“Why hasn’t Pearl’s name been painted over?”
“Pearl was adored around here. It’s hard to let her go.”
He pushed open the door to reveal the lead actress’s dressing room. As with Pearl’s flat, much of it was upholstered in dusky pink, from the sofa to the chair and cushions. The scent of perfume hung in the air, but it didn’t completely hide the smell of cigarette smoke. A privacy screen painted with spring blossoms separated a corner of the room. A creamsilk dressing gown hung over it and a pair of slippers had been positioned nearby.
I felt like I was intruding. “Should we be in here?”
“Dotty’s not in yet. She’s been asking Culpepper to clear out Pearl’s things for days but she finally gave up and asked me to do it, since I was Pearl’s closest friend at the Playhouse. I started yesterday, and that’s when I found this.”
He disappeared behind the screen and emerged carrying a box. He set it down on the dressing table beside a vase filled with coral peonies and roses. The box appeared to be full of women’s underclothes and other personal items—a hat, handkerchiefs, combs and brushes, a hand mirror, and many cards.
I opened one and read. It was from an admirer of Pearl’s confessing his undying devotion. It was signed with his full name and address. The next card was similar. “Did she know these men?”
Mr. Alcott shook his head. “They were strangers, people who watched her on stage and fell in love with her. Or thought they did. They’re not all from men either. Some are from women.”
“Why did Pearl keep them if she didn’t know the senders?”
He shrugged. “A reminder of her popularity, I suppose.”
“Did she need reminding?”
“We all do, from time to time. Actors and actresses thrive on adoration. Without it, we’re just ordinary.” He smirked. “And if we’re just ordinary, what’s the point?”
He said it with a light tone, but his words saddened me. Did Pearl wonder what the point was? Did she kill herself after all because she felt the adoration was waning? Looking at the dozens of cards, it was hard to imagine that she could feel ordinary and unloved, but sometimes it wasn’t the quantity of love but the quality that waned.
“Here.” Mr. Alcott handed me a folded piece of paper, but he held something back in his hand. “Read it.”
It was a letter, but not addressed to anyone and not signed. Indeed, it appeared to be a draft, with words crossed out and punctuation missing. It was a love letter, of sorts. It began with the author’s confession of love for theunnamed recipient and went on to plead for them to be patient and to wait just a little while longer before they could be together openly. It finished mid-sentence with “I do not love R, I love you, but he must think…”
R most likely referred to Lord Rumford. “Pearl wrote this?”
“That’s her hand. I know it well.”
“Who do you think she was writing to?”
He took back the letter. “I don’t know. It’s taken me by surprise. I thought she told me everything, but it seems she kept the name of her true love from me. I had no idea she cared for anyone but Rumford. She hid it well. But there’s more.”
He opened his palm to show me what he’d held back. It was a man’s square-set black onyx ring with a plain gold band. “This was inside the folded letter, and both were buried under her unmentionables in the left drawer.” He indicated the dressing table with its central narrow drawer and deep ones on either side.
“The letter could have been written some time ago. How long has she had this dressing room?”
“Years. The entire time I’ve known her, she’s had it.” He looked around and sighed. “It doesn’t seem right for Dotty to use it so soon after, but she insisted. She and Culpepper argued about it, and it seems she won.”
“I imagine if she walked out now, the production would be in jeopardy.”
“Lord, yes. Her understudy isn’t up to snuff yet. But Dotty better tread more carefully if she wants Culpepper to keep her on long-term.”
“Perhaps she doesn’t plan on staying long-term. Perhaps she’s hoping a man will come along and whisk her away to another life.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You mean she wants more than Pearl’s job? She wants her benefactor too?”
The door opened and Dotty Clare paused on the threshold upon seeing us. She stared at me a moment, as if she couldn’t place me, then entered. “You’re in early, Perry.”
“I wanted to finish up in here before you arrived, but I see you’re early too.”
“I had a meeting with Mr. Culpepper.”
Mr. Alcott motioned to me. “You remember Miss Fox from Pearl’s memorial.”
