“Miss Davis, you look as pale as the dead!”
Nora rose, locking her knees so her trembling legs would not give way.“I’m sorry, Mrs.Reed.I’m suddenly not feeling well.Could we continue this visit another day?”
“Of course, dear, but may I be of assistance?Maybe help you to bed?”
She didn’t dare allow the woman in the same room as a libretto about Katherine Yates written by Constanza Brisbane.“Thank you, but it is only a headache.I will rest here for a while, and soon I’ll be right as rain.”
Mrs.Reed’s concern didn’t ease.“If you’re certain, I’ll see myself out, but I’ll return tomorrow to ensure you are better.”
“I welcome your visit.Good afternoon, Mrs.Reed.”
The door couldn’t close soon enough.Which version of Katherine Yates should Nora believe?Mrs.Reed’s, where Mum might very well be a murderess?Or Mum’s, where she was the victim of cruel partners?What was Nora to do?If Father were home, she’d demand the truth from him, but he wasn’t, and she couldn’t charge into his office and demand answers.Besides, her revelation about speaking with Mrs.Reed might send him into a panic.He’d have them packed up and moving to a new city within hours.And what of her seeing Winston when no one else could?She needed someone she could talk to who wouldn’t panic.
Ezekiel.She needed Ezekiel.
She walked on unsteady legs to the door, but when she opened it, Winston stood there.
“Where are you going, Eleonora?It isn’t safe to go out alone.Perhaps I should escort you.”
She slammed the door in his face and bolted it.Would that even hold a hallucination in place?Or would he just walk through it?
Tristan yowled at her from the top of the steps, his head tilted.Did he think her crazy, or was he wondering why she’d been rude to a guest?It would have been so much better if he’d been down here to attack Winston and prove Winston real.Although a real Winston was as dangerous as one in her mind.What should she do?
Ezekiel had promised to protect her, but she couldn’t go out the front.It had been a while since she checked for eggs from Fred, and she could use that as an excuse to cut through Mr.Gallagher’s home.If Winston were real, then he wouldn’t know to follow her.But if he was all in her head—which she was growing uncomfortably sure of—could Ezekiel even protect her?Would he even want to?Father had abandoned Mum when she’d been deemed insane.Would Ezekiel do the same?
Lord, I’m really going mad, aren’t I?Please, don’t abandon me too.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
EZEKIEL WASN’T ONE TO GIVEcredence to the superstitions that many performers believed, but he did avoid quoting or speaking the name of the “Scottish Play” within a theatre’s walls.Whether or not a curse truly existed, it never failed to make the cast anxious, and unexplained incidents always followed.Thanks to the skeptical new stagehand who thought it would be funny not only to quoteMacbethbut to name the Scottish Play while on stage, the morning had been one disaster after another.Already a sandbag had broken loose from one of the fly rails and almost crushed his fastest callboy, three performers had succumbed to suspected food poisoning, and currently an actor was getting stitches after a glass broke in his hand while in the greenroom.
The remaining healthy cast had the foolish stagehand cornered and was demanding he perform the curse-breaking ritual.
Ezekiel eyed the small mob.Should he stop, ignore, or join them?He didn’t believe the ritual had the power to stop anything, but it also wouldn’t hurt the man.The worst that could happen was the cast not allow him back in the building after shoving him outside to spin around three times, utter the worst curse he could think of, spit over his shoulder, and then ask to be let back in.A few minutes stuck in the cold might be just the lesson he needed.
Ezekiel joined Keene leaning against the wall as they watched the man being harangued.“I don’t think we’ll get a focused rehearsal outof this crew.What do you say to adjourning and returning early for a quick run-through?”
Keene rubbed his bare chin.“A wise idea.My troupe has performedOthellodozens of times, but this whole Scottish Play business has them rattled.A break to collect themselves will do them good.We’ll meet back here at two.”
There went Ezekiel’s afternoon with Nora.While the cast enjoyed their break, he and the rest of the stagehands would do a thorough check of all the equipment and props.Perhaps that was for the best.He still hadn’t heard back from Miss Soldene, and he’d instructed the message to be delivered here.Besides, his primary job was to ensure everyone’s safety, and all these mishaps made it clear he’d grown lax in checking the equipment.The fly crew didn’t even grumble when he told them they’d be staying and inspecting every aspect of the fly system.A good many of them were former sailors who knew the dangers of poorly maintained rigging.
The callboy Ezekiel recruited to deliver an apology to Nora joined the outflow of performers, which left an empty stage in a matter of minutes.Once certain no one lingered about, Ezekiel gave the whistle cue to indicate to the flymen that they were clear to begin, and then he made his way to the prop room.There were a fair number of swords and potentially dangerous items there.They might belong to Keene, but Ezekiel wasn’t taking any risks.The last thing he needed was a blade separating from the hilt at an inopportune moment.
He hadn’t been working long when a knock against the wall pulled his attention away from tightening screws on the chair that would carry Cassio.
Nora stood in her coat, hands primly folded in front of her and her awful mask in place.
Great.Did that mean he was in trouble?Sending a penned note to her would have been more prudent than a verbal message.Who knew what that boy had actually said.Ezekiel rose, greeting her as he did.“I’m sorry I canceled our lunch plans.I hope you’ll forgive me.It’s been an awful morning.”
“Oh.I’m sorry.I didn’t know.”She looked around as though only now realizing the area was far too empty for a typical rehearsal.“Where is everyone?”
Something in her voice wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on what he heard.“Didn’t my callboy tell you?We ended rehearsal early so I could conduct safety checks, but that also means the cast will be returning much earlier to do another run.”
“No, I must have left before he arrived.I ...I guess I should go so you can work.”She turned to leave.
He caught her hand.“Nora, if you didn’t know, why are you here when you thought I’d be working?What’s wrong?”Had Adler or Mrs.Reed made an appearance?He should have voiced his concerns the second he’d suspected their identities.
Though the rest of her face remained impassive, raw fear tightened the skin around her eyes.“It’s nothing.I’ll go to the Guardians.”She winced.“I should have thought of them first anyway.”
