Chapter 56
DARCY
The entire reenactmentwas done on the stage in the town hall, and I told Penn he could read from the script since there was no way he would be able to memorize the lines before the show. He took the booklet, and I watched as he hopped onto the stage as though he didn’t have one nervous bone in his body. I, however, had all of them. I was behind the curtain awaiting my cue, dressed in rags with dirt on my face, praying to baby Jesus I didn’t make a complete fool out of myself.
I peeked through the curtain and watched Penn, somehow putting on the show of a lifetime.
“I want to leave this town. ‘Tis filled with people who are enchafed, and I do lack to live a peaceful life. I shall go and find a place where I settle down with those whom seek the like quiet life.”
Penn began to march, a knapsack on his back, to the other side of the stage where he exited and the curtain closed. The crowd erupted into applause. I rolled my eyes. This scene never got that much of a reaction, and I knew half those aggressive claps were from the women of Aveline who thought Penn was more than easy on the eyes.
The crew moved quickly to change the scene, and that was my cue to make my debut. The fake creek was in the background, and I took my position, leaning against the trunk of a large fake tree. I knew the lines by heart. I had gone over them with my mother on multiple occasions, but I had never been on stage in front of anyone, and I was nervous. My stomach was in knots, my palms sweating, and I could feel the bubble in my throat like I would throw up at any moment.
I couldn’t do this. I was not an actress. I was a behind-the-scenes kind of person, and I always had been. I was comfortable behind the scenes. I was happy and fulfilled out of the limelight. I had never once thought of what it would be like to be front and center. The curtain opened, and I saw Lettie give me a thumbs up. I felt the vomit rise into my stomach as I scanned the crowd, wishing there was someone out there who could calm my nerves. Instead, it was filled with eyes on me, and I just knew they were waiting for me to screw up. Or so my anxiety was telling me.
Then, I just happened to catch a pair of eyes from behind the stage that made me instantly feel at ease. Penn smiled and winked at me, tipping his hat. I relaxed slightly as Penn began marching while I pretended to be sleeping against the tree.
I was sure glad Penn had eyes, and I wasn’t still imagining him without them.
His voice was booming. “A creek! This is great tidings. And, is that, a woman? Good day! Miss, art thou in good health?”
I opened my eyes slowly, and the bright lights practically blinded me. I felt my mouth go dry, and I couldn’t think of any of the words I was supposed to say. Penn moved closer to me, obviously sensing my fear, and he bent down.
He whispered, so quietly I could barely hear him, “It’s just you and me. Okay?”
I swallowed hard, and he pointed from himself to me. I nodded, feeling a peace wash over me as he placed his palm on my knee. I felt the air fill my lungs, and my anxiety began to dissipate. The words resurfaced, and I placed my hand on his cheek softly.
“I know not where I am or how I got hither, yet now that thou art hither, I am fine.”
And those words rang true for Catherine, and for me.
While Penn was pretending to journey back to the old community to gather his friends, I was tied into my 19th century prison dress that was filled with corsets and layers and weighed approximately eight hundred pounds. The fact that women used to wear these on a daily basis made me feel so grateful for jumpers and sweatpants.
“You are doing a great job! I never pegged you for such an actress. Remind me how this happened again,” Lettie asked, pulling in the strings so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“My . . . parents . . .”—I tried to exhale—“are sick. Can you loosen this a little?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Lettie replied as I felt the relief and my lungs expanded. “My bad. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s so much better. Anyway, my parents are sick. So, I volunteered Penn, mostly because he was next to me when I found out, and honestly, it was kind of funny, but then it backfired. Obviously. And now here I am.”
Lettie chuckled. “I mean I’m having a great time watching. Tell me you noticed how much Penn looks like Damon Salvatore? It’s insane.”
“That’s what I said!” I exclaimed.
Lettie raised her eyebrow. “Think he’ll bite you?”
“Lettie Anderson! You little rascal!” I threw a tissue at her.
“Ew.” She winced. “Is this your armpit tissue?”
“Serves you right. And it’s not my fault. It’s four thousand degrees in here,” I replied as she tossed it into the trash can and I grabbed another one and stuck it under my arm. “I’m going to have a heat stroke in this thing.”
Lettie finished up, and I turned around, looking in the mirror. She placed her chin on my shoulder and smiled. “Of course you look gorgeous in all of this. Honestly, you kind of look like Elena Gilbert.”
I shot her a warning glare. “Do not go there.”
“I’m just saying. Elena and Damon, Catherine and Delmar...Darcy and Penn.”
I pulled the tissue from my armpit, wadded it up, and threw it at her.