Eternal Melody (30 page)

*****

The matinee performance was another tremendous success, with the ensemble playing at peak level after learning of their pending escapade to Venice.  After an exuberant curtain call, Rebecca ran over to Mr. Graysen and gave him an impulsive kiss on the cheek.

“I can hardly believe that in less than a month’s time I shall be in Venice.  It’s almost too much for a
n ordinary
Midwestern girl like me to handle.”

The two exchanged grins, as Clive walked over, carrying a bouquet of
pure
pink roses in his hand.
Before the boy could speak, Rebecca knew they were from her haunting secret admirer.

She frowned so stiffly that her forehead creased like a sheet of paper folded into eighths as Clive announced, “More flowers for you, Ms. Meadow.”

Grabbing the bouquet from him and hanging it carelessly over her forearm, she asked, “Where is he?  Where is the man who gave you these flowers?”

Mr. Graysen stood by, perplexed, as Clive shrugged and answered, “He is not here, Miss Meadow.  These flowers were delivered to the theatre.  I believe there is a card inside.”

Rebecca tore into the bouquet and retrieved a card, sealed neatly inside a small white envelope.  Disquieted, she read
the message, scrawled in splotchy red ink
:

Beautiful Rebecca, I shall see you this evening

Yours truly, M.T.

Her frown deepened as she pondered the initials, her mind racing with possibilities of who could have written this card.  Turning desperately to Mr. Graysen, she handed him the card and said, “This is from some mystery man who attended every performance we staged last week.  Apparently, he is to return tonight.  Do you recognize those initials?”

Mr. Graysen narrowed his eyes and tried to decipher the handwriting.  “I don’t have my reading spectacles, but I can see what the man’s initials are.  I cannot say, however, that I recognize them.  We have had so many people in our audience since last week, and I do not pay much attention to the roster.  You might want to inquire at the ticket counter.”
He handed the card back to her, clearly not perceiving the alarm that this puzzle caused her.

“Mr. Graysen,” she pressed, “do you not see this as cause for concern?”

The conductor looked pensive as he replied, “I’m afraid it is very common for lovely young divas such as yourself to be pursued by admirers.  I’ve seen it happen many times over the course of my career.  However, if you feel the slightest bit uneasy
or threatened,
I will see to it that a security guard is hired immediately.”

Rebecca considered this, suddenly feeling as though she had overreacted and not wanting Mr. Graysen
to
go through the trouble of hiring a protective guard when there was no imminent danger.  “Thank you for offering, Mr. Graysen, but I don’t think such a drastic measure will be necessary.”

“The offer stands.  Keep it in mind, Miss Meadow.  In some ways, you remind me of my daughters before they were married.” He mused.

“What are their names, if I may ask?”

“Deborah and Caitlin
.” He sighed.  “Thankfully, they both have good husbands or else I would spend all my time worrying about them.  One day, you will also be
blessed with a good marriage.  H
ave faith.”

Rebecca watched Mr. Graysen walk away to speak
with some stage hands about the
scenery.  She thought bitterly how her quicksilver
affair with Luke had potentially ruined her chances of finding a decent husband.  But that had never been her objective in the first place, she reminded herself.  Marriage had been the last thing on her mind when she set sail three months ago, so why was it that the thought suddenly consumed her with longing?
  Rounding the corner to the triangle of dressing rooms, Rebecca sought solace in isolation, hoping that none of the chorus members or stage hands would bother her once she closed the door.

*****

At the end of the evening show, Rebecca had nearly forgotten about the pink roses and cryptic card she had received that afternoon.  Backstage, filled with the adrenaline of
another successful performance
, she hugged her fellow cast members and graciously accepted their generous praise about her singing
, telling them how wonderful they were as well
. 
Alone now,
Rebecca walked down the
dark
hallway, completely taken aback when a male voice called out to her.

The thick carpets of the corridor had silenced the sound of the man’s footsteps, she
realized
with her heart pounding, as she turned around to face him.  Gawking at her with a mixed expression of intrigue and desire was the man she presumed to be her secret admirer, M.T. 
Dressed in
a solid black tuxedo, the man was unusually tall, close to six and a half feet, but with a thin build that did not emanate masculinity or strength despite his towering height.  His sable colored hair was receding around the forehead and appeared cemented to his skull with styling grease. 
A
sharply chiseled
, rectangular
face housed a long nose, wide mouth, and amber eyes that glinted mischievously.  The man was by no means traditionally handsome, but
exuded a certain eccentricity that would capture, if not captivate, a woman’s attention.

Clearly enjoying her perusal, the tall man stood straighter, impressively lengthening his frame.  When he spoke, Rebecca instantly identified his accent as
Received Pronunciation, the most elite of all British accents.

“At last we
meet, beautiful Rebecca.  I do hope you have received my flowers and have been enjoying them.”

Rebecca thought of the dying bouquet that
still
l
ittered her dressing room floor
and nodded tightly, unsure of how to converse with the man.  He certainly did not appear to be insane, but she was not inclined to trust him either.

The admirer spoke again in his distinguished
accent.  “Allow me to introduce myself.  I am Milton Thornbrenner of London.” He extended a skeletal looking hand that felt cool and impersonal as she shook it.

“Pleased to meet you.” Rebecca said politely, inexplicably wanting to flee to her dressing room, but not daring to behave rudely in front of her admirer, who indisputably had presented himself as a gentleman.

“I am in Vienna on business for my financial firm back in London.  I have many international clients who invest with me, you see.” His tone was nonchalant, but Rebecca sensed that he was boasting, trying to bait her with his affluence.  “When I have the luxury of traveling in Europe, I generally like to see a show.  But, instead of seeing just one show this time, I have attended an astonishing four performances, all beca
use I was compelled to see your stunning face and hear your impossibly beautiful voice.”

The flattery dripping from his lips made Rebecca self-conscious, but she did not blush as she had done so many tim
es when Luke complimented her.
Something about Milton Thornbrenner’s demeanor made the blood rush
away
from her face and left her feeling chilled
, as thoug
h she were standing naked in
a
n Austrian
snowstorm
.

But she
politely received
the praise with a soft, “Thank you.”

“
I was hoping that you would honor me by being my dinner partner.
” He proposed in a tone that was
clearly meant to be dashing.  Rebecca found the bluntness of his offer a little too presumptuous and hesitated.  Sensing her uncertainty, Milton resumed, “I do hope you don’t find me bold, but I see no reason not to lay things on the line right here and now.  You are a very attractive woman, and I would like to show you a grand time in Vienna.  What do you say?”

Resisting the impulse to take a giant bite out of one of her fingernails, Rebecca stood there.  Even though it was
undeserved
, she felt a loyalty to Luke that made her yearn for him to be the one standing in front of her asking her to dinner.  Milton might be able to take her to the finest restaurant in all Austria-Hungary, but she would prefer the placid joy of swimming and singing with Luke to a gourmet feast any day.

Milton stood there patiently awaiting her response.  Though he was gentlemanly enough to refrain from ogling her body, the intense way he regarded her face was
unnervi
ng.  She was still in full make
up and wondered if he found her garish.  From the looks of him, though, he seemed very pleased with the sight his eyes beheld.

As if to confirm her thoughts, Milton muttered, “You do make a fetching Pamina.  That costume fits you like a glove, and your mask is flawless.”

Rebecca’s brow furrowed when he referred to her stage
makeup
as a “mask” and she recalled how Luke had made her wipe her face clean and natural the first night they had made love.  Although it had just been last week,
it felt like an eternity ago.

Rebecca met Milton’s cold, glimmering appraisal. 
Shifting her weight from her right foot to her left, as though tipping the scales and considering her options, Rebecca opened her mouth to speak.  Shockingly, her lips parted on a wordless reply, and she found herself utterly unable to talk.  Frantically, she wondered if she had developed a case of laryngitis from the excessive amount of singing she had been doing.  How cruel that would be if she were to be replaced by an understudy just as Greta had!  Swallowing, feeling a dry scratchiness scrape across her throat, Rebecca attempted to speak again.

This time, the words came out in a hoarse whisper, “I don’t know what to say.”

Intuitively, she guessed that her impaired ability to communicate could signify that she should not accept Milton’s invitation, but when she
suddenly spotted Luke standing behind Milton and
glaring contemptuously, she thought twice. 
How long had he been there?  Had Milton’s tall stature impeded her view of him and he had been there all along?  She had no idea, but the hateful expression on Luke’s face made her want to defiantly accept Milton’s dinner invitation and brush aside her misgivings.

“You don’t know what to say?  Say yes.” Milton enticed in a slow drawl.

“Yes.” Rebecca whispered, only half aware of what she was saying, still fixated on the heart-wrenching sight of Luke looking at her with such potent derision.

“Splendid! 
Simply tell me the first night you shall be free, and we will enjoy delicious imported wine and exquisite cuisine.”

The moment Milton uttered those words, Luke disappeared around the corner, moving away from the dressing rooms in the direction of the exit.
Rebecca instantly regretted accepting Milton’s invitation.

Glumly she informed him if her free day.  “Sunday is the only evening in the foreseeable future.”

“Sunday will be excellent. 
I shall come for you at your residence if you would kindly give me your address.”

He handed her a slip of paper from his pocket, which she snatched from him to scribble the location of her apartment.  Overcome with a queasy stomach, Rebecca excused herself to rush off to her dressing room.  Inside, she closed and locked the door behind her, glowering at the arid flowers on the floor and feeling a crushing emptiness.

Chapter Twenty-
One

A dense gray fog swathed the city, the hidden sun creating a
blinding
glare through the window of Luke’s chamber when he awoke the next morning.  Inclement weather usually did not bother him
.
But this morning, in the wake of witnessing Rebecca accept another man’s dinner invitation, Luke felt as though the entire planet had
disowned him
.

Twisting onto his side and staring blankly out the window at the murkiness, he knew that he had only himself to blame.  He had practically
flung
Rebecca bodily into that rich numbskull’s arms
, and now he had to suffer the agonizing consequences
. 
After the show, when he sought Rebecca in the dressing room wing, he
had
never expected to find her engaged in flirtatious conversation with the man who claimed to be her secret admirer.  He had stood there, unmoving, holding his breath and his tongue as he listened to Milton Thornbrenner
seduce Rebecca with sugary compliments and promises of luxury. 
It had s
ickened him beyond endurance. W
hen Rebecca finally realized he was there, Luke had flashed her a malicious expression that he
now
wished he could take back.

Ironically, Luke thought
,
clenching his jaw, he had been prepared to apologize to Rebecca and ask if they could reconcile. 
But the cruel and untimely insertion of Milton Thornbrenner into their lives had prevented Luke f
rom reuniting with the woman
he loved.