She laughed, covering her mouth with her glove.
“I mean no offense, but the building is reputed to be about sixty years old, hardly a classical antiquity. I wouldn’t mourn its loss as, say, the Tower of London or Windsor Castle, would you?”
He shrugged, and they turned left onto New Road and came upon the Theatre Royal with its line of slender Corinthian columns heralding its entrance.
“Regardless, if Prinny regains his spark, then there shall probably be a ball in one of the Castle’s assembly rooms tomorrow. It may be the very last one, and you and I shall attend.”
She beamed at him, and he gestured for her to precede him when the porter opened the theatre’s door.
The antechamber was cool with marble floors and impressive statues, reminiscent of the theatre at Covent Garden. Here, too, the antiquity she’d made fun of regarding the jolly Castle was equally false as the building dated back only to 1807, and the life-sized Greek-style sculptures were modern representations of comedy and tragedy.
A grand staircase and twin side stairs led to the boxes, as well as the prince’s private saloon and box, and a lounge upstairs. They toured everything in the crowded theatre, as James guessed it would be. With Prinny canceling the premiere event, Brighton’s quality folk had sought out any open venue. Inside the oblong-shaped auditorium, there was nary a vacant seat in the pit, nor in the boxes.
Naturally, there was always room for a viscount and his guest. Thus, in short order, James had the singular experience of sitting alone in a second-tier box with a lady who had no chaperone.Absolutely outrageous!But she seemed not the least concerned, taking in the setting like a curious child and becoming even more excited when the performance was revealed to be William Congreve’sLove for Love.
“Not that I don’t appreciate Shakespeare or even Sophocles,” Miss Talbot assured him, drawing out a fan from her reticule and opening it with a satisfying swish, “but they are sometimes so very...,” she trailed off, looking pensive.
“Dramatic,” he supplied.
“Exactly,” she agreed. “And while it is soul-cleansing and heart-breaking to witness a good production ofHamlet, it’s also a pleasure to be entertained by farce and comedy, is it not?”
“A time and place for both,” James said, finding himself in full agreement. The seaside theatre didn’t seem a place to watch the eventual piling on of bodies that ended many of Shakespeare’s tragic plays.
During the intermission, she seemed to be as thrilled to enjoy wine and sugar biscuits as she had the first three acts. James couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she bubbled over with commentary on the play and the actors. She made him laugh more than the play itself.
A male voice interrupted their intimate gathering of two.
“There she is, my swimming pupil, Miss Talbot.”
Chapter Eleven
“Miss Talbot, you arean absolute vision of loveliness and have obviously recovered to splendid good health from your earlier ordeal.”
Lord Dodd had come upon them and spoke without first acknowledging James, which immediately put his back up. Plus, the man’s words were overly flowery, even oily, smacking of insincerity if he ever heard it.
“Yes, my lord, I am well,” Miss Talbot replied, seeming to welcome Dodd’s intrusion. “Thanks to my friend, Lord Hargrove.”
