I want to come into your room, then this door should never be locked to me.’
‘Hamish, I need some privacy —’
‘AND I NEED SOME OBEDIENCE.’ Hamish grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him, but she struggled, twisting her body away from him. He brought the cane up underneath her chin and gripped it either side of her head, holding her there,pressed up against him by her throat. Hamish turned her head so that his lips were pressed up against her ear and whispered, ‘You’re playing games with me, Fawn. I don’t like games, especially ones I don’t win. I know you weren’t in here alone. Someone was seen coming in here and I will find out who and I will find out why.’
‘Hamish, I —’
‘Shh.’ Fawn squirmed against his hold, buthe gripped his cane tighter and she could feel the heat of his body, and suddenly she was having difficulty breathing. Hamish pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled the scent of her jasmine perfume. ‘You aremineand onlymine. And it won’t be long before we make that official.’ Hamish kissed her cheek and down her neck, tasting the salt of her hot tears. ‘I’ve been speaking with your fatherand if you want to remain a star of the stage, you’ll have to marry me and if you do not, I will make sure your little feet never set foot in a theatre again.’ Fawn struggled against him again and this time Hamish let her go.
‘I willnevermarry you.’ Fawn backed up against the latched windows. She wiped her tears away with the handkerchief Walter had given her, but she quickly balled itup in her fist when she caught the initials ‘WB’ embroidered in its corner.
‘Well, then. Your debut was also your finale,’ Hamish said as he straightened his jacket and pulled his cloak around himself.
‘That’s a very small price to pay,’ she said, pulling her own dressing gown tighter and folding her arms across her chest.
‘What?’ Hamish spat.
‘I will gladly sacrificemy career if my happiness is in far greater peril. I’ll find other jobs, other careers that make me happy, but I willneverfind happiness beingMrs Boatwright. I’d rather die.’ Hamish ran towards her, but she didn’t flinch. He put his hand around her throat, the crown of her head pushing against the cool glass of the window pane, but she looked him dead in the eye and he faltered for a moment.
‘Don’t think that can’t be arranged,’ Hamish spat as he ran his splayed fingers down her throat and down between her breasts. She grabbed his wrist and he let her push his hand away, laughing under his breath. Hamish swished his cloak out behind him but before he walked out into the corridor, he turned and said, ‘Youwillbe my wife, or you’ll have a very different curtain call.’
As soon as he was gone she ran to the door, locking it once more, before running back to the window.
Walter had heard every word through the glass and had even watched Fawn’s red hair, ablaze against the glass as Hamish had pushed her against it and it had taken everything in him not to kick through the windows and stop him.
‘Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down,’ he’dwhispered to himself, trying to ignore the sweat dripping down the bridge of his nose, but Walter couldn’t help it. It was getting dark but the light from the windows at the back of the theatre illuminated the street below and there, under the awning of the pub opposite stage door, stood Randall Heaves, Hamish’s right-hand man. He was taking a large drag on the last of his cigar and looking Walterdead in the eye. Finally, the window opened and Fawn reached out and tugged at Walter’s trouser leg.
Walter carefully ducked in through the open window and jumped to the floor, but Fawn didn’t throw herself into his arms the way she had earlier. One arm was wrapped around her waist, his handkerchief still in her fist, and she was rubbing her throat with the other.
‘Fawn, it’s toolate,’ Walter said, wiping the sweat from his face.
