“Yes,” Delilah agreed. “There’s not much sense in doing it if we don’t do it correctly.”
Letting the paper moss float back to the table, Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “I’ve had to keep the children away from the fairy wings for days. Mary and Ralph insist they want to be in the play.”
Delilah clapped her hands together. “You should let them, Lucy. No doubt they’d be excellent and have so much fun.”
“Yes, but, they’re only five and six years old. I seriously doubt they’ll be able to remain awake all evening. Otherwise, I would allow them to.”
Delilah laughed. “I suppose a production ofA Midsummer Night’s Dreamis a bit much for small children.”
Lucy reached up to push away one dark curl from her forehead. “I’d love to cast Cass’s daughter in it since she’s older, but it seems the girl has no interest in performing. She’s shy like her mother, the dear.”
Lucy glanced over to Cass, who remained painting in the corner. Cass turned to them with a smile. “I’d much rather be painting than acting. And Bella would be a bundle of nerves on a stage.”
“We know, dear,” Lucy replied, smiling back. “We know. She’s a gorgeous child, however, and quite as kind and lovely as her mother. Don’t worry. We’ll cast someone else as the last fairy.”
“That reminds me.” Delilah marched over to the desk in the corner by the window and picked up a board with a list tacked to it. “Let’s go over the cast again. We only have a few small parts that still need to be filled and not much time to fill them.”
“Very well.” Lucy strolled over to the window and looked out at the men unloading more of the decorations from the carriage.
Meanwhile, Delilah held a quill against the paper. “You and Derek are Titania and Oberon, of course.”
Lucy clasped her hands together. “Yes. I’ve always wanted to dress like a fairy princess. One has so little opportunity to dress like a fairy princess in life,” she finished with a sigh.
Delilah tapped the end of the quill against her lips. “I quite agree. It’s a situation of which full advantage must be taken.”
Lucy came to stand next to Delilah and peered over her shoulder at the list. “Julian is Duke Theseus,” she said. “Alex was supposed to be Hippolyta, but now that she’s told us she’s with child, we must find someone else for that part.”
“Cousin Rafe is Nick Bottom,” Delilah added. “And Jane is Hermia.”
Lucy nodded. “Garrett is Lysander. You are Helena.”
A smile spread across Delilah’s face. “That leaves Thomas as Demetrius.”
“I still say I should have been cast as Puck.” Thomas strolled into the room carrying an armful of paper leaves. Delilah glanced over at him and laughed. Thomas was tall and slim with dark hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in the simple, unfrumpy way of his: dark gray trousers, a sapphire overcoat, a white waistcoat with a white shirt, and a cravat tied in a highly questionable manner. His polished black boots completed his ensemble.
They’d met at a ball when Delilah was thirteen and Thomas was seventeen and had been thick as thieves ever since. Delilah, who had been too young to be there in the first place, had snuck inside and said something cynicalabout Lady Hammock’s turban. When Thomas made a similar comment, she asked him to sit next to her, and they’d spent the remainder of the ball talking and laughing uproariously together.
The smile remained on Delilah’s face as she took him in from head to toe. He was the furthest thing from a Puck a man could possibly be. “There you are, Thomas. I thought I wouldn’t see you today.”
“I finished the meeting with my solicitor early,” he replied, dropping his armful of paper leaves on the settee. “I wanted to see what else we need for the set. I also have a business proposition for the two of you. That is, if you’ll allow me to play the role of Puck instead of Demetrius.”
“It’s far too late for that. You cannot be Puck,” Lucy replied, waving a finger at him. “Cade has already memorized all the lines.”
“Besides, you’re a perfectly swoon-worthy Demetrius,” Delilah assured him, gathering the leaves from the settee and depositing them next to the donkey ears on the table nearby.
Thomas cocked his head to the side. “Always thought Demetrius was more of an ass than Nick Bottom.”
Delilah laughed and shook her head. “It’s a play for charity, Thomas. And we’re only doing theoneperformance.”
Thomas shrugged. “Very well. Demetrius, it is.”
“Thank you for being so agreeable.” Delilah bit her lip. “I only hope my mother doesn’t disown me when she finds out what I’ve been up to.”
Lucy’s face turned tender. She touched Delilah’s shoulder. “Oh, dear. Your mother’s always threatening to disown you for one thing or another. I daresay this will hardly register.”
“Yes, but still, becoming an actress isn’t something that will endear me to her. Not to mention Lord Hilton has been coming around more and more of late. I believe he’s on the verge of making an offer, and she won’t like anything that might cause him not to. For instance, having an actress for a daughter.”
Lucy waved a hand in the air. “Who is an actress? We are putting on a one-time performance for charity at my country house, and the only way to see it is to offer a large sum to the Royal Society. It’s not as if we’re selling tickets at Covent Garden, for heaven’s sake.”
